Shyla, The Snowy Brumby

Horse fans will welcome a new series from an author who has written many horse stories. Hopefully, they will know what an oxer is as there's no glossary to refer to for unknown equestrian vocabulary.  This time the author has partnered with an older teenager - a former pupil at her riding school - to write this novel.  It is evident throughout that the teenager admires her mentor immensely and the reader is often reminded of the fantastic accomplishments of the Wilson sisters in the horse world.  It is unbelievable to imagine that full-time equestrians also have time to write books based on their real-life experiences.

I personally found the writing a little bland and would have liked some synonyms to be used for frequently used words such as 'spooked' and 'spooky'.  I found my mind wandering as I read, but a younger audience may remain captivated purely by the tales of taming a wild pony and competing at events.

The inclusion of detailing a pony being unwell added to the realism of the story and demonstrates to readers that owning ponies is not always easy, even though it may seem like a fairy tale.

It is evident from the text how motivated and driven Kelly Wilson is. The storyline includes goal setting and there is an additional detailed section at the end encouraging and guiding readers through the process of setting their own in order to follow their dreams.

Although I admire such busy people also being authors, and I know this book will be well-received by some of our students and has a place on the shelf, I don't imagine I will purchase the entire series for our library collection.  Of course, I am open to being challenged on this by our students.

Do you have any advisory warnings for this book? No

Would this book work as a read aloud? Yes

Is there a particular part of the country that it’s set in? Northland (and also Australia)