Saturday, September 20, 2008

Wild Horses

No, I don't actually have wild horses- WILD HORSES is the title of a book written by Jenny Oldfield. It is a part of The Horses of Half Moon Ranch series for middle grade readers.
The cover, unlike most other horse books is intriguing, and so I was drawn into the story of Kirstie Scott- a teen aged girl living in the mountains of Colorado.Her family owns and operated Half Moon Ranch- a Vacation Center. (I guess calling it a Dude Ranch is not PC). While leading a horse trek through their ridge a sudden storm causes a landslide. She ends up trapped alone in a canyon with a herd of wild horses whose leader- a beautiful stallion - has been injured by the falling rock. Cold, wet and alone, Kirstie must find a way out and find a way to help the stallion. As it turns out he is her salvation as well.

Kirstie is a feisty character, who won't take 'no' for an answer. She has a side kick- Lisa- who is sometimes the voice of reason. Together they make a dynamic duo.
The line drawings throughout the book are fresh and original, without being too sentimental.

I think that the author Jenny Oldfield 'gets' the horse thing- her descriptions of the horses and the terrain is beautifully written and spot on. Her English heritage comes through sometimes when she calls a halter a head collar, but other than that the story moves along quickly and has a satisfying resolution. If you have a horse crazy kid- aged 10-13 I think they would find this an enjoyable read.
WILD HORSES is printed by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky. To order a copy for a child in your life you can e-mail Carrie Gellin at carrie.gellin@sourcebooks.com . At $5.99 they would make a great gift.

5 comments:

Chelsi said...

Dont you just love a good book? I have heard that some of the teen novels are really good.

Vaquerogirl said...

I'm a writer myself, I read plenty of 'childrens' books! They are usually smart, fun to read, inspiring and sometimes educational! Check out my friend Ellen Hopkins books- IMPULSE,Burned,Identical- they are all wonderful and not for the faint of heart! For some silly type fun check out Sarah Wilson, or Yuyi Morales's books.These are picture books but they are way more than that!

Train Wreck said...

I have always wanted to write a childrens book! How fun! This book sounds like a great one!

Anonymous said...

Hi! I just found your blog and enjoyed your book report. I recently enjoyed a book by Mollie Gloss called The Hearts of Horses. It takes place in eastern Oregon during WWI. It's about a young woman who goes from ranch to ranch to train horses.

Train Wreck said...

Hey Friend?" You ok? I go without posting for a few days, are you busy too?? I hope all is well.