BIBLIOGRAPHY
Stiefvater, Maggie. 2011. The Scorpio Races. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN 978-0-545-22490-1
PLOT SUMMARY
The Scorpio Races take place every November on Thisby Island. Men train to ride the capall uisce, Celtic Water Horses, in a race down the beach. This is not your average horse race. The capall uisce are dangerous and deadly and should not be confused with regular horses. They come from the sea and are called to return to it and will tear apart anything, or anyone, who gets in their way. Many enter this race to prove their bravery or to earn respect. The large monetary prize for the winner is what appeals to others. Unfortunately, not everyone will make it out alive.
Amidst the drama and excitement of the race, this story centers on two fascinating and complex characters. 19 year old Sean Kendrick is the four time returning champion. Racing is in his blood. When Sean was 10 years old, his father was killed during the race. He has since been working for Benjamin Malvern, the wealthy owner of a large stable and thoroughbred breeder. Sean loves horses, but he especially loves Corr, Malvern's capall uisce that he has been training and riding for years. Sean would love nothing more than to buy Corr from Malvern. That is his main motivation for racing this year; if he wins, Malvern will finally agree to sell him Corr.
Kate "Puck" Connolly and her two brothers are struggling to make ends meet. After the unfortunate death of their parents a year ago, the three siblings have been working hard just to get by. But it is not enough. They are unable to make payments on their house, and it is about to be taken from them. Gabe, the eldest, has had enough and is planning on leaving their small island to go live on the mainland. As a last ditch effort to save her home and keep her family together, Puck decides to enter the Scorpio Races. This is unprecedented. There has never been a female rider in the race before. Many of the island's residents do not want her to race. And as if the odds weren't already stacked against her, Puck announces she is going to race on her beloved horse Dove, and not on a capall uisce.
Sean and Puck forge a tentative friendship, and he begins to help her train. While they are both young and inexperienced with love, their feelings for each other grow. As the training intensifies, so do the tensions on the island. There are injuries and deaths and a jealous hatred of Sean on the part of Malvern's son, Mutt.
The story comes to a climax on race day. There is a thrilling victory and a gut-wrenching injury that leaves both Sean and Puck devastated. Ultimately, the two characters find peace and some measure of happiness and plan to move forward in life together.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This young adult novel will grab you from the opening pages and not let go until long after you've finished the last page. Stiefvater has created two characters who are flawed, tragic, and utterly believable. The story alternates between their points of view. While the Scorpio Races may be fantasy, Sean and Puck's desire to better their circumstances and find happiness is something many readers can relate to. From the moment Puck decides to enter the races, she begins a transformation that will change her from a somewhat naive girl who is dependent on her brothers to a mature young woman who isn't afraid to take risks. She doesn't back down despite the fact that so many are against her decision to race, and she develops enough confidence to bargain with the intimidating Malvern.
The fictional setting, Thisby Island, plays such an important role in the plot of this story, that it feels like an actual character. Each fall, the residents are controlled by the ocean. As Thisby Island is the only place in the world where the capall uisce exist, the races draw huge numbers of tourists every year. The landscape of the island and the presence of the capall uisce dictate the way the locals live. Stiefvater has said she deliberately left the specific location of the island vague, but she was "going for quasi-Irish or Scottish." However, she provides more than enough detail to make Thisby Island a real place in the minds of her readers.
I was initially drawn to this book because of the horses. My daughter rides competitively, and I have since grown to love these animals. Sean's loving relationship with Corr was so beautiful and pure, and I'm sure I'm not the only horse lover who can relate to it. However, this is so much more than the story of a horse race. I was completely taken by the island and all of its residents. I was thrilled by the tentative love that began to grow between Sean and Puck. Even the characters I didn't care for, such as the villainous Mutt Malvern and the absent brother Gabe, were written in a way that made the motivations behind their actions clear and understandable. Stiefvater is a master of her craft, and this is one novel you don't want to miss.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
2012 Michael L. Printz Honor Book
2012 ALA Notable Children's Book
2011 Kirkus' Best Teen Books of the Year
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books of 2011
YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults, 2012
From PUBLISHERS WEEKLY - "Stiefvater's narration is as much about atmospherics as it is about event, and the water horses are the environment in which Sean and Puck move, allies and rivals to the end. It's not a feel-good story - dread, loss, and hard choices are the islanders' lot. As a study of courage and loyalty tested, however, it is an utterly compelling read."
From KIRKUS REVIEWS - "First-person narration alternates seamlessly between Sean and Puck. The large cast of supporting characters springs to life, particularly Puck's brothers, Finn and Gabe, and Thisby feels like a place you can see and smell. The water horses are breathtakingly well-imagined, glorious, and untamably violent. The final race, with Sean and Puck each protecting each other but both determined to win, comes to a pitch-perfect conclusion. Masterful. Like nothing else out there now."
From THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW - "Stiefvater not only steps out of the young adult fantasy box with The Scorpio Races but crushes it with pounding hooves...If The Scorpio Races sounds like nothing you've ever read, that's because it is."
CONNECTIONS
If your students enjoyed Maggie Stiefvater's writing, have them read some of her other books.
The fictional setting, Thisby Island, plays such an important role in the plot of this story, that it feels like an actual character. Each fall, the residents are controlled by the ocean. As Thisby Island is the only place in the world where the capall uisce exist, the races draw huge numbers of tourists every year. The landscape of the island and the presence of the capall uisce dictate the way the locals live. Stiefvater has said she deliberately left the specific location of the island vague, but she was "going for quasi-Irish or Scottish." However, she provides more than enough detail to make Thisby Island a real place in the minds of her readers.
I was initially drawn to this book because of the horses. My daughter rides competitively, and I have since grown to love these animals. Sean's loving relationship with Corr was so beautiful and pure, and I'm sure I'm not the only horse lover who can relate to it. However, this is so much more than the story of a horse race. I was completely taken by the island and all of its residents. I was thrilled by the tentative love that began to grow between Sean and Puck. Even the characters I didn't care for, such as the villainous Mutt Malvern and the absent brother Gabe, were written in a way that made the motivations behind their actions clear and understandable. Stiefvater is a master of her craft, and this is one novel you don't want to miss.
REVIEW EXCERPTS
2012 Michael L. Printz Honor Book
2012 ALA Notable Children's Book
2011 Kirkus' Best Teen Books of the Year
Publishers Weekly Best Children's Books of 2011
YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults, 2012
From PUBLISHERS WEEKLY - "Stiefvater's narration is as much about atmospherics as it is about event, and the water horses are the environment in which Sean and Puck move, allies and rivals to the end. It's not a feel-good story - dread, loss, and hard choices are the islanders' lot. As a study of courage and loyalty tested, however, it is an utterly compelling read."
From KIRKUS REVIEWS - "First-person narration alternates seamlessly between Sean and Puck. The large cast of supporting characters springs to life, particularly Puck's brothers, Finn and Gabe, and Thisby feels like a place you can see and smell. The water horses are breathtakingly well-imagined, glorious, and untamably violent. The final race, with Sean and Puck each protecting each other but both determined to win, comes to a pitch-perfect conclusion. Masterful. Like nothing else out there now."
From THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW - "Stiefvater not only steps out of the young adult fantasy box with The Scorpio Races but crushes it with pounding hooves...If The Scorpio Races sounds like nothing you've ever read, that's because it is."
CONNECTIONS
If your students enjoyed Maggie Stiefvater's writing, have them read some of her other books.
- Stiefvater, Maggie. The Raven Boys. ISBN 0545465931
- Stiefvater, Maggie. Shiver. ISBN 0545227259
- Stiefvater, Maggie. Lament: The Faerie Queen's Deception. ISBN 978-0738713700
If your students enjoyed reading about the capall uisce, have them read Misty of Chincoteague. While this book is geared towards younger readers, they may enjoy the similarities between the two novels.
- Henry, Marguerite. Misty of Chincoteague. ISBN 0027436225
Puck and her brothers enjoy eating November Cakes. Stiefvater actually invented this food for the book. Have your students click on the link below to find the recipe she created for November Cakes and encourage them to try baking them. Or, bake them yourself and bring them in for your students to try. Maggie Stiefvater's November Cakes
Sean and Puck each have valid reasons for competing in the Scorpio Races. Have your students choose who they believe deserves to win more. Hold a debate where students present their rationale for choosing Puck or Sean.
Teach your students how to use iMovie. Have them use this application to create a book trailer for The Scorpio Races, including music, narration, images, and/or video clips.
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