Stiefvater, Maggie. The Scorpio Races. [sound recording]. Read by Steve West and Fiona Hardingham. n.p.:Scholastic Audiobooks, 2011. ISBN 978-0-545-35702-9.
Plot Summary
Four-time champion Sean Kendrick prepares for the water horse race of his life. First-ever female rider Kate "Puck" Connnolly rides in the deadly race out of desperation. Both must win, but there can only be one victor in The Scorpio Races.
Critical Analysis
Sean Kendrick and Kate "Puck" Connolly are both strong-minded and courageous. Both face their fears to ride in the November races to keep their hopes and dreams from slipping away. Both have faced the tragic loss of at least one parent because of the carnivorous capall uisce, or water horses. Neither Sean nor Kate fancied themselves becoming attracted to one another. In fact, in their meeting on the beach, Sean demands that Kate get her pony off the beach. Over time, they gain respect for one another and share an unspoken bond of the island and the sea. They train together to win The Scorpio Races, but even if all goes according to plan, only one will win. Stiefvater does an outstanding job of endearing these two characters to the reader. The reader is torn between an allegiance to one or the other. If Sean wins, Kate loses her parent's home. If Kate wins, Sean loses his beloved Corr. If the capall uisce win, they both may lose their lives.
Each November, the sea spews out the monstrous capall uisce. It is not safe to be on the beach because these water horses survive on blood. Every inhabitant of Thisby has lost someone dear to them because of the flesh-eating sea creatures who hauntingly gallop across the island in search of a fresh kill. Each November, riders from across the island gather their courage to ride in the annual Scorpio Races. This is a time to test their mental fortitude, their steel resolve, and their ability to cross the finish line before dying on the five-minute stretch of sand. Surviving the countless attacks of the water horses is what Thisbians have been taught to do their entire island-dwelling life. It is man against animal, the sea, and all that the island can devise to block their success. For Sean and Kate, the island is, and will always be, their home. They will take the island head-on and spit in her eye. They may risk their lives to compete in The Scorpio Races, but if they don't, part of them will die anyway.
The larger theme is one must overcome many obstacles and dangers in order to find their path in life. The more personal theme of Sean and Kate is tearing down walls of self-preservation may be initially costly, but the end result has lasting rewards. The bond of Kate and her family, the bond Sean and Kate share with each other, and the bond of the sea will not be broken, even when tragedy rears its ugly head. Readers today can relate to the bond of family, the fear of growing apart, and the determination to take on difficult challenges in life in spite of seemingly insurmountable odds.
The audio version of The Scorpio Races allows the readers to hear the correct pronunciation of words such as capall uisce [ka' pul ish' kuh]. The audio book is on 10 CDs for a total of 727 minutes of attention-grabbing entertainment. The voice actors, Steve West and Fiona Hardingham, do an outstanding job. The accents of the actors help the readers imagine they are truly listening to two people from the island of Thisby. They help encourage laughter in the brief times of happiness and tears during the times of sorrow. At the end of the book, Maggie Stiefvater gives her thoughts on writing and what inspired her to pen The Scorpio Races.
The audio version of The Scorpio Races allows the readers to hear the correct pronunciation of words such as capall uisce [ka' pul ish' kuh]. The audio book is on 10 CDs for a total of 727 minutes of attention-grabbing entertainment. The voice actors, Steve West and Fiona Hardingham, do an outstanding job. The accents of the actors help the readers imagine they are truly listening to two people from the island of Thisby. They help encourage laughter in the brief times of happiness and tears during the times of sorrow. At the end of the book, Maggie Stiefvater gives her thoughts on writing and what inspired her to pen The Scorpio Races.
Stiefvater's choice of randomly alternating chapters between Sean and Puck kept the reader's attention. It was enlightening to see a scene through the eyes, and narration, of one of the two protagonists. The Scorpio Races gallops the reader's emotions from a chuckle to a few tears being shed. It has the reader gripping the edge of his seat in anticipation of the horrendous acts of the capall uisce. Readers easily suspend their disbelief and enter the deadly island of Thisby.
Awards and Honors
Michael L. Printz Award Honor, 2012
The Odyssey Honor Award for Best Audio Production, 2012
Los Angeles Times Book Times Award Finalist, 2012
ALA Notable Books for Children, 2012
The New York Times Notable Childrens' Books, 2011
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books, 2011
Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best, 2012
Amazon's Best Books for Teens, 2011
School Library Journal's Best Books of the Year
Kirkus' Best Teen Books of the Year, 2011
Horn Book Best Books, 2011
Children's Book Committee Best Children's Books of the Year, 2012
Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature Finalist, 2012
YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults, 2012
Best Foreign Teen Novel Grand Prix de L'imaginaire, 2013
YALSA Amazing Audiobooks for Young Adults, 2012
NCTE/ CLA Notable Children's Book in the English Language Arts, 2012
Maryland Black-Eyed Susan Award Nominee, 2012-2013
Kansas Reading Circle Catalog, 2012
Westchester Fiction Award, 2011
PSLA Young Adult Top Ten, 2011-2012
Flume: NH Teen Readers' Choice Award, 2013
Keystone to Reading Book Award, 2013
Virginia Readers Choice, 2013-2014
Oklahoma Sequoyah Award, 2013-2014
Review Excerpts
Sean Kendrick is one of the racers, a four-time champion on his trusty stead. Kat. Puc. Connolly is new to the races and the first woman rider. Both riders have deeper personal motives for wanting to win. Stiefvater has created a thrilling backdrop for the love story that blooms between Sean and Puck. And in the water horses, based on mostly Celtic legends, she's created scary yet compelling forces of nature. A book appealing to lovers of fantasy, horse stories, romance, and action-adventure alike. Kare Cruze, Booklist, 2010, Starred Review
On the island of Thisby, the Scorpio Races are held every November, when the driven or the crazy ride the beaches on the backs of these mounts. Sean Kendrick does it for love, winning year after year on the stallion Corr; Puck Connolly, pitting her ordinary horse against the killers, does it out of desperation, to win money to keep her home and to earn respect from her older brother, who threatens to desert the family. As a study of courage and loyalty tested, however, it is an utterly compelling read. Publisher's Weekly
When the carnivorous capaill uisce, or water horses, rise from the sea each year, the island men prepare to prove their brawn and courage by outrunning the deadly beasts. And now, Kate, the first girl to enter the race, is determined to win it, facing fierce competition from Sean, to whom she is strangely attracted. Intense action, riveting suspense, and two determined protagonists make this a competition to remember. School Library Journal, 2011
Other Books by Maggie Stiefvater
Visit her website for more
information: http://maggiestiefvater.com/
The Island Stallion by Walter Farley
The Black Stallion and the Shape-Shifter by Steven Farley
Horses of Myth by Gerald Hausman
Connection Activities
- Watch the 10 minute movie A Race of Horses [motion picture], ISBN 7570239198418. Discuss what kind of commitment it takes to train a race horse and the risks involved.
- Have students re-write the ending of The Scorpio Races and answer the following questions in their story. Who would win? What would happen during the race? Who would live/die? What would the future hold?
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