Jumper Book

"You can't threaten me," I countered, my knees quivering with fear. "I'll tell whoever I want about this and you can't stop me." "Oh, can't I? Your Grandpa's having a hard time scraping money to keep that ranch running, isn't he? How would it be if things got just a little bit harder? You wouldn't want ole' Granddad to lose the farm, now would you?" "You couldn't do that," I whispered. "Try me," Bellamy said, his eyes glittering like a snake's. Reese loves horses and longs to be a competitive show-jumper. When the leased horse she rides is sold she is left riding the orneriest horse in the stable. She decides she must find a horse of her own. Her parents can't afford a trained horse so she decides to buy a wild horse at auction. Outbid, she discovers that many of the wild horses are will be sold for slaughter. Determined to save the horses from a terrible fate she finds herself in deeper than she expected - and fighting for her life. Michelle Martin Bossley is the author of a number of sports books for young readers.and also of an upcoming title in the Orca Currents series. Michelle lives with her family in Calgary, AB.

Children's Literature

Reese wants to become a competitive show jumper, but her family really can't afford to lease or buy the quality of horse that she needs to be taken as a serious contender. When spending time with her grandfather at his farm, she happens to see a herd of wild horses, and when her grandfather tells her that the horses technically belong to the military and will be rounded up to sell, Reese decides that she must have the chestnut mare who looks to be a natural jumper. However, a mean rancher named Mr. Bellamy outbids Reese, shattering her dreams. However, when it becomes apparent that Mr. Bellamy committed fraud in order to buy so many horses, Emily is determined to bring him to justice. This book does some nice work in explaining aspects of jumping and what one needs in terms of equipment, but it also relies a great deal on stock plot twists: the chestnut horse saves Reese from an aggressive stallion because the horse and Reese already have a connection; Reese is able to outwit Mr. Bellamy even though she's not really solid driving a vehicle and has not been able to get a signal for her cell phone in miles. But horse lovers won't mind any of these coincidences or suspensions of reality.