Pam Muñoz Ryan is the author of the New York Times Best Seller, ECHO, a 2016 Newbery Honor Book, and winner of the Kirkus Prize. She has written over forty books for young people—picture books, early readers, and middle grade and young adult novels. She the author recipient of the NEA's Human and Ci......more
Pam Muñoz Ryan is the author of the New York Times Best Seller, ECHO, a 2016 Newbery Honor Book, and winner of the Kirkus Prize. She has written over forty books for young people—picture books, early readers, and middle grade and young adult novels. She the author recipient of the NEA's Human and Civil Rights Award, the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award, the Willa Cather Award, the Pura Belpré medal, the PEN USA award, and many others. Her novels include Esperanza Rising, Riding Freedom, Becoming Naomi León, Paint the Wind, The Dreamer, and Echo. She was born and raised in Bakersfield, California, holds a bachelor's and master's degree from San Diego State University and lives in north San Diego county with her family.
Pam Muñoz Ryan is the author of the New York Times Best Seller, ECHO, a 2016 Newbery Honor Book, and winner of the Kirkus Prize. She has written over forty books for young people—picture books, early readers, and middle grade and young adult novels. She the author recipient of the NEA's Human and Civil Rights Award, the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award, the Willa Cather Award, the Pura Belpré medal, the PEN USA award, and many others. Her novels include Esperanza Rising, Riding Freedom, Becoming Naomi León, Paint the Wind, The Dreamer, and Echo. She was born and raised in Bakersfield, California, holds a bachelor's and master's degree from San Diego State University and lives in north San Diego county with her family. (less)
Little known fact:
My mother was visiting with her father for a week-long horse-back riding trip somewhere out in Nevada once upon a time. Coincidently, Pam (the author of this book) was there at the same time as my mother. She was on a research trip for this very book. The two chatted, e......more
Little known fact:
My mother was visiting with her father for a week-long horse-back riding trip somewhere out in Nevada once upon a time. Coincidently, Pam (the author of this book) was there at the same time as my mother. She was on a research trip for this very book. The two chatted, exchanged emails, and I suppose it was over there.
Cool as that was, and as much as I fan-girled at the the prospect that my mother had met such a wonderful author, it saddens me to say something. The publicity of this book is not what it should be. I would not have found this book had my mother not had that experience and brought home a signed copy of the finished book one day.
Don't get me wrong, I am glad that I did! Every day I get to thinking "I should really re-read that book" and then that other voice, the one with little horns and a red cape shows up and is all like "You have 20 other books that you 'should really re-read again' don't even start adding to that already extensive list!" Then the one with the tiny white wings sighs and doesn't mention it again for...like...8 hours.
Needless to say this is a unique and really fun book to read. It is very immersing and you have to read it to find out the rest! Congrats to Pam, and I hope to see this book skyrocket a little more in popularity!(less)
I may be a fanatic but i have read this book about eight times. I read it whenever i have nothing else to read and i enjoy it every time!
It starts with Maya, living under her grandmother's controlling care, and always dreaming about seeing the horses her parents loved so much. To her th......more
I may be a fanatic but i have read this book about eight times. I read it whenever i have nothing else to read and i enjoy it every time!
It starts with Maya, living under her grandmother's controlling care, and always dreaming about seeing the horses her parents loved so much. To her they were all a mystery. One day though her grandmother has a random stroke and dies, leaving Maya with no where to go but her mother's family, who she was supposed to visit every summer. She has a hard time adapting at first, but quickly enough she is happy at the camp her mother and father spent so much time at before. Then when she is alone for a while she spots Artemisia, the horse her mother once rode. She decides to go and get her, thinking it would be quick, but just as she reaches Artemisia a horrible earthquake happens. Maya is injured and overtime gains Artemisia's trust enough so that together they make it safely back to camp.
It is a very great story about leaving what you know for something completely different, and maybe even better. By sitting and waiting at her controlling grandmothers house for too long, she is finally Maya: A journey about to begin!(less)
This is definitely in my top 10 books. I wasn't sure about reading this because it had to do with fantasy and horses and I just wasn't up to trying to believe in Pegasus horses that live by a magical lake. Then I started to get into it and I really liked it. The beginning is pretty good, and I like ......more
This is definitely in my top 10 books. I wasn't sure about reading this because it had to do with fantasy and horses and I just wasn't up to trying to believe in Pegasus horses that live by a magical lake. Then I started to get into it and I really liked it. The beginning is pretty good, and I like the way her grandmother makes her dress and talk and eat. I think that it would be kind of cool to see what that type of life is like. When Payton loses her favorite horse Paint {I think that's it's name}, I felt like I could cry and I would've told and Aunt Vi what he had done. I liked Payton and Moose because they remind me of my grandfather and my brother. After I finished it, I had a longing to go and see all of my grandfathers {4} of them. I like the way that Pam Munoz Ryan did a really good job of developing the character of the main character. My favorite part was the Artimesia stays by her side and protects her until she is strong enough to ride on her. This book was extremely good..(less)
This book......oh my..... lets do some comparison.
Pros:
Only horse-based novel that doesn't follow suit with saddle club
Good plot and story line
Realistic story-line and characters and facts
The focus of the novel stayed the same the entire bo......more
This book......oh my..... lets do some comparison.
Pros:
Only horse-based novel that doesn't follow suit with saddle club
Good plot and story line
Realistic story-line and characters and facts
The focus of the novel stayed the same the entire book
There were relatable characters
Cons:
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
I hated the main character
And heres why: she was a snobby, obnoxious, ungrateful, disrespectful, careless, lackluster, dishonest little brat. and every time she appeared(which was a lot -__-) in the novel was one time to many, so therefore she caused the book to loose 2 stars. If you think you have the patients for her, knock yourself out.(less)
Oh my GAWD this book was bad. Where to even start? Nothing for it but to make a list of why
sucks:
* WHAT THE HELL DOES "PAINT THE WIND" MEAN???
* Does the author know anything about horses? The main horse is given a name more than three syllables long. Horses (and......more
Oh my GAWD this book was bad. Where to even start? Nothing for it but to make a list of why
sucks:
* WHAT THE HELL DOES "PAINT THE WIND" MEAN???
* Does the author know anything about horses? The main horse is given a name more than three syllables long. Horses (and dogs) tend to ignore names more than two syllables long.
* One horse's body color is described as "flaxen." What the hell? I've never heard of a horse's body color described that way (although I've seen mane and tail colors described that way) and have never read about a flaxen horse or pony in the hundreds of horse books I've read. I need to read more horse books, I guess. I'm guessing the author really meant this:
* Is this the longest summer in the history of summers? At one point, a search is on for "several weeks" which would make it about October when the story picks up again. But no, actually, we're in July. Or are we? Do the characters have some sort of time machine they're not talking about?
* How in the hell does anyone make money in this book? Grandmother is just filthy rich but how about the other adults? Aunt Vi is a a teacher but what the heck is she doing during the summer to make enough money to study mustangs AND own a corral full of horses.
* If you live in a canvass tent, the LAST think you want to do is pin photos to the walls. Pins make holes. Holes let in rain. It rains on our characters in their tents -- which should be all washed away because of the HOLES IN IT. All of the photos should have been destroyed from contact with wet canvass. Even in the desert, there's going to be condensation on the inside of a tent.
* There's something called a Cherokee coil that becomes a major plot point. It's not described well so I couldn't picture it in my head. Even if I could, I highly doubt actually Cherokees rode that way.
* There's an incredibly fawning interview with the author after the story and an excerpt from the author's journal. She really has no problem with low self-esteem. In a selection of the author's favorite quotes, SHE LISTS ONE OF HER OWN QUOTES. It just makes you want to punch her in the face. Hard.(less)
My son is reading this as part of "Battle of the Books." I wanted to screen it because of the "being held captive by her grandmother" bit mentioned in the book description. So I found an audiobook version on Library2go, and listened. It was fine. Grandmother was pathologically restrictive, but it wa......more
My son is reading this as part of "Battle of the Books." I wanted to screen it because of the "being held captive by her grandmother" bit mentioned in the book description. So I found an audiobook version on Library2go, and listened. It was fine. Grandmother was pathologically restrictive, but it wasn't gruesome in any way, or critical of authority figures.
I actually loved how her grandfather and his family were portrayed. And her response to changes in her life. It showed the effects of how she was raised, and she was able to grow within her new situation.
It's about overcoming your fears, being strong when you have to, and building relationships. I liked how Artemisia helped her, and at the end, even though it was a difficult decision, she helped Artemisia.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable story.(less)
I am a retired elementary teacher but still substitute teach. Apparently 40 years wasn't enough teaching time for me. On one of my substitute days the teacher had this book in her plans for the read aloud time, and I read chapter 9 to the students. That chapter enticed me to want to read the whole b......more
I am a retired elementary teacher but still substitute teach. Apparently 40 years wasn't enough teaching time for me. On one of my substitute days the teacher had this book in her plans for the read aloud time, and I read chapter 9 to the students. That chapter enticed me to want to read the whole book. I know it is a children's book and I am quite far into adulthood, but I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, the writing, and the two story lines of the plot. Granted, it doesn't quite have the depth of books that I give five stars, but I recommend it for children as well as adults. I valued every minute that I was immersed in this book!(less)
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEALLY GUD BOOK KIND OF DIGUSTING AT FIRST but then u get so in to it its not even funny
REEEEEEEEEEEEEEALLY GUD BOOK KIND OF DIGUSTING AT FIRST but then u get so in to it its not even funny(less)
Maya has spent the last six years with her overbearing, controlling grandmother since her parents' death. She is forbidden to speak of her mother or to play, have fun, etc. When her grandmother dies, she is sent to live with the other side of her family, who she has been told are ignorant hillbillie......more
Maya has spent the last six years with her overbearing, controlling grandmother since her parents' death. She is forbidden to speak of her mother or to play, have fun, etc. When her grandmother dies, she is sent to live with the other side of her family, who she has been told are ignorant hillbillies.
This is a book about a girl and horses, including how she learns to ride. This is a great book for girls (and the rare boy who will read a book with a girl protaganist) who loves to read horse books. In addition to all of the things about horses, there is reconciliation, healing, etc(less)
Now I've read and own the complete Munoz Ryan chapter-book collection. While 'Paint the Wind' ranks slightly below the stellar 'Esperanza Rising,' it's right up there with the others: the recent 'The Dreamer,' 'Becoming Naomi Leon,' and 'Riding Freedom.'
'Paint' is ostensibly a horse stor......more
Now I've read and own the complete Munoz Ryan chapter-book collection. While 'Paint the Wind' ranks slightly below the stellar 'Esperanza Rising,' it's right up there with the others: the recent 'The Dreamer,' 'Becoming Naomi Leon,' and 'Riding Freedom.'
'Paint' is ostensibly a horse story, about an isolated and lonely orphaned girl who opens up to the world after riding the same wild mustang her mother loved. However, Maya's prim and repressed personality is formed during a cloistered upbringing with her stodgy and domineering grandmother, and it is this part of the book that was most evocative.
Darker in tone than any of Munoz Ryan's other works except 'The Dreamer,' the first fifth or so of 'Paint' is also concretely redolent of a unique Southern California darkness--the darkness inside shaded, sepulchral houses hidden from the glaring sunshine. Maya's interior life and her instinctive manipulation of a predictable grandmother and cowering servants were touching and true.
That's not to indicate that the more hopeful and upbeat remainder of the book, when Maya moves from the shadows of Pasadena to the wide-open spaces of Wyoming, is devoid of emotional power. Far from it, especially for kids who love horses.(less)