Genre: Horse Summary: Princess Ellie loves ponies, though her father's convinced a proper princess should be interested in pink, dresses, and sparkle. But against what her father thinks, she spends most of her time with the ponies and her best friend, Kate. Read these book to watch Ellie and Kate solve mysteries and their pony problems. Other: This was one of the first series that my sister started reading to me when I was little, and they are really fun books. I like the different ponies that Ellie has. (Ages 7+) ~Faith
Pony Pals (Series)--Jeanne Betancourt
This is the first book.
Genre: Horse Summary: Lulu, Anna, and Pam love their ponies. Together with each other and Snow White, Acorn, and Lightning, they can solve most any problem that comes their way, from neglected ponies to mean owners and beyond. Other: These are fun books with cute ponies. Each book focuses on one girl and her pony. I really enjoyed them when I was little. (7+) ~Amy
Hoofbeats (Series)--Kathleen Duey
This is the first book.
*RA Genre: Horse/Historical Fiction Summary: Throughout history, horses have been very important. These books tell about different girls and their horses, from the time of feuding Ireland, to the rigors of western expansion, to the trials of the revolutionary war. Other: The adventures in these books are fun, the trials are believable, and the horses are beautiful. The characters and the historical facts also contribute greatly to this series. This is a great series for horse lovers, but even my brother liked it. I highly recommend it. (Ages 8+) ~Amy
Moon Shadow--Chris Platt
Genre: Horse Summary: Callie's excited when she finds out that her favorite mustang, Moon Beam, is pregnant. But when Moon Beam and her band get rounded up by the BLM, she has a hard delivery and doesn't make it. Heartbroken, Callie is determined to save Moon Beam's foal. Taking care of an orphan foal is a lot of work. Will she be able to raise the weak filly? Will Moon Shadow survive? Other: This was a light, enjoyable book. The ending was too abrupt though. (Ages 8+) ~Faith
Star Gazer--Chris Platt
Genre: Horse Summary: Jordan loves Draft horses. She longs to have one of her own, though her mom won't even let her get something small like a chicken. But when she visits the local livestock auction with her new friend, she comes home with a former prize winning Draft horse with a cracked hoof. Jordan and her mom aren't doing well with the bills and though Star Gazer was formerly valuable, they aren't even sure if her hoof will recover. Will Jordan (With the help of her new friends) be able to help Star Gazer recover, retrain her, and follow through with an angry challenge? Other: It was interesting how Chris Platt mentioned the differences between Mennonites and Amish people. It's good book. The only thing was that the ending was far from satisfying (I know that Jordan was learning a moral, but I still think she should have driven her horse in at least one contest!) and it left much to be desired. (Ages 8+) ~Faith
Storm Chaser--Chris Platt
Genre: Horse Summary: Jessie loves the wild horses that her family and friends round up every summer, and she wants nothing more than to help train them. She's thirteen, two years older than when her brother first started, but her father says she's not strong enough, too weak. This time though, her eyes catches on a pretty paint filly, and she's made up her mind that she's going to train her. When Jessie and her family are forced to house vacationers because of financial problems, Jessie's thrilled to have a shot at making friends her age. But then a spoiled rich girl wants to buy Storm Chaser! Will Jessie be able to keep the horse she loves? Will she be able to prove herself? Other: This was a pretty fun book. The only complaint I would have was that near the end I felt like everything was a bit too rushed though. But this was still a short, fun book to read. (Ages 8+) ~Faith
Black Beauty--Anna Sewell
*RA Genre: Horse Summary: When he was a young foal, Black Beauty's mom told him that some men are good and some men are bad, and a horse can never know who is going to own or ride him. This proves to be correct, as the sweet horse is shipped to different owners in the course of his life, some of which are wonderful and some of which are cruel. Through it all, Black Beauty does his best to perform well, and this classic tells the tale of his life through his eyes. Other: My family, though skeptical of a horse book at first, ended up loving this book. I myself read it about five times cover to cover. The morals about mercy and mistreatment are strikingly portrayed in this sad but beautiful book. I loved it and recommend it to everyone, young and old alike. (Ages 9+) ~Amy
Horseshoe Trilogies (Series)--Lucy Daniels
This is the first of three trilogies.
Genre: Horse Summary: Josie Grace's family has to sell their three horses because of financial difficulties. There's Faith, the oldest mare who is very sweet; she was the first horse Josie rode. Then there's Hope, the most homely but dependable one. Last but not least, there's Charity, Hope's daughter and Josie's favorite. Can Josie and her parents find good homes for their three lovely horses? More importantly, can Josie help to make the homes work once they're there? Other: This is a very clean, good series. The horses are sweet, and the stories are good. There are three sets of trilogies focusing on each of the three horses. I highly recommend them, especially for horse lovers. (Ages 9+) ~Amy
Phantom Stallion (Series)--Terri Farley
The Wild One is the first book.
*RA Genre: Horse/Adventure Summary: Two years ago, Samantha Forster was kicked in the head by her beloved horse in a freak accident. Now, after two years of living in San Francisco, she's finally moving back to her dad's ranch. There, Sam struggles to fit back in to ranch life, but she makes new enemies, meets her old friends, makes new ones, and loves her new horse, Ace. However, she can't be truly happy until she knows what happened to her horse Blackie, who ran away after she was kicked. The colt that she raised was never seen again, but she believes that he lives as the wild white stallion known as the Phantom, magnificent and untamable. Throughout the series, she will do her utmost to make sure that her horse and the rest of the beautiful, wild mustangs that range the rugged Nevadan hills safe. Other: I loved this series when I was younger. My sister started to read it too, loved it, read it to my mom (who loved it), and recommended it to her friend (who also loved it). The characters are well-drawn, and the adventures are fun. The series itself is pretty clean. This is definitely one for horse-lovers. (Ages 9+) ~Amy Here is the link to the website: http://www.phantomstallion.com/
Thoroughbred (Series)--Joanna Campbell
This is the first book.
*RA (The first four books) Genre: Horse Summary: Ashleigh Griffen is devastated. Because of an equine sickness, her family was forced to sell their breeding farm and relocate as breeding managers at a rich, enormous thoroughbred stable called Townsend Acres. After having to leave her horse Stardust behind, Ashleigh vows never to become attached to another horse again. When she sees a horse that looks like Stardust, though, she starts to love her, and when her new friend gives birth to a sickly baby, Ashleigh will stop at nothing to make sure her baby survives. That baby turns out to be an amazing racehorse, and as she and Ashleigh grow up together, new characters come in. Different generations, different people--all love horses. Other: I absolutely loved the first several books of this series. They focused on Ashleigh as the main character. Later, more characters are introduced, including her daughter. Several books had quite a bit of drama and were sometimes pretty sad, but most of the books are good, although my favorite are, again, the first few. There are books about both eventing and racing, depending on the character. Of course, as there are about 72 books in the series, I haven't read all of them because the library didn't have them. I do recommend them highly for horse lovers though. It's also good to check out the Ashleigh series, which talks about her life in Edgardale, her family's old farm. (Ages 9+) ~Amy
Willow King/Race the Wind (Sequel)--Chris Platt
Willow King is the first book.
Genre: Horse/Drama Summary: A beautiful foal is born on Willow run farm. He's perfect in every way, except for his legs, a vital thing for a racehorse. His legs might straighten out if he gets lots of care, sunshine, and exercise. But the healing process would take too long, and Mr. Ellis doesn't want to take the chance. Katie, present when the foal was born, sees potential, and she desperately leases her beloved Jesper to own the foal. Katie, herself having a leg much shorter then the other, understands the foal. She wants to give the Willow King a chance to prove himself, and maybe she wants to give herself a chance too. And then there's Mr. Ellis' stuck up daughter, Cindy. Sometimes she can be nice, but most of the time she's a spoiled brat. Even with the help of an old trainer, her mother, best friend, and the next door neighbor, will she be able to help Willow King become a successful race horse? Or will her foal's legs never heal? Other: These books do have a decent amount of typical (and embarrassing) romance. But, romance aside, these were fun books to read. (Ages 9+) ~Faith
Heartland (Series)--Lauren Brooke
Coming Home is the first book.
Genre: Horse/Drama Summary: Heartland is a stable that heals broken down horses with herbal and behavioral therapies. In her beloved Heartland, Amy Fleming works with her beautiful animals and goes through tradgedy, heartbreak, and joy, starting when her mom dies and ending at her high school graduation (although special editions do continue the story somewhat). Other: I liked this series, and it's definetly one for horse lovers. However, people and horses do die a few times, and there is quite a bit of drama. Of course, this does make the ending that much more hopeful and happy. So depending on the person, this could be a great series. Be careful of Darkest Hour though; the ending is sad because it goes on to the next book. (Ages 10+) ~Amy
My Friend Flicka--Mary O'Hara
*RA Genre: Horse Summary: Ten year old Ken wants a horse more than anything, but he's a dreamer, prone to accidents caused by his frequent attention lapses. When his father finally grants him his very own filly, Ken is captivated from the start. Flicka becomes his life, and he is determined to keep her and help her to love him back, through sickness and pain. Maybe Flicka can even teach him what it means to be responsible and grown-up. Other: This book kept my family riveted until we finished at three in the morning. The descriptions of Goose Bar Ranch and the surrounding countryside are beautiful, and the story itself is very feel-good and sweet. I've read this book cover to cover about six times and haven't gotten tired of it yet. It also has good morals about growing up and taking responsibility. There is one part that has a gelding scene, although nothing much is described. I highly recommend this book. (Ages 10+) ~Amy
Firehorse--Diane Lee Wilson
Genre: Horse/Historical fiction Summary: It's 1872--a time when firefighters did not arrive on the scene in a squeal of tires and flashes of red. Instead, the "fire engines" were pulled by fire horses who stood solid in the face of flames and confusion. Rachel is not happy when her father moves her family to Boston because of his job. She had to leave her pony behind, and she's lonely and upset. Then she meets and cares for a beautiful horse that was injured in a fire, meets the local veterinarian, and considers becoming one herself, even though the vet's job was frowned upon for woman. When the Great Boston Fire of 1872 hits and many of the fire horses are ill, what will become of the city? Other: The main character in this book is fun, and the historical facts about life for woman back then were interesting. Of course, the horses were very pretty as well. :) I enjoyed it. (Ages 11+) ~Amy
Sundancer--Shelley Peterson
*RA Genre: Horse Summary: Bird doesn't talk to people. She hasn't for years. But she hasn't really kept quiet; she can talk to animals. Because of this, most animals love her, but the new, beautiful, abused horse at her aunt's ranch poses a challenge. She knows that he has scars that keep him from being rideable, and she is determined to get through to him. In the process, Sundancer might help her deal with Bird's own problems, as her wayward mother gives a surprise visit with her new fiance. Other: I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to any horse lovers out there. It's not action-packed, but it's fun. (Ages 11+) ~Amy