PINTO! is the only horse to complete a 1912 – 1915 horseback journey to visit all forty-eight state capitols with the “Overland Westerners”. This book takes that real-life event and tells it through the eyes of Pinto. I really enjoyed M.J. Evan’s choice to make the horse the narrator of this story. It did create a fictionalized feel to the story, however, it was obvious that she had worked hard to research and provide real information surrounding this historic event.

The character that the author created in Pinto was fabulous! I really enjoyed how fantastically full of himself he was, but also how hard he worked! I think children and adults will find his storytelling wonderful!

The overall event that is being talked about in this book is one that I wasn’t aware of. I always enjoy the chance to read about a new event! I found the story to be filled with treacherous rides, sneaky thieves, and courageous riders and horses! I thought that Evans did a fabulous job of telling this story!

To Read or Not To Read:

I would recommend PINTO! for any reader that enjoys historical events in books. With a wonderful narrator, the story flows with excitement and personality!

Where to Find This Book:

PINTO! by M.J. Evans is available at these sites.

Amazon.com ~ B&N ~ Books-A-Million ~ Book Depository ~ IndieBound

In 1912, four men, calling themselves the “Overland Westerners,” decided fame and fortune awaited if they embarked on the longest horseback ride in history. Their goal was to visit all forty-eight state capitals over the course of three years and complete their journey at the San Francisco World’s Fair on June 1, 1915. Facing rugged roads, raging rivers, thieves and near starvation, the men went through seventeen horses. Only one horse completed the entire journey…Pinto, a little horse with a heart as big as the whole country! This is Pinto’s account of his arduous adventure.

Just the Facts:

Pinto! by M.J. Evans
Genre: Middle-Grade Fiction
Page Count: 243 pages
Publisher: Dancing Horse Press
Pub Date: October 2019

Also by M.J. Evans
In the Heart of a Mustang

In the Heart of a Mustang by M.J. Evans
Genre: Young Adult
Page Count: 359 pages
Publisher: Dancing Horse Press
Pub Date: October 2017

A boy is told that his father was a brave and virtuous man, a soldier who traded his life to save the lives of countless others. He was the man that Hunter needed to emulate.

The only problem is the whole story is a lie, all of it. The truth, which Hunter discovers as he begins his sophomore year of high school, is that his father has actually spent the boy’s entire life in jail, paying his debt to society, but not mending his ways.

A wild mustang mare, is rounded up by the BLM. The spring rains had been sparse, the forage on the plains even more so. The mare and her herd are rescued from certain starvation and placed for adoption.

In a sandy corral at Promise Ranch, a home for troubled teenage boys, the boy and the mare meet. A weathered, old cowboy brings them together – a mentor for one, a trainer for the other. The bond that forms between boy and horse becomes one that saves the lives of both.

Amazon.com ~ B&N ~ Books-A-Million ~ Book Depository ~ IndieBound ~ Goodreads

Award-winning author M.J. Evans grew up in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Upon graduation from Oregon State University, she spent five years teaching high school and middle school students. She retired from teaching to raise her five children.

Mrs. Evans is a life-long equestrian and enjoys competing in Dressage and riding in the beautiful Colorado mountains. She has published fourteen books, most of which are fiction.

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I was provided a gifted copy of this book. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

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