This
is the fourth in the Horses and Friends series and is another fun
book to read.
Thirteen
year old Kate is concerned that her parents don't have enough money
to send her younger autistic brother to a camp that would be so good
for him. Her friend Melissa comes up with a trail-ride fund raising
idea and Colt adds a scavenger hunt to it. Kate and her friends get
planning. They want send a bunch of autistic kids to the camp. They'll ask businesses to donate prizes. What could
possibly go wrong? When the antique jewelry box Kate's mom was using
to store the registration money goes missing, Kate and her friends
have a mystery to solve.
I
continue to really like this youth fiction series. The dialog between
Kate and her friends is a great mix of affection and teasing. As with
the others in the series, there are moral lessons to learn from the
actions of the characters in the novel. Kate and her friends do some
things without telling the parents and one really backfires (and
lands on Kate's dad). Readers will learn that it's best to be open
and honest with parents and others. They'll also read about a very
good example of forgiveness and restoration.
Kids
will get some insight into setting up a trail ride as well as a
scavenger hunt. They'll also learn about hoarding when the kids visit
an elderly man. “Maybe he was cranky because he needs a friend.”
(184)
I
love the new character, Jake. He's a kid with a huge St. Bernard
named “Mouse” and a bunch of quirky knowledge he loves to share.
He's my kind of nerdy kid and I hope he'll be in future novels. It is
fun to see Kate's circle of friends expand.
Perhaps
the best part of this book for me, an older reader, was the mention
of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys mysteries. I grew up on those books
and this novel would be a good way to introduce them to contemporary
young readers.
I
recommend this whole series to girls aged 8 - 12 who like horse
stories. It is a fun one containing some great moral lessons.
My
rating: 5/5 stars.
You
can read my reviews of the earlier books in the series:
I
am taking part in a blog tour of this book and you can read other
reviews here.
Miralee
Ferrell is an award-winning
author of sixteen novels. She is a speaker and licensed minister
counseling hurting women. She and her husband live along the Columbia
River Gorge in southern Washington State. You can find out more at
http://miraleeferrell.com/
David
C Cook, 204 pages. You can buy a copy here.
I
received a complimentary copy of this book through Litfuse for the
purpose of an independent and honest review.
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