On the island of Chincoteague, off the coasts of Virginia and Maryland, lives a centuries-old band of wild ponies. Among them is the most mysterious of all, Phantom, a rarely-seen mare that eludes all efforts to capture her--that is, until a young boy and girl lay eyes on her and determine that they can't live without her.

The frenzied roundup that follows on the next Pony Penning Day does indeed bring Phantom into their lives, in a way they never would have suspected. Phantom would forever be a creature of the wild. But her gentle, loyal colt Misty is another story altogether...

On the island of Chincoteague, off the coasts of Virginia and Maryland, lives a centuries-old band of wild ponies. Among them is the most mysterious of all, Phantom, a rarely-seen mare that eludes all efforts to capture her--that is, until a young boy and girl lay eyes on her and determine that they can't live without her.

The frenzied roundup that follows on the next Pony Penning Day does indeed bring Phantom into their lives, in a way they never would have suspected. Phantom would forever be a creature of the wild. But her gentle, loyal colt Misty is another story altogether...

Horse

On the island of Chincoteague, off the coasts of Virginia and Maryland, lives a centuries-old band of wild ponies. Among them is the most mysterious of all, Phantom, a rarely-seen mare that eludes all efforts to capture her--that is, until a young boy and girl lay eyes on her and determine that they can't live without her.

The frenzied roundup that follows on the next Pony Penning Day does indeed bring Phantom into their lives, in a way they never would have suspected. Phantom would forever be a creature of the wild. But her gentle, loyal colt Misty is another story altogether...

Listened to this with the kids. ( )

With an opening as terrifying as [The Black Stallion[,
[Mistry] delivers the complete story of a rescued baby pony and the people she comes to love.

Evocative drawings!

The return to the Island ending is beautiful.

(Unwelcome is no compassion for the animals - clams, oysters - caught only to make money.

Pony Penning Day is also viewed as a tradition with no regard for the pain and fright of the ponies.) ( )

Another of those classics of youth that somehow passed me by in mine. I just loved this story of two children, their love for the wild ponies of the mid-Atlantic barrier islands, and their determination to own one. It was written well (maybe a bit heavy-handed on the dialect as spoken by the grandparents, but not enough to put me off), with just enough tension, and a pretty perfect ending. A very "grown-up" tale for young readers. As I discovered, it is based on a true story, which was recently reported and updated in this Smithsonian article. ( )

Growing up I had a large collection of Marguerite Henry's horse books: Misty of Chincoteague; Sea Star; Stormy, Misty's Foal; Black Gold; Justin Morgan Had a Horse; Twilight and others. They, among my Animal Arc and The Saddle Club books, were meant to be stored and never given away because I knew I would love to reread them or in the off chance later in life I have relations with a kid that liked what I liked as a kid, I could share and bond with such a kid. Where are my books? Who knows. I could buy a box set, but first I must reread the copies available at the library and find out how much I enjoy them as an adult.

As a kid I never realized the book was written and took place in the 40s. It had seemed like any other small town save for some geographical differences between coastal Virginia and my hometown in western Colorado. As an adult I had flashbacks to what I assume was a movie for this book, which I had watched with my childhood best friend once upon a time.

This book comes with more than nostalgia. It's a trauma-free, good horse story mostly told through incredibly self-sufficient—by today's culture—and amicable brother and sister, Misty at one point, and an omnipotent voice at the beginning for the origin story of the Chincoteague ponies. I love Henry's versatile narration and dependable, kind characters. Again, no trauma or backstabbing like a surprising number of animal stories, including children's fiction. This includes the horses and oysters.

It always bothered me that the novel is titled Misty of Chincoteague. Misty is a minor character compared to her infamous and page-hoarding mother, The Phantom. Why wasn't the book called The Phantom? Sounds marketable enough. Why not Misty of Assateague? Initially that seems more accurate since she was born on Assateague Island, not Chincoteague—the answer here is at the end of the book and would be a spoiler here.

However, as an adult and having reread the story, I see the symbolism. Misty is the legacy. Subsequent books include her. Misty is the plot. The premise of the story is that the siblings saved enough money to buy The Phantom, but oh no! She has a new filly! They can't be separated. The siblings need enough money for both. Misty is the one all people and The Phantom protect. Misty links them together. And the drawings of her by Wesley Dennis are adorable.

Something special of note is how the people featured in this story ride. Saddle? Bridle with bit? Nonsense. They ride bareback and sometimes the pony won't tolerate a bit so they ride with a wickie rope—a root that the kids dug up that could be knotted to fit a pony's head like a halter or just around the nose and even be used for reins. Both sister and brother would race The Phantom attired with only the wickie. That's some incredible riding skill.

I never did get around to reading all of her books, but I daresay, "Challenge accepted!" ( )

Enthralling tale that is a must for all horse lovers.

I read it as most here have, when I was just child but I never forgot it.

I love the story of Misty, the wild horse and the family who loves her and it’s made even that much better by the fact that this is a true story .

This is a book you can read, your children can read and your grandchildren can read.

Also read "Stormy, Misty's fowl", an equally great book.

A must for all horse lovers and animal lovers in general. ( )

I knew there was a series of books about the wild horses of Chincoteague/Assateague but I hadn't read them prior to this. I didn't even know this book was the first of the series until I came on here to rate and review it. I got this book at a library book sale thinking that one of my friends, who had visited this area, would be interested in it after I was done--I see she already has read it, so it will probably get passed on to another friend instead.

I'm much older than the age range this book is meant for. I suspect I would have rated it higher had I read it when younger and more in my horse and pony phase.

The first two chapters tell the story of how the ponies/horses ended up on the island--and that was interesting.

I had a hard time with the idea of Pony Penning Day. I get that population control is probably necessary, but it still seems sad to capture them and take them away from their home. ( )

I read this sooooo long ago, back in my little girl in love with horses phase. It's good for that. ( )

As a child, and as an adult too actually, I loved horse stories. Marguerite Henry writes an easy but enjoyable horse story. Her stories feel very true to the time and setting and are enjoyable to read. ( )

A timeless horse tale.

I enjoyed this book so much as a child :) ( )

This story of the Assoteague ponies is really more about Misty's wild mother, Phantom and the pony round ups. ( )

Paul and Maureen Beebe who live with their grandparents on Chincoteague Island dream of owning the Phantom, a horse no one caught for the past two years in the annual roundup on Assateague Island. They save to purchase the Phantom from the fire chief. Paul catches Phantom and her new foal he calls Misty. When they get to the sale, they find a "sold" sign on Misty, and the fire chief informs them Phantom was also sold. Through a stroke of luck, they are able to purchase them anyway. I'll leave out the rest of the plot to prevent spoilers. This childhood favorite will still charm young readers who love horse stories. It would make a good classroom read-aloud as some Outer Banks dialect is included. ( )

Nobody could capture the Phantom. She was the wildest mare on Assateague Island. They said she was like the wind, that the white "map" on her shoulders was her mark of freedom. Paul and Maureen Beebe had their hearts set on owning her. They were itching to buy and tame her, and worked hard to earn the money that she would cost. But the roundup men had tried to capture her and for two years she had escaped them.... Pony Penning Day holds a surprise for everyone, for Paul not only brings in the Phantom, but her newborn colt as well. Can Paul and Maureen possibly earn enough to buy them both?

Ok so this story is cute but I have some issues with it. First and foremost being WILD ANIMALS SHOULD REMAIN WILD! Nobody should be allowed to buy a wild animal, let alone children. Ok I get the Pony Penning was for population control, but come on now. As innocent as this story was intended to be and as well written as it was, I personally found it to give off the wrong message to younger readers.
Maybe I'm being too harsh on this book I don't know, but it just rubbed me the wrong way. ( )

As a horse lover, I loved this entire series! So well written and very interesting! Based on real events. ( )

Since I am about to leave on a trip and one of the places I will visit is Chincoteague, I wanted to revisited this book. I read it as a child and also read it to my own children. It is a wonderful story about the ponies of Assateague and Chincoteague. ( )

Evocative of a simpler time, of childhood dreams and possibilities, and of the excitement and freedom of horses, Misty of Chincoteague is a Newbery Award Winner, recently rereleased in a 60th anniversary edition. I didn’t read this book as a child, though I longed to after buying the sequel, Stormy, Misty’s Foal, in elementary school. It was the first book I bought from the traveling library—together with another children’s novel called the Day the Roof fell In. Stormy stole my heart and Misty has just stolen it again!

The illustrations are cool line-drawings filled with emotion and action. The history of wild horses on an island is intriguingly and simply told. And the determination of two young children to own and tame a creature of their own, instead of simply training to sell to others, has a sense of genuine innocence together a pleasing push toward deeper feelings. These children work for what they love, respect what they are given, and recognize there’s more to life than what their desires would offer.

Simple, yet pleasingly deep, Misty is a tale for all ages with wise lessons for adults too.

Disclosure: A dear friend learned how I’d loved Stormy and bought me this book as a gift. Thank you! ( )

5425. Misty of Chincoteague, by Marguerite Henry (read 20 Nov 2016) My daughter Sandy mentioned to me that as a child reading this book gave her a great interest in horse stories. So I thought I should read it and to my surprise I found it quite fetching and at times moving. (Sandy also liked The Black Staion, which I read recently and was not at all enamored by). Misty tells a somewhat improbable story but not obviously fantasy of a wild pony on the Virginia island named in the title who is tamed, with Misty, her colt, by two kids who are hard workers. They live with their grandparents . There is some dialect talk but it is not as excessive as in some children's books and did not detract much from the simple and at times poignant story. ( )

This is a story of two kids, Paul and Maureen, who try and catch Phantom, a wild horse. The two work so they can pay to participate in the round up. Once Phantom has her foal, Paul calls her "Misty," as she looked like mist the first time he saw her. This story follows Paul and Maureen and their adventures with Misty.

This book is about a boy named Paul and a girl named Maureen. They were obsessed with trying to catch the Phantom. The Phantom is a wild horse. On pony penning day Paul tried to herd the Phantom and her foal back to the meeting point to get all the horses they caught back across the river. After they tried to get the horses across the river Paul tried to help the foal but the Phantom bucked him out of the way. They named the foal Misty.After a while the Phantom and Misty calmed down. I liked this book because it was very exciting. I would recommend this book to someone who likes horses. This was a great book. I think this book was so great because it is like an adventure. Even if you don't like horses I would recommend this book to you anyway. That is why I like this book. ( )

Paul and Maureen Beebe live with their grandparents, who gentle wild Chincoteague ponies for a living, but training up ponies for sale is not the same as having one of your very own. The brother and sister have their hearts set on buying a pony on the next pony-penning day -- and not just any pony, but the Phantom, who has resisted capture for two years running. This year, the Phantom is captured for a surprising reason: she has a foal. Will Paul and Maureen have enough money to buy both?

Confession: I never read this book as a child, though I was recommended it more than once. I had a childish aversion to it, and I was not pony crazy. So now, as an adult, I decided to read it and see what I missed. It's a nice enough story, with some action and suspense. The characters are fairly static, and the dialogue comes across as a bit old-fashioned, but I can see how the book would appeal to its target demographic. I'll definitely recommend it to horse lovers, but it's not going to become a favorite of mine. ( )