I’ve been passionate about horses and adventure since I was a little girl. I’ve owned many horses over the years, and they all forever live on in the pages of my books. I wrote my book in 2001 while recovering from major surgery. The story was inspired by a young lady I met while volunteering with Nanaimo Therapeutic Riding and a frostbitten Mustang that arrived at Thunderbird Show Park en route from Wyoming to northern British Columbia. I lost my father to cancer a year before the book’s release. In many ways, Hannah Storey’s learning to cope with loss is based on my own. Life is like that, though, isn’t it?
I can sympathize with Astrid, the fat kid who just couldn’t fit in because I was the opposite of Astrid growing up; I was the skinny kid that everyone made jokes about. I isolated myself in my room, doodling pictures of horses and dreaming of owning my own horse one day.
Like Astrid, I found my way to a local barn via a connection to my mother, learned how to care for horses, and finally found my dream horse. I competed at horse shows as well, not getting many ribbons but finding absolute joy in bonding spirit to spirit with my horse and making new friends who had the same dreams as I did. Every cloud does have a silver lining.
Astrid never breaks the rules; she’s much too terrified of her overbearing father to step out of line. He controls her weight, her friends, and even her career path. And he doesn’t approve of anyone in their family thinking for themselves.
When one impulsive decision ends in disaster, Astrid is grounded for the summer, forced to put her archery career on hold and take a menial job cleaning horse stalls at a posh dressage barn. It takes a little horse named Quarry and a quirky cast of characters to banish Astrid's unhappiness and show her that she is worth something.…
I don’t know how many times I stayed up late, unable to put down a book, but The Black Stallion was my first ‘stay-up-all-night’ read. Alec’s journey of survival and winning over the Black Stallion exploded in my mind. I drew, I wrote, I joined a swim club and started riding lessons.
I learned to never give up on my dreams, no matter how impossible they might seem. It also drew me into the world of natural horsemanship as well as to choose an interesting career: forestry. I wanted to live the adventure and did! For me, this is where it started.
First published in 1941, Walter Farley's best-selling novel for young readers is the triumphant tale of a boy and a wild horse. From Alec Ramsay and the Black's first meeting on an ill-fated ship to their adventures on a desert island and their eventual rescue, this beloved story will hold the rapt attention of readers new and old.
This book has been selected as a Common Core State Standards Text Exemplar (Grades 4-5, Stories) in Appendix B.
An Heir of Realms tells the tale of two young heroines—a dragon rider and a portal jumper—who fight dragon-like parasites to save their realms from extinction.
Rhoswen is training as a Realm Rider to work with dragons and burn away the Narxon swarming into her realm. Rhoswen’s dream is to…
Nothing puts me in the mood for the Holidays like holiday-themed hanky-waving, happy-ending Christmas stories about family, life, horses, and the holidays. Everyone needs inspiration. Pick-me-up stories are the name of the game when the winter blues set in, and a page-turning series of tales is needed to keep you going.
There is nothing like the fresh smell of manure in the morning when the outside world is covered in white. Inside the barn, the frosty breath of the horses waiting for their morning feed reminds you that you have a cup of hot chocolate and a great book waiting for you once you’ve done your chores.
Get in the holiday spirit with this Christmas-themed set of short stories from some of your favorite equestrian writers! Some of the top authors in the genre have banded together to share Christmas stories from the heart. Look for best-selling authors Maggie Dana, Mary Pagones, Mara Dabrishus, Brittney Joy, Kim Ablon Whitney, Kate Lattey, and Natalie Keller Reinert -- plus an exclusive Canterwood Crest holiday short story from Jessica Burkhart!
And in the true spirit of the holidays, all proceeds will go to benefit Old Friends, a Thoroughbred retirement home providing life-long homes for former racehorses.
Christmas classics are a must for any age. I think a strong dramatic story that twists the heart in endless directions is a must for a good read and a delight for the mind. A great story has strong, relatable characters, a villain you love to hate, a hero, and a moral at the end. The story must touch the soul.
Tom Baker reads Charles Dickens' timeless seasonal story.
Charles Dickens' story of solitary miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who is taught the true meaning of Christmas by the three ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, has become one of the timeless classics of English literature. First published in 1843, it introduces us not only to Scrooge himself, but also to the memorable characters of underpaid desk clerk Bob Cratchit and his poor family, the poorest amongst whom is the ailing and crippled Tiny Tim.
In this captivating recording, Tom Baker delivers a tour-de-force performance as he narrates the story. The listener…
Head West in 1865 with two life-long friends looking for adventure and who want to see the wilderness before it disappears. One is a wanderer; the other seeks a home he lost. The people they meet on their journey reflect the diverse events of this time period–settlers, adventure seekers, scientific…
An isle filled with fog and ponies, the windswept chill of the coast, no signs of civilization, just the whisper of the wind in the grass. Away from the hustle and bustle, it is a place of dreams, of ponies, of peacefulness, until one sad day, the real world comes crashing in.
Everyone experiences it one day; they either fall or rise above. The journey is in the life lessons taught along the way. As a kid, it’s much harder to figure out, but every so often, a book comes along that sticks in your memory like a fly-paper, and the lessons learned with the pages are summoned to mind when they’re needed: love, perseverance, and hope.
Marguerite Henry's beloved story of a wild horse's gentle colt-winner of a Newbery Honor!
On the island of Chincoteague, off the coasts of Virginia and Maryland, lives a centuries-old band of wild ponies. Among them is the most mysterious of all, Phantom, a rarely-seen mare that eludes all efforts to capture her-that is, until a young boy and girl lay eyes on her and determine that they can't live without her.
The frenzied roundup that follows on the next Pony Penning Day does indeed bring Phantom into their lives, in a way they never would have suspected. Phantom would forever…
A lonely, handicapped girl…A neglected frostbitten Mustang…A Métis boy, born of two worlds but comfortable in none…A town without hope…And a pact of friendship that will change everyone’s lives forever.
This book is a heartwarming, hanky-waving Hallmark-style Christmas classic suitable for all ages. It is the first book in The Holiday Series and is available in print, ebook, and audiobook.
Nature writer Sharman Apt Russell tells stories of her experiences tracking wildlife—mostly mammals, from mountain lions to pocket mice—near her home in New Mexico, with lessons that hold true across North America. She guides readers through the basics of identifying tracks and signs, revealing a landscape filled with the marks…
This book is an elegiac meditation on the will to survive. Tor, a beluga whaler, and his wife, Astrid, a botanist specializing in Arctic flora, are stranded during the dark season of 1937-38 at his remote whaling station in the Svalbard archipelago when they misjudge ice conditions and fail to…
