Chapters 18- END

Chapter 18- End!!

Ch. 18: In chapter 18 Joey gets sick with lockjaw. During this his entire body goes stiff and they fear he will not make it. Major Martian, Sergeant Thunder, Albert, David, and other orderlies there work around the clock to get Joey better. Joey says it thinks they want him to live because it is as if he and Albert are brothers and both mean so much to everyone. One night while Albert is sleeping Joey is finally able to move his neck and wakes Albert up. Everyone is so excited that Joey is going to be ok.

Ch. 19. This chapter is short but in it Major Martian announces that everyone will be home hopefully by Christmas however the horses are not going. Sergeant Thunder is very mad, calling the horse’s soldiers and speaking of how many of them will be killed. Albert hears the news and it devastates.

Ch. 20 In this chapter everyone is getting ready for the horse auction. Everyone pulls together money and at the auction Sergeant Thunder was going to bid on Joey. During the action a man was bidding hire than they could afford and right before the end Emilie’s grandfather steps forward saying he will bid as much as he as to because that horse belonged to his Emilie.

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Ch.21 this is the last chapter of the book. Both the Sergeant and the Major talked to Emilie’s grandfather and after being touched by the story tells Albert he will sell him Joey for a English penny and the promise that he will love and care for Joey as much as his Emile did. Joey and Albert return home around Christmas time. As they ride through the celebration for the heroes they know the true heroes are the soldiers (man and horse) who did not make it back. Albert marries and he and Joey have a happy ever after life. 

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Chapters 14-17

In Chapter 14 the war had once again started. Two new characters, Rudi and Karl were introduced at the beginning of the chapter. Rudi was infatuated with Topthorn. Also Joey noticed that Rudi was a younger solider, and thought of him maybe as the same age as Albert. At the end of the chapter, Topthorn had a tragic heart failure and passed away. Then, as Topthorn lay there, there was an attack and Friedrich didn’t survive. Joey stood there over Friedrich and Topthorn as chapter 14 ended. 

In Chapter 15, Joey stood beside where Topthorn and Friedrich laid, until he couldn’t any more. Large tanks chased Joey across the battlefields. Joey ran into a barbed wire and suffered an injury to his leg. However, battle was all over the place and Joey continued to run. For the first time he was lost, because he missed his partner Topthorn. At the end of Chapter 15, Joey walked upon a conversation in the middle of night. As the sun rose, Joey found himself in “no man’s land.” 

In Chapter 16 Joey found himself trying to escape this no man’s land but could not find a hole in the barbed wire on either side. Finally, one person from each side noticed Joey, and wanted him. One soldier from the German side, and one Welshman came to pursuit Joey. They settled the conflict with the flip of a coin and Joey went with the Welshman back to their side.
In Chapter 17, Joey and Albert meet once again. Two men, David and Albert are cleaning off Joey in the barn and Albert knows its his horse Joey when he calls him with his call, and Joey responds. We have been waiting for this connection between Albert and Joey. Ever since they split, we have been talking about Albert and Joey and their reunion. I thought this was an interesting way to become reunited as it was a bit anti-climatic. It took some time for Albert to recognize Joey. However, I am excited to see what happens as chapter 17 ends with Albert and Joey being reunited! 

Chapters 11-13

Not too much happened really in this weeks reading. In chapter 11 we find out that the horses are no longer needed for aiding the soldiers because the battle has moved further away and they needed to move the hospital with the battle to be affective. They allow Emilie and her grandfather to keep them for a form of payment and Emilie is really excited to be able to keep the horses. Joey becomes really excited to be able to "relax" by working on the farm again. Something he is sort of used to. To top it all off he has his buddy Topthorn there with him. As it should be no surprise, by the end of chapter 11 the soldiers came back for the horses and this time took them to use to kart ammo around.

At the beginning of chapter 12, Joey starts describing his view of war and how this task compares to his previous. This job that he has now is about the same as far as difficulty but the conditions are worse than before. There is less food and less care for them. Topthorn became sick and Joey became worried but then the next morning all was well. The conditions were so bad that they had to have a vet come in and examine the horses and give them the okay.

Chapter 13 is the start of spring and Joey describes how things are different and much better than they were in the winter. Topthorn and Joey gained a new friend and care giver, "Crazy Old Friedrich." as time went by Friedrich became closer to Topthorn and would care for him and Joey. Towards the end of the chapter, Friedrich asked if he could be a rider of Topthorn. To which they laughed but they agreed.

Chapters 8-10

In Chapter 8, Joey enters the battles of war with Trooper Warren and of course his friend, Topthorn. During this heated gruesome battle, Joey and Topthorn were among the very few horses that reached the wire. Joey and Topthorn made it through the wire with no problems and Captain Stewart told Trooper Warren that they “had the best horses in the squadron, and today they showed us they are the best horses in the entire regiment, in the whole confounded army – and there’s not a scratch on them” (60). Soon after, the German soldiers closed in on Captain Stewart, Trooper Warren, Joey, and Topthorn, making them prisoners of war. Then, Joey and Topthorn say a very sad goodbye to their riders. Joey and Topthorn are taken to a hospital tent miles from where they were captured and surpisingly, they are treated with great care and given a rub down, blankets, food, and water. Soon after, Joey and Topthorn and moved to another location and given a new job title – ambulance transport. Their job was to transport wounded soldiers to the field hospital. Joey had no problem doing this because he had been trained on a farm but Topthorn “had never pulled before in his life” and for the first time, Joey was able to help and reassure him. Then, Joey and Topthorn were taken to a comfortable stable with a full rack of hay and buckets of water to rest. This is where they meet little Emilie and her Grandpapa, and the start of a new relationship is in the works for these two warhorses. Joey and Topthorn enjoyed a good summer of hard work and much deserved rest in the stable. Their hard work was appreciated by the soldiers and one particular soldier gave Joey an Iron Cross to share with Topthorn in honor of their service. The Iron Cross was hung on the stable door and people came from all over to admire Joey and Topthorn. Little Emilie and her grandfather spent a lot of time with the horses and took great care of them. On page 73, Joey described the relationship, “Any horse has an instinctive fondness for children, for they speak more softly, and their size precludes any threat; but Emilie was a special child for us, for she spent every minute she could with us and lavished us with her affection.” Things were going really well for Joey and Topthorn until winter arrived and brought new challenges along with the cold. One evening when Joey and Topthorn were done with a hard day’s work, they were led into the stable by Emilie’s grandfather, but little Emilie was nowhere to be seen. Emilie’s grandfather went on to tell the horses that Emilie was very ill with pneumonia and he wasn’t sure if she would wake up the next morning. He told Joey and Topthorn that Emilie prays for them every single night and he asked them for a favor in return, to pray for his precious Emilie to whatever horse god there may be. The next day, Joey and Topthorn continued their hard work in the war and when they were brought back to their stable that night, Emilie’s grandfather had extra food and water waiting for them. He said to them, “It’s a fine night and all’s well. There’s mash and hay and water in there for you – I’ve given you extra tonight, not because it’s cold, but because you prayed. You must have prayed to that horse god of yours because my Emilie woke up at lunchtime, sat up she did, and do you know the first thing she said? I’ll tell you. She said, “I must get up, got to get their mash ready for them when they come back. They’ll be cold and tired.” Emilie’s doctors got her to stay in bed and rest by assuring her Joey and Topthorn would get extra rations as long as the cold weather lasted. Chapter 11 ends here leaving us to wonder what will happen next…

Chapters 5-7

In chapters 5-7, Joey gets his first real glimpse at what it really means to be a war horse.

Chapter 5 features Joey's time in training, before he is sent into a real war situation. He is being trained by Corporal Samuel Perkins, who is an excellent horseman but not nearly as compassionate as Albert was. Joey describes it as "I certainly felt for him a degree of respect, but this was based on fear and not love" (p32). He is being trained to be the mount for Captain Nicholls, who comes to visit him often in the evenings and sketches Joey and talks kindly to him. Joey and Captain Nicholls bond a lot in this chapter. Captain Nicholls tells Joey that they have a lot in common: they'd both rather be somewhere else, and neither of them have been to war before. At the end of chapter five, Joey meets Topthorn, who is the horse of Captain Jamie Stewart. Joey and Topthorn lead a charge exercise, which turns out to be a sort of race for them. The chapter ends as Joey and Topthorn find themselves stabled next to each other on an ocean liner that is carrying them to the frontlines of the war.

Chapter 6 starts out with Joey describing how uncomfortable and frightening the boat trip was for the horses. Throughout the ride, however, Topthorn comforts Joey and is a calming presence for him. When they get off the boat, they see hundreds of wounded soldiers at the docks, and they realize for the first time the horrors of war. After that, Joey describes how confusing their march seems to be--that they are having trouble finding the enemy. When they finally do find the enemy, they take part in their first battle. Captain Nicholls leads the charge, and is shot off of Joey. Joey keeps charging, scattering the enemy, and finally stops and is found by Captain Stewart and Topthorn. They won that skirmish, but Joey has lost his precious Captain Nicholls. Captain Stewart tells Joey "He died leading that charge and you finished it for him. He'd have been proud of you" (p. 47).

In Chapter 7, Joey meets his next human companion, Trooper Warren. Warren is the son of a blacksmith, and is very attentive towards his needs, and cares very much for Joey, but he has been spooked after his horse was shot out from under him, and it shows in his riding. He is tense in the saddle and keeps a tight rein on Joey. Poor Joey is conflicted because his new human is so good with him out of the saddle, but is such a bad rider. The troops are staying stationary for the winter, and the cold rain and harsh conditions take their toll on humans and horses alike. But Trooper Warren does his best to take good care of Joey, and also talks to him about his life back home, and comforts Joey and Topthorn both. At the end of Chapter 7, the cavalry is called to charge past the enemy trenches and through "the wire," which are deadly rolls of razor wire set out to keep enemies from charging. Chapter 7 ends with Joey and Topthorn trotting out together towards the enemy lines, with Warren whispering "Do me proud, Joey. Do me proud" (p. 57).

As you can see, these three chapters are Joey's first taste of being a real War Horse. It is hard to avoid the temptation to read ahead and find out what happens next!

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Chapters 1-4

The book is told from the horse’s point of view who comes home to a family and the son names the him Joey.  Joey belongs to the Narracott family, where he is placed in the same stable as the other horse named Zoey.  The father makes Albert’s responsibility to take care of Joey and train him to become a stronger horse. Albert’s father is a drunk who often comes home late at night and causes trouble with the family and the horses.  Albert’s mother is a kind, caring lady who ignores the problems her husband causes and usually keeps to herself.  In 1914 World War I is declared after the Germans invade Belgium.  Albert’s family sells Joey to the American army for money to continue running the farm.  He is very disappointed and begs Captain Nicholls to join the Army but he is too young.