1. After reading The Winter Horses, I can definitely say I enjoyed it. I thought it was good, because the story took me to a different time and place, and I felt as though I was able to experience the events that took place through another person's perspective. Also, I liked the serious and informative theme of the book, but at times, the ‘magical' events displayed by the horses slightly took away from this theme, and this made it a little less enjoyable for me.

 In the book, I thought that Max and his dog were particularly likeable characters, because they are perhaps more believable than other fantasy- infused characters in the novel, such as the Przewalski's horses, as they were portrayed to be much more ‘human- like' and ‘magical' than how I would have envisaged wild horses to be. Although to a younger reader, this may have more appeal than to a reader of my age.

The novel is partially based on the actual shooting of the Przewalski's horses by the Nazi Germans in the midst of the Second World War, yet the rest of the plot seems very fantasy- infused, with only a small minority of the book containing elements of historical facts. The way that the horses are described is ‘magical' making the book seem almost mythical/ fantasy rather than historical fiction.

Philip Kerr's The Winter Horses did make me want to find out more about the killing of the Przewalski's horses in the Ukraine, because I want to know if the Ukraine ever has dwindling food supplies, will they yet again kill all the animals, including the rare Przewalski's horses, on the still existing Askaniya- Nova in Southern Ukraine.

 I would like to read more books by Philip Kerr because not only is he a best- selling author, but I found out that he has written a mystery series set in pre- war Berlin, for adult readers. Although The Winter Horses is his first historical fiction for children aged 10+, he has written a fantasy series also for young readers.

The only thing I disliked about the novel by Philip Kerr was the slightly less serious ‘mythical' and ‘human- like' features given to the Przewalski's horses. I only disliked this because I feel as though it took away from the reflective and honest story line.

If I were to rate this book out of ten, I would give it eight and a half, purely based on the fact that I am a little too old to appreciate the personality of the horses, however, to a younger reader, this may be a very enthralling and compelling read, so I say give it a go, because I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to my younger friends.

By Pheobe

 

2. I enjoyed this book because it is interesting and about a certain horse breed and how they are still around today. I cried my eyes out at the end.

By Natasha

3. I found this book extremely sorrowful with the turn of events. I like how they included another point in History that Kalinka was fascinated by. It showed the effects of the act that some of the Germans might have put on and how the Germans were perceived due to the Nazis and the SS. The author's way of writing was interesting as quite a few chapters ended on cliffhangers and it kept me extremely fascinated. I would definitely read more books by this author as he has a very talented way of writing and keeping the reader interested through the whole book.

By Rebecca

4. ‘The Winter Horses' by Philip Kerr was in my opinion, a very enjoyable book.

The first reason I really liked it was that I knew what time period it was in, pretty much straight away. This made the book easier to read, and I was able to get a clear picture in my mind.

I also thought that the book starts off in a gentle way and then picks up momentum and becomes quite full on, with Germans executing people and so on. This is why I believe that this story could be made into a successful film.

The only improvement that I would say this book needs is that it moves quite slowly and at first I wasn't motivated to continue, but I am glad I did in the end as I really enjoyed it.

I would rate this book an 8/10.

By Edward

5. This book is about the incredible adventure of a young girl named Kalinka and two of the wildest horses there are, Przewalkski's horses. It shows how strongly an animal can feel for someone and how strong those feelings can be. It also shows how desperate people were becoming towards the end of World War Two.

From the book, I have learned that, during World War Two, soldiers had to be completely ruthless when carrying out their duties. For example, the soldiers had to give no mercy when they were given the task of killing animals for meat. The book details that the food a group of animals could provide was so important that it was better to savagely kill the animals, even to a point where they would be impossible to cook and eat, than to let the group fall into enemy hands. It also shows that there was a large shortage of food that extended to a point where people were beginning to succumb to cannibalism just to stay alive. The book also reveals that the importance of the task to find even just one or two people was immense. This was because towards the end of the war, even the slightest weakness would result in the collapse of the nation and the collapse of those fighting for it.

I would definitely recommend this book to a wide range of audiences but perhaps at an age range from about 11 years of age and upwards. This is because much of the story deals with problems that are quite major and the story shows very well the hardships faced by people during the time period.

Because I have read this book, I have been inspired to find out more about the historical period of World War Two in more detail, not just about the fighting that went on, but the stories of regular people living in towns and cities. This is because there is much more to World War Two than just the fighting. There were many people who had to carry out jobs and tasks that were vital to the survival and wellbeing of the nations involved. These included providing food, working in factories and helping advances in technology.

By Matthew