The Sand Pounder by M. J. Evans – 4 Star Book Review

Fearing an invasion by German and Japanese forces during World War II, the U.S. Coast Guard enlisted horsemen to patrol the beaches along the east and west coasts. The unit was called “The Sand Pounders” and they rode their horses up and down the beaches from 1942 to 1944.

Welcome to one of the October 4th stops on the blog tour for The Sand Pounder by M. J. Evans with iRead Book Tours (schedule linked.) Be sure to follow the rest of the tour for spotlights, review, author guest posts, and a giveaway! More on that at the end of this post.

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About the Book

The Sand Pounder
Love and Drama on Horseback in WWII
by M J Evans

Published 28 September 2021
Dancing Horse Press

Genre: YA Historical Fiction
Page Count: 290
Add it to your Goodreads TBR!

In Tillamook, Oregon, a young equestrian decided to join them. There was only one problem… they were only accepting men. That didn’t slow her down.

The Sand Pounder is a Young Adult historical fiction set during World War II.

Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK

2021 Maincrest Media Historical Fiction Award Winner

“The Sand Pounder is one of those rare historical novels with a charm that appeals to both young and old readers.” -Vincent Dublado for Readers’ Favorite

“M.J. Evans does an excellent job of winding the era’s history and the lesser-known job of the Sand Pounders into a realistic story of a mature teen’s determination to make a difference in her world.” -Diane Donovan for Midwest Book Review

“A gripping YA historical novel packed full of twists, turns and memorable characters. Highly recommended!” -Wishing Shelf Book Review (UK)

My Review

My Rating: 4 Stars
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I was granted complimentary access to The Sand Pounder as part of my participation in a blog tour for this title with iRead Book Tours. Thank you to all involved in affording me this opportunity! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.

The Sand Pounder is the story of Jane, an American teenager caught up in the homeland worries and efforts of WWII. First her brother enlists, then her American-born Japanese neighbours are carted off to an internment camp, and Jane is left alone on her farm wishing girls could do more than tend a victory garden. Rules are made to be broken, though, and soon Jane becomes John, a Sand Pounder patrolling the Pacific coast on horseback with her beloved show jumper Star.

I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read this book and so glad that I pushed through the first couple of chapters. Setting the scene in a historical fiction intended for younger readers at such a pivotal point in history obviously requires a lot of Cliff’s Notes history exposition, and early dialogue also felt a tad wooden, so this 33 year old former history major was a little bored but I think it had just the right amount of information for a younger reader who might be hearing about the war years for the first time. By the time Jane’s neighbours are taken away, though, this book really hits its stride and the rest was amazing!

I love the fact that Jane is this unwaveringly righteous little point of light who never once doubts the Japanese-Americans around her, chastizes adults who do, and isn’t afraid to put everything on the line to defend innocent people. She’s going to end up being such a great role model to a lot of young readers as this book works its way through the YA audiences out there. I also really liked the fact that any time someone who has already got to know “John” and later discovers that John is actually Jane thinks it’s great and fine and how could they not have seen it and then everybody moves on. Nobody reports her. Everybody just accepts that this is a great young ranger who deserves to be there and if that means they now have to keep the secret to, well that’s not so hard is it? This book doesn’t appear to have any intentional LGBTQIA+ commentary, but those little moments will probably be validating to trans and non-binary readers in the same way that Mulan is celebrated.

This book does a particularly good job of priming young readers to learn about internment camps and to realize how horrible they were. I do hope and expect that readers who are as nerdy as I was when I was the target age will go one to do their own research and learning about this terrible thing that we did to our innocent neighbours all over this continent. (We Canadians on this side of the boarder did it too, unfortunately.) It’s important to learn from the blunders of our forefathers so that we can be more compassionate than they were and make better choices for the future. Internment camps shouldn’t ever happen again, but in some ways they are still happening (look at how ICE operates) and on boths side of the USA-Canada border we’ve done so many similar horrendous things to people who didn’t deserve it (like residential schools.) We can’t forget about these atrocities. “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

My one plot-related complaint involves letters to and from Jane. Letters from Jane’s brother in the navy have been censored by the time she gets them. That mail is being opened and read by someone much higher up. Jane is enlisted adjacent to the US Military and surely has similar censors keeping tabs on her. Why is she so free and loose with her identity and plans in her letters to friends and co-conspirators? How was she not caught this way?

Overall this is a solid 4, possibly 4.5 out of 5 stars and generally a great educational historical fiction for young readers, history buffs, and horse lovers alike.

About the Author

Award-Winning, Best-Selling author, M.J. Evans grew up in Lake Oswego, Oregon, and graduated from Oregon State University. She spent five years teaching junior high and high school students before retiring to raise her five children. She is a life-long equestrian and enjoys competing in Dressage and riding in the beautiful Colorado Mountains.