Stormy Normy and the Tom Quilty Gold Cup - Leisa Fail - ★★★.½

AUTHOR: Leisa Fail

ILLUSTRATOR: Amy Rennie

SERIES: The Adventures of Stormy Normy, #2

GENRE: Children's Fiction, Animals.

PUBLICATION DATE: November 5, 2024

RATING: 3.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: A children’s chapter book about an Australian brumby horse gearing for a big race. Nice animal characters and a good plot. A bit too much telling than showing, but kids won’t notice this. The second book of the Stormy Normy series. Can be read as a standalone. A nice option for little animal lovers.

Plot Preview:

This story continues from Book One: Stormy Normy Finds His Forever Home.

Goldsborough Valley, Australia. Stormy Normy has now found his forever home with Charlie, his new owner. Charlie intends for Stormy to begin training for the Tom Quilty Gold Cup, an endurance race of 160 kms. Stormy isn’t sure if he can manage that long a distance, and neither can his best friend, Charlie’s pet dog named Willow. But with the help of some patient and loving coaching from Charlie, motivational pep talks and mindfulness training from Willow, and endurance race training from a fellow Brumby named Patches, Stormy finds himself gearing up towards the event. But in a competition dominated by sturdy Arabian horses, does a brumby stand any chance?

The story comes to us in Stormy’s first-person perspective.

When we think of “horse stories”, the gold standard is “Black Beauty”. However, Stormy’s story isn’t as dark or depressing as the classic is, making it a much more age-appropriate option for young horse lovers. I had read Stormy’s first story last year. While some part of the writing was a bit too straightforward for me, I was sure that kids would enjoy his tale.

Animal stories always hold an appeal for children, and this brave young brumby sure lives an interesting and adventurous life. Now that he's moved on to his forever home, Stormy is more secure in his position with Charlie, even though he's uncertain about her decision of going for the lengthy endurance race. But he knows that he wants to give it his best shot. Charlie too is clear that she wants to compete and not necessarily to win. I think this is a good lesson for kids to learn: don't give up when something is difficult but give it your best shot. If you win, good; if you don't, you still tried your best. As Charlie says, "Completing is winning."

Many of Stormy's lessons, in fact, are applicable to children as well when they are facing a challenge such as an important sports game or an exam. His training covers the necessity of mindfulness, of keeping calm under pressure, and most importantly, of eating healthy and getting enough sleep before the big day.

The author’s Australian background is evident in the writing. She intimately describes the rainforest setting of the location. (It was "breaking news" to me that Australia has rainforests! 🤭) The location makes for a nice contrast from the outback setting of the earlier book.

Her passion for and knowledge of horses is also quite visible. Through Charlie's interaction with Stormy, we see what it takes to build up a horse towards an endurance race and what the race actually involves. It's not simply "running fast" but akin to a horsey marathon. I'm not at all a horse person so my knowledge of anything equine is quite restricted. As such, I had a couple of queries that weren't answered by the book. (Question: Why aren't dark-skinned horses considered suitable for racing? Do they heat up soon and hence get tired more easily? I didn’t get any info online.)

Stormy's love for Patches and Willow is very clear and their bond elevates this story. But we don't get to know Charlie too well as Stormy keeps his narration mostly limited to the functional. I wish there had been more interactive scenes between them, especially during the race.

Even Stormy's own emotions too are not revealed intensely, though the story is in his first-person voice. He tells us a lot of things about the what's of his day, but how he feels is mostly limited to his doubt about his ability to complete the race. Even for this, he shows reluctance only because he's unsure of his prowess. Not once does he question if he himself wants to run an endurance race, but is ready to do so just because of Charlie. I wish the exploration of his feelings had been a bit more layered.

That said, I love how the story does cover the difficulty of riding from the horse's point of view. Humans tend to think that animals such as horses and camels can go over varied terrain easily and that they are built for racing, but these animals too face challenges, which comes out well in the book.

One complaint I had last time was about the horse's narrative covering ideas that a horse simply couldn't know. That problem is much reduced this time, though it still pops up a few times, especially when it comes to telling readers about the Tom Quilty Gold Cup. For instance, why/how would an Aussie horse know the difference between Australian and American measurements of distance? But overall, the writing is much more *equine* in tone.

The content isn't so episodic this time, though we still see some random interactions with other horses only for a couple of scenes in between. The overarching narrative is focused on Stormy's training, which takes place over years. As such, the story also spans multiple years, so it feels a little rushed at times.

Every chapter begins with a cute little B&W illustration under the title. The final chapter gives a clue about the main theme of the next book, and just like Stormy, I have absolutely no idea what that is. I guess we both will learn about it in Stormy's third adventure.

Despite some reservations, I still consider this a good story for kids who love horses and horse stories. The life lessons that come through Stormy’s training are a bonus.

Recommended to little animal lovers looking for an Aussie equine adventure story.

3.5 stars, rounding up because many of my issues spring from an adult perspective and children won't even notice many of those things.

My thanks to author Leisa Fail for providing me with a complimentary copy of “Stormy Normy and the Tom Quilty Gold Cup”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.