CW: Lots of animals are brutally slaughtered. ( )

The first three quarters of this book I thought deserved 4-5 stars. It was just the last quarter where things got really weird.
It starts like a basic children's book with animals that act like human.

But then she pretends to be an ancient warrior priestess. Runs across cannibals. And is very pro "Mother Russia". So, NO! ( )

A pretty good read lots of themes, horses, World War 2, paleontology, history. Whether young readers will like it is an open question. I thought it was pretty good. ( )

Very good story. A young girl running from the German S.S. to save the valuable wild horses she has befriended. as well as find a place for herself ( )

During World War II 15-year-old orphan girl, Kalinka, is hiding in a large animal reserve in the Ukraine, Askania Nova. The Nazi's killed her entire family and village, and the yellow star on her coat marks her out for murder also. Meanwhile, the elderly Max is caretaker on the reserve along with his trusty wolf hound. His boss had told him to kill all the animals before the Germans arrived and used them for food, but Max simply cannot do it. Captain Grenzman arrives with his SS soldiers, and Max believes that the well-educated man will spare the animals, especially his beloved untamable and critically endangered Przewalski's horses which date back to caveman times. Then winter arrives and the soldiers kill the animals off one by one. Only the small herd of Przewalski's are left. Grenzman tells Max that he has received his orders from Berlin to remove this 'biologically unfit species'.

Kalinka has befriended the lead stallion and mare of the Przewalski's, which is unheard of. Both Kalinka and Max separately witness the machine gunning of the herd by the Germans. When Kalinka returns to her hiding place she discovers that the stallion and injured mare have escaped and are there also. The only person she can approach for help is Max. Max and Kalinka make a wonderful team, he feeds her and removes the bullet, then finds them shelter. It quickly becomes too dangerous as the Germans are hunting the horses and so Max sends them, along with his wolf-hound, to try and make their way to safety with the Red Army.

Based loosely on the real shooting of Przewalski's horses in Askania Nova by the Nazis during WWII, this is a compelling story as adult readers will know that the same attitude the Nazi's have towards the horses is the same as that they have towards the Jewish people. ( )