Twelve-year-old Silas Bird lives with his father, a bootmaker and photographer, outside Boneville, Ohio, in 1860. His mother died when he was born, but he does have another companion, a ghost named Mittenwool. When three armed riders show up and haul Pa away, claiming he is the infamous counterfeiter Mac Boat, Silas is lonely and lost, but when one of the men's horses returns -- a black horse with a bone-white face -- Silas determines to go after his father. Though Silas (well-versed in the classics) tries out names for the horse -- Bucephalus, Gringolet, Perceval -- the horse remains "Pony." Their journey after Pa is not to be taken lightly, as Mittenwool warns, and it involves traversing the ancient Woods, where they are engulfed by tangled branches and whispers and moans and air thick with words and ghosts (which Silas has the ability to see). Daguerreotypes begin each chapter, lending period appeal as well as extending the thematic thread of photography and counterfeiting. It becomes a hero's journey, on which Silas feels like Telemachus, a boy in search of his lost father. Classical allusions lend depth to Palacio's elegantly written tale. Telling the story from a perspective of years later allows for philosophical considerations, as Silas realizes "the invisible threads" that have bound him to his mother from the beginning. This is Palacio's first novel that doesn't involve characters from Wonder (2012), but it involves plenty of wonder, in rich and haunting ways. An informative and personal author's note is appended. Dean Schneider November/December 2021 p.111(c) Copyright 2021. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

When he's struck by lightning in front of an oak tree--an event that doesn't connect much with the rest of the story--Silas Bird, the introspective 12-year-old at the center of this meandering 1860 Ohio-set adventure, has the tree's image permanently imprinted on his back. Silas lives with his inventive but reclusive father, a Scottish bootmaker and photographic scientist, as well as a protective teenage ghost named Mittenwool, until three men on horseback arrive at the family's remote cabin to seize Silas's father. When the kidnappers' white-faced Arabian pony appears a few hours later, Silas is sure his father sent it, and rides off to find him, with Mittenwool reluctantly in tow. In the time-warped Woods, he meets a U.S. marshal tracking three outlaws; Silas, certain that they are the same people who took his father, joins him, en route narrating stories of his family's history and encountering ghosts whom only he can see. Though Silas's "I have made my peace with everything" perspective belies his age, Palacio's cued-white characters are simultaneously crusty and charming in their altruistic bravado, and the blend of rambling western, scientific, and paranormal elements mixed with lingering questions about Silas's father's past will appeal to many as the trio underscores how even unlikely friendships can make for strong bonds. Images made from daguerreotypes serve as chapter heads. Ages 10--up. (Sept.)

Equal parts Western, ghost story, and mystery, Palacio's first novel outside of the Wonder universe presents the fantastical yet utterly believable tale of a 12-year-old boy's search for his kidnapped father. Silas, along with his invisible-to-others companion (Mittenwool) and a single-minded pony, journey together through a scary wood to save Silas' father from a gang of counterfeiters. Along the way, they partner with a cantankerous U.S. Marshall, who is also hot on the trail of the nefarious baddies. The soul of this rip-roaring adventure lies in the author's ability to draw significant connections and relationships among characters, between the past and the present, and with lost and displaced souls and their people. This metaphysical juxtaposition works all the way to the surprising final revelation. In addition to the writing, the amount of thought given to the physical presentation of the book is remarkable. Chapter frontispieces are daguerreotypes and ambrotypes of American Civil War--era portraits. These are juxtaposed with contemporaneous quotations and the haunting lyrics of bygone songs that set a definite mood. Attention to detail extends even to the typefaces used, capturing the period feel. The author's note is wonderfully informative, explaining processes and histories. Pony illustrates Palacio's range as an author, with this tale being distinctly different from Wonder (2012) yet sharing movingly captured central themes of heart, family, and overcoming challenges. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Wonder has become a modern classic; everyone will want to see what else Palacio can do.

A boy, accompanied by ghosts and a bald-faced pony, sets out to rescue his father. Silas Bird, 12, his father, a Scottish immigrant bootmaker and experimental photographer, and Mittenwool, a ghost only Silas can see, live near the fictional Ohio town of Boneville in 1860. One night, three armed strangers on horseback insist that Pa come do some sort of business with them. Pa promises he'll return in a week, but the next morning, when a pony one of the men was leading returns to the farm, Silas decides to ride after him, though it means braving the ancient and terrifying Woods, more ghosts, and his own fears. Palacio writes smoothly, with engaging details, but narrator Silas sometimes seems far younger than 12 and other times too adult. The presentation of the ghosts is also inconsistent: Some can see each other, others can't; Silas recognizes some as ghosts but thinks others are living people. A conversation between Silas and a White settler, following a scene in which Silas encounters the ghosts of Native people massacred by the U.S. government, plays into unfortunate tropes of Indian nations no longer existing. The eponymous Pony drives several plot points but doesn't come across as a real equine. Among other horse-related slip-ups, novice rider Silas manages a 12-hour day without either himself or the pony dropping from exhaustion. Atmospheric daguerreotypes front each chapter. All characters are White. Beautiful writing cannot compensate for weaknesses in worldbuilding. (author's note) (Historical fiction. 10-14) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.