Stiefvater, Maggie. The Scorpio Races. Scholastic Press, 2011. 409 pages. $17.99 ISBN: 978054224901
Plot Summary:
Stiefvater’s latest fantasy revolves around her reworked legend of the water horse or the capaill uisce. The capaill are vicious wild carnivorous horses that emerge on the beaches of Thisby Island every October. The men brave or foolish enough try to tame a water horse enough to race in the Scorpio Races on the first of November. The Scorpio Races are unlike any other horse race: the capaill are driven mad by the call of the sea and their blood thirsty nature often leads them to kill the riders or the other capaill.
Sean Kendrick watched his father die in the races nine years earlier, but that has not stopped Sean from racing for the last six years and winning four of those years. Sean’s way with horses is magical, especially the way Corr, Sean’s capaill mount responds to him.
Puck Connolly’s parents were also lost to the capaill uisce; they were taken by the capaill from their fishing boat, leaving Puck and her brothers Finn and Gabe orphans. When Gabe announces that he is leaving to live on the mainland, Puck spontaneously announces that she is planning to race in the Scorpio Races in an effort to get Gabe to stay or at least stay longer. When Puck finds out that they are losing the house she is even more determined to race, even though being the first woman to race and her insistence on racing Dove, a regular horse, raises animosity towards her. Puck’s stubborn refusal to back down and her obvious love for her horse, earns Puck, Sean’s respect and admiration. Puck is drawn to the mysterious and lonesome Sean Kendrick, who seems more at ease with horses than people. Puck is warned against falling for Sean, as men who live to race often do not live very long. Puck comes to know and respect Sean as she learns that Sean live no to race, but for his horse.
Critical Review:
Sean and Puck could not be more suited to each other; both are able to see past each other’s facades and defenses through the way the other cares for their mount and their shared love for the island and tragic histories.
Steifvater’s descriptive language and strong character descriptions transports the reader to the cold barren cliffs of Thisby Island. As she did in Shiver, Stiefvater knows how to create romantic tension between her characters that keeps the reader turning the pages eager to find out how they end up. The Scorpio Races is a more understated romance than Shiver Sean and Puck are both very involved in their own problems, but slowly find each other. Theirs is a budding romance that is just beginning to blossom.
Genre:
Fantasy
Romance
Interest/Reading Level:
Grade 9-12/Grade 6 and up
Similar Books:
Chime by Franny Billingsley
Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater
Subjects/Themes:
Horses
Islands
Bravery
Orphans
Racing
Awards/Honors:
Best Fiction for Young Adults 2012
Printz Honor Book 2012
Author’s Website:
Annotation:
Love blossoms between Sean and Puck as the two compete in the deadly Scorpio Races.
Book Talking Ideas:
If I were recommending this book to a teen I would emphasize that the story is well written and richly descriptive. This is an original story that will appeal to not only to fans of romantic fantasy, but also to teens who appreciate lyrical prose and adventure stories.
Why I Chose to Include this Book:
I chose to include this book not only because I loved Stiefvater’s descriptive prose in The Scorpio Races, but also based on the excellent reviews it received from SLJ, Booklist, and Kirkus. I also chose to include The Scorpio Races because the title was included on a number of “Best of” lists for 2011.
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