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Misty #4
Misty's Twilight
Misty's Twilight is part thouroughbred, part Chinoteague pony, and one hundred percent fire and talent. A direct descendant of the most famous pony ever, Misty of Chinoteague, Twilight has greatness in her blood. Now it's her turn to shine, perhaps as a cutting horse, a jumper, or in the graceful art of dressage.
Can Twilight, whose ancestors were wild ponies living on an untamed island, do it? Can she compute against the best horses in the world...and win?
Can Twilight, whose ancestors were wild ponies living on an untamed island, do it? Can she compute against the best horses in the world...and win?
144 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 1992
About the author
Marguerite Henry
155 books700 followersMarguerite Henry (April 13, 1902-November 26, 1997) was an American writer. The author of fifty-nine books based on true stories of horses and other animals, her work has captivated entire generations of children and young adults and won several Newbery Awards and Honors. Among the more famous of her works was Misty of Chincoteague, which was the basis for the 1961 movie Misty, and several sequel books.
"It is exciting to me that no matter how much machinery replaces the horse, the work it can do is still measured in horsepower ... even in the new age. And although a riding horse often weighs half a ton and a big drafter a full ton, either can be led about by a piece of string if he has been wisely trained. This to me is a constant source of wonder and challenge." This quote was from an article about Henry published in the Washington Post on November 28, 1997, in response to a query about her drive to write about horses.
Marguerite Henry inspired children all over the world with her love of animals, especially horses. Author of over fifty children's stories, including the Misty of Chincoteague series, Henry's love of animals started during her childhood. Unfortunately, Henry was stricken with a rheumatic fever at the age of six, which kept her bedridden until the age of twelve. Born to Louis and Anna Breithaupt, the youngest of the five children, Henry was a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Because of her illness, Henry wasn't allowed to go to school with other children because of her weak state and the fear of spreading the illness to others. While she was confined indoors, she discovered the joy of reading. Soon afterwards, she also discovered a love for writing when her father, a publisher, presented her with a writing desk for Christmas. On the top of stacks of colored paper her father wrote, “Dear Last of the Mohicans: Not a penny for your thoughts, but a tablet. Merry Christmas! Pappa Louis XXXX.”
Henry's first published work came at the age of eleven, a short story about a collie and a group of children, which she sold to a magazine for $12. Henry always wrote about animals, such as dogs, cats, birds, foxes, and even mules, but chiefly her stories focused on horses.
In 1923, she married Sidney Crocker Henry. During their sixty-four years of marriage they didn't have children, but instead had many pets that inspired some of Marguerite’s stories. They lived in Wayne, Illinois.
In 1947, she published Misty of Chincoteague and it was an instant success. Later, this book—as well as Justin Morgan had a Horse and Brighty of the Grand Canyon—were made into movies.
She finished her last book, Brown Sunshine of Sawdust Valley, just before her death on November 26, 1997 at the age of 95.
"It is exciting to me that no matter how much machinery replaces the horse, the work it can do is still measured in horsepower ... even in the new age. And although a riding horse often weighs half a ton and a big drafter a full ton, either can be led about by a piece of string if he has been wisely trained. This to me is a constant source of wonder and challenge." This quote was from an article about Henry published in the Washington Post on November 28, 1997, in response to a query about her drive to write about horses.
Marguerite Henry inspired children all over the world with her love of animals, especially horses. Author of over fifty children's stories, including the Misty of Chincoteague series, Henry's love of animals started during her childhood. Unfortunately, Henry was stricken with a rheumatic fever at the age of six, which kept her bedridden until the age of twelve. Born to Louis and Anna Breithaupt, the youngest of the five children, Henry was a native of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Because of her illness, Henry wasn't allowed to go to school with other children because of her weak state and the fear of spreading the illness to others. While she was confined indoors, she discovered the joy of reading. Soon afterwards, she also discovered a love for writing when her father, a publisher, presented her with a writing desk for Christmas. On the top of stacks of colored paper her father wrote, “Dear Last of the Mohicans: Not a penny for your thoughts, but a tablet. Merry Christmas! Pappa Louis XXXX.”
Henry's first published work came at the age of eleven, a short story about a collie and a group of children, which she sold to a magazine for $12. Henry always wrote about animals, such as dogs, cats, birds, foxes, and even mules, but chiefly her stories focused on horses.
In 1923, she married Sidney Crocker Henry. During their sixty-four years of marriage they didn't have children, but instead had many pets that inspired some of Marguerite’s stories. They lived in Wayne, Illinois.
In 1947, she published Misty of Chincoteague and it was an instant success. Later, this book—as well as Justin Morgan had a Horse and Brighty of the Grand Canyon—were made into movies.
She finished her last book, Brown Sunshine of Sawdust Valley, just before her death on November 26, 1997 at the age of 95.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
September 26, 2022
As much as I have always adored the first three books of Marguerite Henry's Misty of Chincoteague series (Misty of Chincoteague, Sea Star: Orphan of Chincoteaque and Stormy, Misty's Foal), this fourth installment, which was written in the 1990s, and thus many decades later, really has none of the magic of the first three novels and actually leaves me mostly rather majorly annoyed. And first and foremost, the reason for my annoyance (at least for and to me) is the unfortunate fact and truth that the author's, that Marguerite Henry's general writing style is so different from her usual offerings, so strangely distancing and strangely told that Misty's Twilight almost feels as being from the pen of someone else entirely (there is absolutely NONE of the charm, none of the authentic seeming and sounding Chincoteague vernacular that have always made the first three novels about Misty so special and endearing, so evocative of time and place, of ponies and horses in general).
However, even the story itself, the presented themes and plot-lines, leave rather much (actually leave everything) to be desired. Now yes, and granted, I do realise that Misty's Twilight is not a book about Misty and even the island of Chincoteague, but about Misty's descendants, namely Twilight, and that Dr. Price, the owner of Twilight, while a horse enthusiast, is also and obviously not a horse expert. However, Dr. Price, as the owner of Twilight, when she basically just sends the mare off to get training, now any REASONABLE and conscientious horse or pony owner, would absolutely monitor this training and not just callously and trustingly assume that the horse trainer (that ANY given horse trainer, no matter what his or her reputation) would automatically be a good trainer and one who uses humane and reasonable training methods (and I find the fact that this obviously does not really occur until it is almost too late for Twilight more than a bit galling, and while I do of course mostly blame the unsuitable and really quite nasty trainer for using what I personally consider abusive training methods on Twilight, I also think it quite neglectful and dangerous that Twilight's owner, that Dr. Price and her children did not monitor said trainer more closely and personally attend at least a majority of the sessions). And while perhaps, I should, in fact, consider rereading Misty's Twilight in order to pen a more substantial review, sorry, but a one time perusal is all I can and am able handle (even though with the first three books of the Misty of Chincoteague series, I have reread all of them with equal and even often increasing joy at least ten if not fifteen or more times since childhood). Not recommended except for Misty of Chincoteague completists!
However, even the story itself, the presented themes and plot-lines, leave rather much (actually leave everything) to be desired. Now yes, and granted, I do realise that Misty's Twilight is not a book about Misty and even the island of Chincoteague, but about Misty's descendants, namely Twilight, and that Dr. Price, the owner of Twilight, while a horse enthusiast, is also and obviously not a horse expert. However, Dr. Price, as the owner of Twilight, when she basically just sends the mare off to get training, now any REASONABLE and conscientious horse or pony owner, would absolutely monitor this training and not just callously and trustingly assume that the horse trainer (that ANY given horse trainer, no matter what his or her reputation) would automatically be a good trainer and one who uses humane and reasonable training methods (and I find the fact that this obviously does not really occur until it is almost too late for Twilight more than a bit galling, and while I do of course mostly blame the unsuitable and really quite nasty trainer for using what I personally consider abusive training methods on Twilight, I also think it quite neglectful and dangerous that Twilight's owner, that Dr. Price and her children did not monitor said trainer more closely and personally attend at least a majority of the sessions). And while perhaps, I should, in fact, consider rereading Misty's Twilight in order to pen a more substantial review, sorry, but a one time perusal is all I can and am able handle (even though with the first three books of the Misty of Chincoteague series, I have reread all of them with equal and even often increasing joy at least ten if not fifteen or more times since childhood). Not recommended except for Misty of Chincoteague completists!
August 6, 2013
I remember this book being about Misty. Spoiler alert: it isn't. It's about a family that hopes to keep the Misty of Chincoteague legacy alive, but instead they just try to recreate the fame of Twilight's ancestor by forcing the horse to compete in tons of absurd contests, hoping she'll be famous and have a legacy.
I didn't care for the characters or the horse; they all seemed shallow and uninteresting. I also wished the book had kept with the Chincoteague trend and setting, and maybe kept us with the Beebes. Sandy Price and her kids make such a big deal about Misty, but they don't follow up on trying to preserve her memory. It's as if the book was a reminder of Misty of Chincoteague, trying to poke people and say, "Hey, hey, do you remember that famous book? Remember? Please don't forget it." It seemed a little desperate of a book, as if Marguerite Henry's publisher forced her to write a book and she had no good ideas left.
I didn't care for the characters or the horse; they all seemed shallow and uninteresting. I also wished the book had kept with the Chincoteague trend and setting, and maybe kept us with the Beebes. Sandy Price and her kids make such a big deal about Misty, but they don't follow up on trying to preserve her memory. It's as if the book was a reminder of Misty of Chincoteague, trying to poke people and say, "Hey, hey, do you remember that famous book? Remember? Please don't forget it." It seemed a little desperate of a book, as if Marguerite Henry's publisher forced her to write a book and she had no good ideas left.
May 17, 2013
First of all, I didn't like this one's lack of the Beebe's and the lack of explantion as to what happened to them. We heard Grandpa Beebe had died but what about Paul and Maureen why weren't they running the ranch?
Secondly, I feel that there was never time to really get to know any of the new characters in this book and I kept getting them all confused.
Thirdly, Twilight was not as endearing as her ancestors.
Fourthly, the whole story seemed disjointed.
Fifthly, what was up with that ending? I'm so confused. It left me feeling like this book was written more for a public service announcement or to bring back the hype that Misty had than to wrap up what is otherwise a wonderful and delightful series. I'm going to have to pretend that this one didn't exist and that the series ended with Stormy.
Secondly, I feel that there was never time to really get to know any of the new characters in this book and I kept getting them all confused.
Thirdly, Twilight was not as endearing as her ancestors.
Fourthly, the whole story seemed disjointed.
Fifthly, what was up with that ending? I'm so confused. It left me feeling like this book was written more for a public service announcement or to bring back the hype that Misty had than to wrap up what is otherwise a wonderful and delightful series. I'm going to have to pretend that this one didn't exist and that the series ended with Stormy.
April 6, 2018
Fun read aloud. <3
November 12, 2017
It's sad: I remember really liking this (well over a decade ago, by now). But this is stiltedly written and has next to no plot, and what there is of the plot revolves around forcing a horse to find a way to perform, so that the horse can live up to her famous grandmother. It's not enough of an impetus.
And there's some really frustrating dialogue. "Do you want to work clearing kids' skin forever, Mom?" Horses! So much more important than teenagers and doctoring! That's just one example; the entire ending rubbed me the wrong way.
This also suffers in comparison to The Grey King, which I reread immediately after this. I know Marguerite Henry can write - but she didn't do very well here. And Susan Cooper can write. The contrast is remarkable (and not in a good way).
And there's some really frustrating dialogue. "Do you want to work clearing kids' skin forever, Mom?" Horses! So much more important than teenagers and doctoring! That's just one example; the entire ending rubbed me the wrong way.
This also suffers in comparison to The Grey King, which I reread immediately after this. I know Marguerite Henry can write - but she didn't do very well here. And Susan Cooper can write. The contrast is remarkable (and not in a good way).
November 1, 2016
What did I despise most about this book? The lack of the Beebe family? The constant references to the earlier books in the series? The flat characters or the absurd plot? I'll just be over here pretending this volume doesn't exist and loving the original three.
October 26, 2023
I enjoyed the middle of this book. The details about Twi's journey from cutting to jumping to dressage were as engaging as Henry typically is. It's the beginning and ending I took issue with; the ending simply leaves something wanting.
The beginning reads more like Misty of Chincoteague fanfiction. Well-written fanfiction, but fanfiction nonetheless. Note that I don't say this without love, having been a prolific purveyor of fanfiction myself up until a few years ago. I'm also aware that this book is likely the closest to being accurate out of any of the Misty books, but that doesn't make it any less aggravating to see an owner repeatedly leave her horse to the hands of trainers for months at a time, or to see a mother ignore her kids' feelings about a trip she planned for their birthdays.
The beginning reads more like Misty of Chincoteague fanfiction. Well-written fanfiction, but fanfiction nonetheless. Note that I don't say this without love, having been a prolific purveyor of fanfiction myself up until a few years ago. I'm also aware that this book is likely the closest to being accurate out of any of the Misty books, but that doesn't make it any less aggravating to see an owner repeatedly leave her horse to the hands of trainers for months at a time, or to see a mother ignore her kids' feelings about a trip she planned for their birthdays.
June 12, 2022
This book is the last in a series, although this book is VERY loosely connected to the first three. This one is set much farther in the future with different characters and not set on Chincoteague. My son and I liked it, but not nearly as much as the first three books.
November 3, 2023
3.5 stars
Much like Sandy, I’ve been enthralled with the Chincoteague ponies since reading Misty as a child. This book gives me hope that I will someday visit Chicoteague and have a Misty experience of my own
Much like Sandy, I’ve been enthralled with the Chincoteague ponies since reading Misty as a child. This book gives me hope that I will someday visit Chicoteague and have a Misty experience of my own
November 16, 2017
My daughter enjoyed this true horse story in the Misty of Chincoteague series. Misty's Twilight is the grandaughter of Misty, born after the daughter of Misty named "Sunshine" is bred to a thoroughbred son of "Bold Ruler".
Twi, as she is known, goes on to become a champion dressage horse.
Twi, as she is known, goes on to become a champion dressage horse.
September 27, 2016
I read this book shortly after reading the original three Misty books, which I also read as a child. I loved those three then, and I love them now - those books have so much to offer, with excellent stories and character development.
Unfortunately, Twilight was very disjointed and unfocused, without a clear story or goal, or even main character. Part of the problem is that this story covers almost two decades of time, which is a lot of ground to go over in a children's book.
In Twilight, Sandy Price has always dreamed of owning a Chincoteague pony, ever since she was a little girl and read Misty. As an adult, she takes her two children - who are completely uninterested - and drives to Chincoteague where they attend Pony Penning Day and buy four ponies, including one of Misty's granddaughters, Sunshine. Back home in Florida, the ponies who were purchased are basically ignored in the story until Sunshine is bred and foals - Misty's Twilight. Twilight is trained for a few different things over her lifetime, but Sandy doesn't really do any of the training, and much of the time Twilight is off having her own adventures - but the narration is stuck at home with Sandy who just receives letters or phone calls with updates on Twilight. I think the story would have been much more interesting if we had focused on Twilight instead of Sandy.
Published in 1992, I think that in some ways this book was an effort to introduce a new generation of readers to the Misty books. This was one of the last books that Henry ever wrote - she was 90 years old at the time. By this time, Wesley Dennis, the illustrator of so many of Henry's books, had already passed away, so I think this book also somewhat lacked in that area. Dennis's illustrations are so amazing, genuinely bringing so much of the story to life. While Karen Haus Grandpre's illustrations are standard, they lack the magic of Dennis's.
I have a genuine love for Marguerite Henry's books, but this one just wasn't as focused. Readers should stick to the original three Misty books.
Unfortunately, Twilight was very disjointed and unfocused, without a clear story or goal, or even main character. Part of the problem is that this story covers almost two decades of time, which is a lot of ground to go over in a children's book.
In Twilight, Sandy Price has always dreamed of owning a Chincoteague pony, ever since she was a little girl and read Misty. As an adult, she takes her two children - who are completely uninterested - and drives to Chincoteague where they attend Pony Penning Day and buy four ponies, including one of Misty's granddaughters, Sunshine. Back home in Florida, the ponies who were purchased are basically ignored in the story until Sunshine is bred and foals - Misty's Twilight. Twilight is trained for a few different things over her lifetime, but Sandy doesn't really do any of the training, and much of the time Twilight is off having her own adventures - but the narration is stuck at home with Sandy who just receives letters or phone calls with updates on Twilight. I think the story would have been much more interesting if we had focused on Twilight instead of Sandy.
Published in 1992, I think that in some ways this book was an effort to introduce a new generation of readers to the Misty books. This was one of the last books that Henry ever wrote - she was 90 years old at the time. By this time, Wesley Dennis, the illustrator of so many of Henry's books, had already passed away, so I think this book also somewhat lacked in that area. Dennis's illustrations are so amazing, genuinely bringing so much of the story to life. While Karen Haus Grandpre's illustrations are standard, they lack the magic of Dennis's.
I have a genuine love for Marguerite Henry's books, but this one just wasn't as focused. Readers should stick to the original three Misty books.
June 25, 2023
This is a sweet children's story about Misty's Twilight , a descendent of Misty of Chincoteague. Pretty detailed drawings of ponies are scattered throughout this children's chapter book.Mistys Twilight is started in various riding disciplines only to somehow not appeal to the judges even though her skill excels. The story follows Twilight finding her place as a competitor in the horseworld arena .All along she captures the hearts of her riders and family. Misty's Twilight is indeed a very special pony.
January 17, 2014
I have read other Marguerite Henry books and really liked them. They were not boring and were easy to follow. But Misty's Twilight is hard to follow and boring. The characters don't make any sense and I don't understand the beginning. It's hard to tell who the kids are and only said three names, but there are more characters than that. I don't know which horse is the red one. Trust me: don't read it!
January 9, 2018
I loved the Misty books when I was a child.
This one lost me when they took the much too young foal away from it's mother.
The claim was it was too young to swim back and they wouldn't let the woman buy the mare.
She was supossed to be some expert horsewoman but she just HAD to have this foal without regard IMHO of it's health and safety.
Didn't finish, extremely disappointed.
This one lost me when they took the much too young foal away from it's mother.
The claim was it was too young to swim back and they wouldn't let the woman buy the mare.
She was supossed to be some expert horsewoman but she just HAD to have this foal without regard IMHO of it's health and safety.
Didn't finish, extremely disappointed.
January 17, 2018
This one was a bummer after reading the other Misty stories. It just didn’t have the same magic. My daughter loved it but she’ll listen to a horse story any day.
October 4, 2023
Maybe I just went in with the wrong expectations, because a title like “Misty’s Twilight” and knowing this is the fourth and last book of the series led me to believe that this would be all about Misty’s golden years, rather than a completely different horse. Oh well.
This book was written decades after the third installment, and it’s about a dermatologist dragging her kids to Chincoteague to fulfill her childhood dream of owning an island pony for herself. The entire first third of the book plays out as a bizarre “remember when?” of the characters pointing at things and saying something along the lines “wow, remember when this happened in the book?”
Gone is Henry’s descriptive style - “Misty’s Twilight” reads as cold and clinical by comparison. I had to double check to make sure this was the same author. It’s just so passionless.
The worst part is that the protagonist, Sandy, represents the worst kind of horse owner (aka stinking rich). She sends Twilight to a trainer for three weeks without doing any kind of background check, nor does she bother to make visits or check in on how things are going. Big surprise, Twilight ends up traumatized and emaciated by abusive training methods. A completely avoidable situation that Sandy only blames the trainer for.
It’s weird to read about a couple kids visiting taxidermy Misty in the fourth book of the Misty series, right? I’m not the only one who thinks that’s weird?
This book was written decades after the third installment, and it’s about a dermatologist dragging her kids to Chincoteague to fulfill her childhood dream of owning an island pony for herself. The entire first third of the book plays out as a bizarre “remember when?” of the characters pointing at things and saying something along the lines “wow, remember when this happened in the book?”
Gone is Henry’s descriptive style - “Misty’s Twilight” reads as cold and clinical by comparison. I had to double check to make sure this was the same author. It’s just so passionless.
The worst part is that the protagonist, Sandy, represents the worst kind of horse owner (aka stinking rich). She sends Twilight to a trainer for three weeks without doing any kind of background check, nor does she bother to make visits or check in on how things are going. Big surprise, Twilight ends up traumatized and emaciated by abusive training methods. A completely avoidable situation that Sandy only blames the trainer for.
It’s weird to read about a couple kids visiting taxidermy Misty in the fourth book of the Misty series, right? I’m not the only one who thinks that’s weird?
July 9, 2024
This book was vastly different than the other Misty books. It didn’t feel as much like a story where I got to know and feel connected with the characters. Perhaps it was because it covered so many years. It was still good and rather interesting to learn about Twilight, but think more biography.
January 16, 2020
Read aloud to 4yo niece
August 18, 2021
Very good series, so fun to read. And the pencil sketch illustrations throughout are just amazing too.
August 17, 2013
THREE-IN-ONE PINTO TALENT
This charming story takes place long after Misty's death, but the spirit of this famous Chincoteague pony lives on--inspiring another generation of horse-loving children and adults. Down in Florida on Stolen Hours Farm Dr. Sandy cherishes a dream: to travel to the coast of Virginia to purchase some Chincoteage ponies of her own. Captivated by the MISTY book and nationally-beloved story about the little filly of Pony Ranch, she drags her unenthusiastic kids along--returning home with four ponies in her trailer.
But sSandy pins great hopes on Sunshine, a direct descendant of Misty. Working with a wise and generous horse breeder she envisions a special blend of Chincoteague and Thoroughbred. The result is a pinto spitfire filly whom she names Twilight. But which equine path will be best for
Misty's lively great-granddaughter? Should Sandy train her to be a Cutting horse--facing cows and bulls-or to be a Jumper in the show ring, or to learn the noble art of Dressage? This spunky blend of both equestrian worlds is eager and willing to try all three paths to fame.
But many years later Sandy realizes that Twilight has an even greater challenge; to help people realize the value of preserving a place for the wild things. This talented pinto will serve as a "symbol of what Nature has to offer us." A pleasant read for horse-lovers of all ages, this book reminds us of what we stand to lose if we fail to honor the legacy of Misty.
(July 29, 2012. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
This charming story takes place long after Misty's death, but the spirit of this famous Chincoteague pony lives on--inspiring another generation of horse-loving children and adults. Down in Florida on Stolen Hours Farm Dr. Sandy cherishes a dream: to travel to the coast of Virginia to purchase some Chincoteage ponies of her own. Captivated by the MISTY book and nationally-beloved story about the little filly of Pony Ranch, she drags her unenthusiastic kids along--returning home with four ponies in her trailer.
But sSandy pins great hopes on Sunshine, a direct descendant of Misty. Working with a wise and generous horse breeder she envisions a special blend of Chincoteague and Thoroughbred. The result is a pinto spitfire filly whom she names Twilight. But which equine path will be best for
Misty's lively great-granddaughter? Should Sandy train her to be a Cutting horse--facing cows and bulls-or to be a Jumper in the show ring, or to learn the noble art of Dressage? This spunky blend of both equestrian worlds is eager and willing to try all three paths to fame.
But many years later Sandy realizes that Twilight has an even greater challenge; to help people realize the value of preserving a place for the wild things. This talented pinto will serve as a "symbol of what Nature has to offer us." A pleasant read for horse-lovers of all ages, this book reminds us of what we stand to lose if we fail to honor the legacy of Misty.
(July 29, 2012. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)
March 10, 2017
This is one of Henry's worst books. It begins promisingly and then soon dives into a mess. There are continuity errors (for example: what happened to the other 5 ponies bought with Misty's Twilight's dam?) The owner seems clueless as to what to do with her long-suffering and talented half-thoroughbred, half-Chincoteague pony.
The ending is confusing, convoluted and head-scratching. Misty's Twilight is to represent wild creatures (How?) even though she'd never spent one day as a wild equine. From what I gather online, Misty's Twilight spent the rest of her days quietly in a pasture after having three foals. She was never ridden in her last years because (according to one website) "made it clear that she was no longer interested in such things when Dr. Price rode her one day." No other details are given.
The illustrations are incredible, if you can get a hardback. I used to have a first edition, which I sold years ago. Here's an image of a first edition cover:
This book was the inspiration for a really nice Breyer model horse, though:
The ending is confusing, convoluted and head-scratching. Misty's Twilight is to represent wild creatures (How?) even though she'd never spent one day as a wild equine. From what I gather online, Misty's Twilight spent the rest of her days quietly in a pasture after having three foals. She was never ridden in her last years because (according to one website) "made it clear that she was no longer interested in such things when Dr. Price rode her one day." No other details are given.
The illustrations are incredible, if you can get a hardback. I used to have a first edition, which I sold years ago. Here's an image of a first edition cover:
This book was the inspiration for a really nice Breyer model horse, though:
October 25, 2011
I've always loved Marguerite Henry's wonderful world of Chincoteague ponies, but this one seemed to lack the vibrance the others held. It still had a fairly interesting plot, but I really missed the old ponies, characters, and setting. It didn't have the same magical feel Henry had incorporated in her other books.
June 16, 2018
I had read most of the Misty books as a child and wanted to see if the books held up all these years later. Maybe I chose the wrong one to read. Even a 5-year old would be frustrated by the questions left unanswered in this book.
Read
April 20, 2011It was a good book.
April 19, 2015
I loved it so much! I read it as a library book And wanted to copy the whole book on my copier machine so Id have it forever!
November 24, 2017
I know all the stories are semi-biographical, but this one felt the most so. It wasn't particularly interesting and felt more like a middle-school biography than anything else.
January 14, 2021
This book was such a disappointment. The kids and I have been working our way through a box set of Marguerite Henry books. We really enjoyed Misty of Chincoteague and Stormy Misty's Foal. Sea Star wasn't quite as good as those, but was still enjoyable. Misty's Twilight was so different from those that I honestly am struggling to believe that Marguerite Henry wrote it. I know it was written in the 1990s, so a substantial amount of time had elapsed between the other Misty books and this one. However, it still just doesn't make sense that an author that showed so much story-telling talent in the first three books then churned out this clunker.
The dialogue was terrible. The story was set in the 80s or maybe the 90s so it didn't have the old-time charm we enjoyed when reading the first three books. The "plot", such as it was, was dreadfully boring. It was all about horse training and trying to discover what Twilight would be best at, but the character who tells the story is doing hardly any of the horse riding and training herself. She's just shipping Twilight off to various trainers and experts to learn various skills. So effectively this book is reading about someone watching people training horses. So. Boring.
It took us months to finish this because none of us were particularly interested in it so sometimes weeks would go by while we read something else and then I'd say "Well, should we read a couple of chapters of Twilight?" and we'd read a couple but then eagerly move on to something else again.
The funny thing is, I could have sworn I read this book as a kid and enjoyed it, but obviously I'm thinking of something else because I didn't enjoy this as an adult so I don't think there's any way I would have found it interesting as a kid.
The dialogue was terrible. The story was set in the 80s or maybe the 90s so it didn't have the old-time charm we enjoyed when reading the first three books. The "plot", such as it was, was dreadfully boring. It was all about horse training and trying to discover what Twilight would be best at, but the character who tells the story is doing hardly any of the horse riding and training herself. She's just shipping Twilight off to various trainers and experts to learn various skills. So effectively this book is reading about someone watching people training horses. So. Boring.
It took us months to finish this because none of us were particularly interested in it so sometimes weeks would go by while we read something else and then I'd say "Well, should we read a couple of chapters of Twilight?" and we'd read a couple but then eagerly move on to something else again.
The funny thing is, I could have sworn I read this book as a kid and enjoyed it, but obviously I'm thinking of something else because I didn't enjoy this as an adult so I don't think there's any way I would have found it interesting as a kid.
March 5, 2019
Ruefully, I'm rather in agreement with the one- and tw0-star reviewers of this book. "Misty's Twilight" is, at best, a love letter to all the little girls (and not a few boys) who grew up wanting to be a child on Chincoteague, owning one of the ponies from Assateague.
The previous three books at least concentrated on Chincoteague/Assateague and the Beebe family, though a very fictionalized version of same--Paul and 'Grandpa' (Clarence) had died about the time Misty returned to Chincoteague, and 'Grandma' in 1960.
That said, I'll be charitable and attribute much of the difference to Henry's own changes in writing style; this came out nearly two generations after "Misty" and it should come as no surprise that both her writing style and literary expectations had changed quite dramatically in the interim. As such, I appreciate the much more modern interaction between the siblings in this book--they may love each other, but they slap and tease in a way that the fictitious Paul and Maureen never would have dreamed of doing.
The mother's attempts at explaining to said kids just why she's dragging them off to some god-forsaken remote island "up north" (the book takes place in Florida) that no-one but no-one can pronounce struck a note with me. The son would rather be tending his boa constrictor, whose eggs are about to hatch, and the daughter just wants to see the end of her 'pony girl' drudgery. Really, it's only the mother in this book who's at all keen to acquire Misty's descendants--the kids quickly vanish over the horizon--and even Mum hands off the training of 'Misty's Twilight' to others.
The previous three books at least concentrated on Chincoteague/Assateague and the Beebe family, though a very fictionalized version of same--Paul and 'Grandpa' (Clarence) had died about the time Misty returned to Chincoteague, and 'Grandma' in 1960.
That said, I'll be charitable and attribute much of the difference to Henry's own changes in writing style; this came out nearly two generations after "Misty" and it should come as no surprise that both her writing style and literary expectations had changed quite dramatically in the interim. As such, I appreciate the much more modern interaction between the siblings in this book--they may love each other, but they slap and tease in a way that the fictitious Paul and Maureen never would have dreamed of doing.
The mother's attempts at explaining to said kids just why she's dragging them off to some god-forsaken remote island "up north" (the book takes place in Florida) that no-one but no-one can pronounce struck a note with me. The son would rather be tending his boa constrictor, whose eggs are about to hatch, and the daughter just wants to see the end of her 'pony girl' drudgery. Really, it's only the mother in this book who's at all keen to acquire Misty's descendants--the kids quickly vanish over the horizon--and even Mum hands off the training of 'Misty's Twilight' to others.
April 8, 2021
Definitely my least favourite of the series. I think there are several reasons to this which I will highlight below.
It's centered around Twilight, a granddaughter of Misty (as usual, we're not introduced to her until several chapters into the story) and as such the story just feels distanced from the original books. We see Paul briefly, but no Maureen, two characters that are front and center in books 1-3.
It takes place in Florida, so we're removed from the magic of Chincoteague and Assateague despite having a quick visit to the islands at the beginning of the book.
Finally, I just didn't love the jounrey Twilight went on. While it was interesting learning about the horse event of cutting, it felt like there was no rhyme or reason for the why of Twilight doing this event. And when she stopped, it just felt so anticlimactic. There was no hero's journey or lesson to be learned or justice to be served. It just... ended.
Overall, I don't think I'd recommend this book to Misty fans. It felt too removed from the original stories and just wasn't as interesting. It's almost like it was written for adult Misty fans years later, but that doesn't make it seem any better. Overall, not the best.
It's centered around Twilight, a granddaughter of Misty (as usual, we're not introduced to her until several chapters into the story) and as such the story just feels distanced from the original books. We see Paul briefly, but no Maureen, two characters that are front and center in books 1-3.
It takes place in Florida, so we're removed from the magic of Chincoteague and Assateague despite having a quick visit to the islands at the beginning of the book.
Finally, I just didn't love the jounrey Twilight went on. While it was interesting learning about the horse event of cutting, it felt like there was no rhyme or reason for the why of Twilight doing this event. And when she stopped, it just felt so anticlimactic. There was no hero's journey or lesson to be learned or justice to be served. It just... ended.
Overall, I don't think I'd recommend this book to Misty fans. It felt too removed from the original stories and just wasn't as interesting. It's almost like it was written for adult Misty fans years later, but that doesn't make it seem any better. Overall, not the best.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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