Taming the Star Runner

This book is not one of the best books I have read by S.E. Hinton. It is not comparable to her first book, The Outsiders. Taming the Star Runner is not as detailed, it quickly skips through a lot of the story. The main character is Travis, a boy of the age of 16 years, who has a lot of problems getting into trouble. He runs around the town with a bunch of boys that tend to get into trouble, although usually he is not quite as bad as they are. Travis is an aspiring young author; he may sit in his room for days at a time, even in order to complete a story or chapter. He has recently completed a book, and has sent it into a publishing office in an attempt to get it published. His mother has re-married, since his father, Tim, died in the war. The man she had married, Stan, did not like Travis at all, from the start. They did not get along, and Travis thought it was because Travis was a constant reminder to Stan that she had a different husband before him.

Travis had just gotten out of Juvenile Hall, after being accused of attempted murder of his step father, Stan. His mother told him that he had to go; he could not stay in her house any longer. Travis’ uncle, Ken, had offered to allow him to stay with him on his ranch, in Oklahoma. When Travis had packed his bags, his mother, and his two best friends, Joe and Kirk, and he all left for the airport. While there, he expressed to Joe about his fear of airplanes. He had a strange connection with his mother as he left, he gave her a hug. Travis boarded the plane, and set off for Oklahoma. While on the plane, a man had asked if his animal was a dog or a cat, and Travis said it was a cat. They had a short conversation, partially hostile, as Travis was very protective of his cat. When he arrived at the airport in Oklahoma, his uncle had recognized him immediately. Ken said that this was because Travis had the same “cowboy swagger” as Tim had. While in Oklahoma, Travis had felt very alone at first. For the first time ever, Travis had no friends. No one at this new school liked him, and he had finally realized how having no friends could be so negative on one’s life. Ken owned a ranch, but he did not raise horses. Instead, he was a lawyer. He said that owning a ranch at this point was not worth it, the ranch would be too costly in this economy. Since he owned the ranch, he rented out his barn to a local girl, her name was Casey. Her horse’s name was The Star Runner. This horse was wild, crazy, not meant to be tamed. Casey was the only one crazy enough to ride him. Travis admired that. As the story continues, Travis finally gets a job tending to the horses in Casey’s barn, and he gets to watch them all perform in the tournaments. Soon Travis learns that the company he sent his book to accepted his book, and wanted to meet with him in person to discuss what was to happen next. After his mother learns this, she presumably tells Stan. Stan then demands to read it, to make sure that it does not have any information based on him. His mother tells Travis that she will not sign any contract for him unless Stan reads it, as Travis is not old enough to sign any contract yet. Sometimes on the weekends, Ken has his son over. His son is very young, and his name is Christopher. He and Travis get along fairly well. Ken is in the middle of a divorce, with Christopher’s mother, Theresa. This puts some stress on the house, although it is not too bad. At various points throughout the story Ken and Theresa try to get back together, although that never fully works out. One day while Travis is working in the barn, he comes home to find out that the phone is ringing. As he answers, he somehow knows it will be Joe. Joe explains that he needs to get picked up, and Travis gets Casey to drive him to get Joe at the town Quik Trip. Joe explains his dilemma, and a lot happens. When Travis and Ken get back, it is storming. Together, Travis, Casey, and Ken all try to get the horses into their specific stalls.

I did not enjoy this book as much as I have enjoyed the other books written by S.E. Hinton. It is not nearly detailed enough, and it skips the story too fast. It has a good story, but it does not give the entirety of it. If the story had been thoroughly shown in the book, it would have been a great read. I would not recommend this book, because it is a waste of time to read something that is not complete. 

Book Review by Joe B.