War Horse

I recently read the book War Horse written by Michael Morpurgo. In 1914, Joey the horse has a special bond with his 15 year old owner Albert. Albert protects Joey from many drunken rages that take place at the barn. Joey's father secretly sells Joey for going into the war. Albert tries to get into the army so that he can be with his horse, but he then realizes that he is too young. Albert then trusts Nicholls to take care of Joey for him. Joey and Captain Nicholls, form a meaningful bond like Albert and Joey. Joey also makes a friend Topthorn who is another horse fighting. Joey is shipped off to France to fight, and Captain Nicholls is killed. Joey is trained to fight the enemy from his side in the war. He has to carry heavy weapons and wounded soldiers. To Joey, the fighting is very chaotic, random, and pointless. A young fighter Warren becomes Joey's new owner who is then captured by the Germans. Joey and Topthorn then work for a young girl Emilie and her grandfather around the farm. Joey gets very said when Topthorn passes away from hard labor. Joey is caught in a barbed-wire fence, and an english man and a german man come to help him. The soldiers then talk and realize that they agree, and if they did then why can't everyone. The two sides wonder if they could just sit down and have a conversation instead of fight. But they flip a coin to see who will be able to take Joey, and the english man wins. Joey is a worried horse wondering if he will ever be able to see Albert again. This book is a short easy read of one-hundred and sixty-five pages. The author creates amazing and meaningful bonds between the characters. The book is easy to follow although it is emotional.