No Horse Wanted by Shannon Kennedy

RATED 4.5 STARS








The only thing that Robin Gibson wants for her sixteenth birthday is a 1968 Presidential Blue Mustang. Following their family tradition, what her parents promise her is a horse of her own, one with four legs, not four wheels. Mom competes in endurance riding, Dad does calf roping, her older brother games and her older sister loves three-day eventing, but Robin proudly says that she doesn't do horses. She'll teach her controlling family a lesson by bringing home the worst horse she can find, a starved, abused two-year-old named Twaziem.

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Robin Gibson belongs to a family of horse lovers, but the only horse she’s interested in is a 1968 Mustang in Presidential blue.  She is hoping to buck the family tradition of getting a horse on your 16^th birthday and getting the car instead.

Things don’t work out as Robin planned and her parents insist she get a horse so she picks out a pitifully undernourished and neglected horse that looks to be on his last legs.  She plans to rehabilitate Twaziem and sell him later for money towards her car.
           

Robin is a typical teen in most respects.  She is a little mouthy, a little homework shy, a little unsure about boys and a little diva-ish.  She is a good hearted soul though who loves to care for animals and find the strays homes.

I liked that Robin had chores to do at home and varied interests including cross country running.  She made friends with girls she didn’t think she’d like because of her caring heart.

Her brother, Jack, was a typical teasing older sibling and her parents were supportive without being overindulgent.  Her older sister made a brief appearance but she was mostly away at college.

Robin’s friend, Vicki, was a girl stuck in an all too familiar situation.  Her parents divorced, mom is overloaded with her job schedule and she expects Vicki to pick up the slack. I liked the way Robin stood up for her friend so she could continue her cheerleading.

Robin also ended up being friends with Olivia, another cross country teammate who started out as an adversary and with Danielle, a girl she got to know at the stables where they both trained.

Any girl who has a secret or not so secret desire to own a horse will enjoy this story.  It is a great combination of teenage life and practical information about owning a horse. I think even preteens as young as 12 would enjoy this story very much.

Even if you aren’t a horse fan, I recommend this book for the compelling story of this group of friends.
  Note:  There are some mild curse words in the story.

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Daughter of Time by Sarah Woodbury

 

 

 

RATED 4.5 STARS

 

 

 

Meg’s abusive husband is dead, leaving the young woman with a 21/2 year old daughter to raise and living at home with her mother and sister.  When she takes her little girl, Anna, for ice cream one evening, Meg’s entire world is turned on its ear.

She loses control of her car and when she wakens, she has been saved by a man on a horse wearing a chain mail shirt.

How Meg adjusts to life in the 13^th century and how she falls in love with the Prince of Wales, Llwelyn ap Gruffydd is the subject of this time travel novel.
Meg is a modern woman thrown back into a very different time from her own yet she makes remarkable adjustments and accepts her fate.  She cares deeply for her little girl and keeps her by her side as much as possible.  When she decides to “marry” the Prince, her life becomes one of concern for her husband and strategic planning to keep the kingdom together.
Llwelyn is a very open minded 13^th century man. He is skeptical of Meg’s story of being from another time but he can’t deny the strong attraction he has for her and his growing love for the little girl, Anna.
All Princes and Kings are surrounded by a circle of men, some who are loyal and some who are false and Llwelyn is no exception.  Trying to figure out which men were going to betray him made for an intriguing part to the story. ,
The romance was straight forward and there was not a lot of sex making this story acceptable for young teens as well as adults.
My one criticism would be that there should have been a glossary of pronunciations for the cast of characters. The pronunciation guide that the author gives us is not very helpful.
All in all, I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more in the series.

 

Sarah Woodbury bio:

With two historian parents, Sarah couldn’t help but develop an interest in the past. She went on to get more than enough education herself (in anthropology) and began writing fiction when the stories in her head overflowed and demanded she let them out.  While her ancestry is Welsh, she only visited Wales for the first time while in college.  She has been in love with the country, language, and people ever since. She even convinced her husband to give all four of their children Welsh names.  She makes her home in Oregon.

 

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Now I Know My ABC's

No matter if you are a parent, grandparent, babysitter, nanny, teacher or just a friend, there is nothing as satisfying as sharing a good book with a child.

Since this is my first post for kids’ books, I wanted you all to know that I will never suggest a book I haven’t read myself.  Most of them I have shared with children too.  I would never give you a recommendation for a book only because of a cute cover or a catchy title.  I’ll do my research on new books and I’ll rely on some old classics too.

 My all time favorite alphabet book is ChickaChickaBoomBoom by Bill Martin Jr., John Archambault and Lois Ehlert.

The colors are bright and engaging and the story is just plain fun.  Appropriate for children 3-6years old.

Twenty Six Pirates or Twenty Six Princesses by Dave Horowitz

These two books are companions so pick the one your little kiddo would enjoy the most.

Simple text and great pictures and fun rhymes make them winners.

Ages 3-6

The Handmade Alphabet by Laura Rankin is a great introduction to Sign Language for young kids.  The pictures are clear so you can learn to make the alphabet signs together.

It’s easy peasy to learn the signs for yes and no too.  Even the youngest kids can do them.

Older kids will enjoy learning the signs too.  Ages 5-8

My next recommendation is a book, A, You’re Adorable by Martha Alexander but it’s

 based on a song and I prefer the song any day.  You can download it from iTunes.  The version I love is by Sharon, Lois and Bram. Ages 3-8

Until next week, keep reading!