The Georges And The Jewels Book Review
Title: The Georges And The Jewels
Author: Jane Smiley
Ages: 10+
The Georges And The Jewels is author Jane Smiley’s first book for kids, and any young horse-lover out there is going to love this equestrian story! (The illustrations in the story are from the book, which was illustrated by Elaine Clayton.)
California Country
The heroine of this novel is Abby, a school-age girl who lives in California’s countryside on a ranch with her family during the 1960s. All her life Abby’s been helping her rancher dad train and ride the horses that he sells to his customers. In order to prevent either himself or his daughter from getting too attached to any of the horses, Abby’s dad insists on naming every female horse that comes to the ranch “Jewel” and every male horse that comes to the ranch “George.”
Most of the horses Abby works with on the ranch are incredibly sweet and calm, but there’s one that’s quite the opposite. This horse, a male named, of course, George, has a nickname: “Ornery George.” This means he’s hard to train, very stubborn and will buck off any person who tries to ride him, including Abby.
At the same time she’s having trouble training Ornery George, things aren’t going so well for Abby at school. The four most popular girls in her class are being mean to her and her friends – and Abby feels it’s up to her to put a stop to the teasing and bullying. Does Ornery George hold the key to solving Abby’s problems? You’ll have to read the book to find out!
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2. Never kick a paper cup thrown down at a rodeo.
3. Cowgirls often wear different colored socks on each foot, for luck.
4. Don't compete with change in your pocket because that's all you might win.
5. Never put your hat on a bed - you may be seriously injured or killed.
6. Eating a hotdog before the competition brings good luck.
7. Never read your horoscope on competition day.
8. Never eat peanuts or popcorn in the arena.
9. Always shave before the competition.
10. Never wear yellow in the arena - it will bring bad luck.
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