Shelly's Book Blog

The Red Pony, by John Steinbeck, appears on the Battle of the Books list for 6th to 8th graders this year, and I had never read it before. The book is short (around 100 pages) and is divided into 3 sections, all very downbeat and depressing, as I've found is typical of Steinbeck's fiction. I can't honestly say that I enjoyed this book at all, but I recognize that it is considered a classic, with its themes of family relationships, coming-of-age, etc. When I was in school I was not bothered by this type of story, but maybe now with the state of the economy and so much sadness and worry in real life, I'm just in the mood for more escapist fiction. Let's just say I'm not eager right now to re-read The Grapes of Wrath!