Paint the Wind is a horse themed novel. Pam Munoz Ryan is the author of this book as well as Esperanza Rising. The story takes place in Pasadena, California in June. In Pasadena is a large two story house that is owned by an elderly woman by the name of Agnes Menetti. Her granddaughter Maya and their house keeper stay as well.

There are many interesting characters in Pain the Wind. Maya is the most important character in this story. She’s eleven years old and has a lean body. Her violet eyes stand out against her dark skin and russet hair. After Agnes passes away Maya goes to live with her mother’s side of the family. Walter “Moose” Limner, Maya’s grandfather, is a very tall and burly man. He has sandy brown hair, lightly salted with gray. Maya’s great uncle Fig is tall like Walter, but he’s very thin. His huge nose is levelled out by his well trimmed beard. Just like Maya, he has purple eyes and russet hair. Vi is Maya’s aunt. She’s very short and has the family’s purple eyes and russet hair. Payton is Fig’s ten year old grandson. He has blonde hair.

Even though the story is full of problems this has got to be the most important one. In the story, Agnes dies unexpectedly. Since both of Maya’s parents died tragically, Maya was sent to stay with her mother’s family. From Pasadena she takes a plane to Salt Lake City, Utah. From there she travels with Moose to Wyoming. When Maya arrives she’s a paranoid rich girl, but when the Summer comes to an end she realizes what life is really about.

The novel has a few morals to learn throughout the story. To me, the most important one in Paint the Wind is “If you love something, let it go”. In the story, Maya takes a huge liking to a wild horse. After the horse is trained and accustomed to Maya, she feels bad about taking her from the wild. She loves her, but also knows what is best.

Many opinions can be made on this story, but this is mine. If you’re a horse lover and you enjoy happy endings, you’ll absolutely love this story. The character’s go through many adventures. To find out about all of these adventures and even more, you should go buy a copy of Paint the Wind or head to a local library. Happy Reading!