The Flying Horse by Sarah Maslin Nir. Once Upon a Horse #1. 172 p. Cameron Books/ Linden Tree, March 14, 2023. 9781951836672. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publicist.)
Happy Monday. Middle Grade Monday features The Flying Horse by Sarah Maslin Nir. This series beginner is sure to please your horse-obsessed readers. This is a parallel story where the chapters alternate between the birth of a foal in the Netherlands and the struggles of a horse-loving middle school student who is hiding her dyslexia.
When the foal is born early, the surprised farmer names him Trendsetter, or Trendy for short. Trendy soon shows promise as a jumper. The farm is struggling, so the farmer has high hopes that Trendy will become a jumper at the National Equestrian Center. Unfortunately, he misses his horse pals, his treats and affectionate pats from the farmer, and so, he literally digs his heels in and refuses to jump. His spirit catches the eye of an imposing lady though, the Calvary Master for Piper Stud Farms, where the world-famous Lipizzaner horse are trained.
Sarah is a seventh grader at an elite, private school in New York City. She's bright and inquisitive, but hiding a secret-reading and writing don't come easily to her. She can't even confide in her beloved grandmother. Like many students with learning problems, she has been able to hide her weaknesses, but in middle school, the emphasis on reading and writing increases. Her solution-to stop doing homework-gets her suspended.
This quick and sweet read is attractively designed and certainly gives readers tons of all things horsey-from treats to tack to competing.
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