Do you know about the Free Horse Books List on Goodreads? If not, check it out! This is a list of books that are always free on Amazon. Cool, huh? Now this specifically relates to Amazon.com and I buy from .com.au, which meant that I couldn’t access Faris and Jack by Melanie Cusick-Jones for free. Thankfully someone commented on the list, indicating where I could still download it for free – score!

So recently I’ve downloaded and read this fantasy children’s story. Faris and Jack is about a 9-year-old boy called Faris and an unusual horse named Jack. Or perhaps I should say that Faris is the unusual one.

Young Faris lives in a home for unfortunate orphans. To the outside world, it appears that the owner/facilitator Mr. Grimbaldi is a caring soul, who takes in many a young boy without prospects. The opposite in fact is true; the boys are made to work gruelling hours and are given the bare minimum – not even toothbrushes for hygiene.

Faris dreams of the day he will leave the place. He senses deep down that something incredible is going to happen and he will then be able to go free. Faris isn’t wrong. The way things come about however, are more than a little surprising.

One day Faris is carrying out the usual daily toil, the next he is on a wild adventure with an unusual horse that he can talk to. He is also joined by a figlia faerie that can change forms when necessary.

For a young boy who wasn’t privileged to attend school, Faris finds himself on a steep learning curve. It seems that the world as he knows it isn’t the only one and there are greater forces at work. And better yet, Faris is needed to help Jack fight against an evil source.

Faris and Jack is a unique tale that features people who can talk to horses – as well as other hooved animals. There are other mythical creatures, too. The ugly and not so bright Spriggans and powerful Figlia faeries. This is a short story that is sure to capture the imagination of young readers and it’s nice that the focus animal is the horse.

Author: Melanie Cusick-Jones
Fiction – children
In My Library? As an eBook.
Want it? Get it now on Amazon.

 

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There’s a list on Goodreads that identifies horse books that are always free – score! Love and Muddy Puddles was on the list, so of course I tottered over to Amazon to download and read it.

Coco Franks is turning thirteen soon and it seems that life might suddenly be turning out ok. Coco feels she has been living in the shadow of her twin, Charlie. Charlie is athletic, makes friends easily and is good at school.

Coco feels that her only worthy skill is dressing well and highlighting her beauty through the appropriate hair and makeup. She is rapt when it is noticed by the coolest girls in school – Saffron and Tiger Lily. Coco becomes a part of their group in time, although it means distancing herself from her best friend, Samantha. Both girls agree it’s for their common good – in time maybe Coco can help Samantha rise in popularity status.

And just as soon as things are looking up, they take a dive downwards. An unexpected announcement from her father leaves Coco reeling. The family are moving from the hustle and bustle of the city. They’re moving to Budgong, New South Wales where they will live on an acreage – in a shed whilst their house is built.

Although this is a horse story, horses don’t feature until about halfway through the book. Coco’s character is a very superficial, self absorbed person who genuinely doesn’t realise it. As she is forced to make new friends in the country, she does a lot of growing and changing.

And ultimately it is first a horse that is misunderstood by others that helps her to do this. In time Coco realises that her friends back in the city are truly mean and superficial – not worth having at all. This is with some help with her brutally honest twin and a straight talker named James who lives next door.

Love and Muddy Puddles was a really enjoyable read. In spite of Coco’s obvious flaws, she was a realistic character and a likeable protagonist. The way the horses were woven into the story worked nicely, too.

Author: Cecily Anne Paterson
Fiction – teens
In My Library? As an eBook.
Want it? Get it now on Amazon.