The cover of The Girl who Rode the Wind caught my attention recently when we were at the library. I have previously read The Fire Stallion by Stacy and loved it! So it was easy to add this one to the list of what we were borrowing.

It was less easy to find time to read, but I loved the story! It focuses on the amazing Il Palio over in Italy. What was unique about this novel was that it was told from the point of view of a 12-year-old American girl with Italian roots. I had a chuckle at the way she ended up in Italy in the first place.

The two main characters in The Girl Who Rode the Wind – 12-year-old Lola and her fiery grandmother Loretta – are a delight to read about. As Lola discovers Italy, she also discovers the life of her grandmother as a young girl and a developing teenager.

Lola and Loretta share a love of horses. This draws the grandmother and grand daughter together even more, as Lola learns about the life Loretta led in Italy as the second world war occurred. Whilst learning about her grandmother’s choices, the need to grow up quickly and her desire to protect her family whilst also pursuing love, Lola is also learning about the Palio – the wildest racehorse in the world!

The Girl Who Rode the Wind is an incredible historical fictional piece, with a delightful focus on horses and an incredible horse race in Italy. Highly recommended.

Author – Stacy Gregg
Fiction – middle grade
In my library – no, it was borrowed from a local library

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If you’d like to check out other horse fiction and non fiction that I’ve reviewed, visit Horse Book Reviews.

Now that we are in May, it’s time to consider the upcoming Gallop into Summer Reading Program. The aim is to encourage primary school aged children to build on their reading skills over the summer break.

A reminder that the group of authors who are running the event are *horse* book authors. Including yours truly!

Head along to the main site – https://wereadhorsebooks.com/how-to-participate/ – to find out how to participate. Visiting that link will provide you with the log to download, where children can make note of the books they read from June 1 – September 1.

The books have to match up with 24 different points on the reading log. For example, one is to read a book that is based on a true story. Another is to read a book by a participating author.

Participants can also get creative and draw based on a book they read, read outside as well as borrow a book from the library.

As I work through this log with three of my children, my library of 800+ horse books will no doubt fit into many aspects of the list!

On top of encouraging reading over the summer break, for participants who complete the log, there is also the chance to win horse books! You can check out the participating authors via https://wereadhorsebooks.com/authors/.

Do you know a young horse fan or teenager? Be sure to check out the website to sign them up. Participants who complete the challenge will win a horse book from participating authors!

I started Unbridled Faith back in December of last year, having received it as a Christmas present. It combines two of my favourites – faith and horses!

As a devotional, I didn’t sit down and read it in one setting, but rather read one to two entries over the course of a day, so that I could think on what was shared. It is lovely to now be able to share a review of this horse devotional.

Unbridled Faith: Devotions for Young Readers by Cara Whitney

The author Cara has beautifully woven together a bible verse, a horse focused anecdote and a prayer in each day’s reading. The horse related story – whether it relates to grooming, paddock mates, going on a trail ride, preparing for an event or some form of horse care – is tied back to a particular verse of scripture.

From here, she then explores how something in her horse journey could encourage a young horse fan to live out their faith in their daily life. Each day’s entry is beautifully wrapped up with a short prayer for the young reader to pray.

This typically focuses on asking God for guidance in a particular area of their life. This then relates back to that day’s scripture and horse anecdote.

Unbridled Faith would be a wonderful investment as a gift for any horse fan. And especially for a reader who knows God or is seeking to know Him. An added bonus is the horse photos throughout the book with an artistic flair added to them. Highly recommended.

Author: Cara Whitney
Devotion – teens
In my library? Indeed it is!