I+Rode+a+Horse+of+Milk+White+Jade

Book review for __I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade__ By Virginia

__I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade__ by Diana Lee Wilson is set in Mongolia when Kublai Khan was powerful. It is about a girl named Oyuna trying to find luck for her family and tribe. When a black mare treads on her foot, making her lame, she is followed by bad luck. Her mother dies a year later when she goes out looking for Oyuna in a storm. She is devastated by her loss, and finds comfort only in the horses. Oyuna decides to win her family luck in the long race at the festival. She will need a fast horse. Her father goes with her to the festival to pick out a horse. She finds a lame white horse whom she names (against Mongolian tradition, because they never name anything that is not human) Bayton, when the horse speaks to her in her mind. When they arrive at their tribe’s camp, they find Oyuna’s grandmother, who tells Oyuna that she is chosen to ride horses because she understands them. When the soldiers come to collect horses for the Kahn, they take Bayton, and Oyuna hides herself as a soldier. She rides with them until she is sent to deliver a message to the Kahn himself. She has many adventures along the way. She ends up helping the Kahn cure a mysterious disease his horses have contracted. This book has good descriptions, lets the reader get into Oyuna’s world, and has a good plot. Sometimes it moves a little slowly, which is why I would rate it a 6 out of ten. The writing style reminds me of a good book we would read for English class. I recommend this book, but there are books I would place above it.