Casey is 11 years old and lives with her grandfather on a 200-acre Virginia farm while both parents serve in the military overseas. She loves the farm, and befriends all of the animals including a sneaky red fox that stalks her grandfather's prize chickens. Her best friend is her pony, Monroe, who shares her enthusiasm for adventure. Carly's constant dream is to ride with the Riverdale Hunt Club that passes through her grandfather's property. On one particularly rainy Saturday, Carly watches from her front porch as the finely dressed ladies and gentlemen ride to the hounds. Later in the day, Carly finds out that a young hound named Hampton has become lost and Carly is determined to find him and by so doing endear herself to the hunt's Master; perhaps to be asked to ride Monroe in an upcoming meet. Carly enlists the help of her friend, Freddie, but the adventure is just beginning. Carly, Monroe, Hampton and the red fox have no idea what dangers await them.
I just loved Hero and hounds by Bill Miller that I wanted to know what Bill Miller wanted his readers to take away from m Hero and Hounds So i had him do a blog post for me and this is what Bill miller had to say.
There are lots of hidden messages in Heroes and Hounds and people are free to read
into these as much as they like. I am never one to preach to the audience. In fact, some of my
reviewers have found messages that I either hadn’t intended or didn’t even realize myself. There
are a few that I would like to point out.
First, things aren’t always what they appear to be, whether it’s a person, an animal an
event or an idea. I hope my young readers get this point. That one should never be too quick to
judge before knowing the facts, listening and learning. And that sometimes what one thinks in
the beginning will be a whole lot different when all the information is on the table.
Second, I really like the non-verbal communication that goes on between Carly and the
animals and also Carly and Strange Willie. Often times, words can be misleading or they can lead
us astray and it’s often the time that gestures, a nod of the head or even a silent command can be
more to the point. It seems with the internet, television, radio and texting, our natural ability to
communicate on an inner-level is being lost.
And last I want the readers to know that helping others is not something you do because
you want to be noticed yourself, or be the most popular or the “hero” in your friend or parent’s
eye. Helping others should come from the heart. In Heroes and Hounds, almost every character
at one time or another is the “hero” of the moment, but it is fleeting and like yesterday’s news
is gone like the wind. Neither Carly nor Hampton set out to be heroes and don’t even realize
it until someone else points it out. Strange Willie doesn’t want to be a hero but it’s something
that lives deep within his soul. Despite his outward appearance he’s got a heart as big as the
Virginia landscape he calls home.
And Carly learns the hard way that telling the truth is what really matters especially when
it nearly costs the life of her best friend.
I just love that story teachers the reader how to be a friend to others I highly recommend that parents have the children read Hero and Hounds. Plus it also takes it readers on a adventure of a lifetime!
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