STEP-UP J FICTION (Grades 2-3)
Little Horse by Betsy Byars
J BYARS
Little horse falls into a stream and is swept away into an adventure and a new life. 45 pgs. (Also look for: Little Horse on His Own)
Margaret Ziegler is Horse-Crazy
by Crescent Dragonwagon
J DRAGONWAGON
Margaret is crazy about horses until she finally gets a chance to ride one at Country Life Riding Day Camp. 32 pgs.
Pony Trouble
by Dale Blackwell Gasque
J GASQUE
Amy is jealous of her cousin Rebecca’s skill in gymnastics and swimming, not knowing that Rebecca wishes she had Amy’s way with animals. 56 pgs.
New Boots for Salvador by Susan Gaston
J GASTON
Because he has been secretly practicing riding a difficult horse, Salvador is able to help his uncle when the riding club is in trouble. 48 pgs.
Beware the Mare by Jessie Haas
J HAAS
Lily and her grandfather wonder why the horse they have just acquired is named Beware. 64 pgs.
(Look for other titles by this author.)
Megan’s Mare by Lynn Hall
J HALL
Eleven-year-old Megan, daughter of a Yorkshire horse trainer, determines to help a problem mare overcome her fear of bridges. 56 pgs.
The Pony Champions
by Elizabeth Sutton
J SUTTON
Careless and rushed in her attempt to juggle her time between preparing for a pony competition and a tap dance recital, busy fourth grader Meg allows her pony Lady Jane to become very sick. 45 pgs.
J FICTION (Grades 3-6)
National Velvet by Enid Bagnold
J BAGNOLD
Velvet Brown is determined to turn her untamed horse into a champion and personally ride him to victory in the world’s greatest steeplechase, the Grand National. 306 pgs.
Colorado Summer by Larry Bograd
J BOGRAD
Being a true New Yorker, Carrie is not looking forward to spending the summer on her aunt’s Colorado ranch until she is introduced to Georgia, a Paint horse that is as swift as the wind. 128 pgs.
Mattie’s Whisper
by Alice DeLaCroix
J DELACROIX
A young girl overcomes her own physical limitations by taking care of an injured horse. 124 pgs.
Yesterday’s Horses
by Jean Slaughter Doty
J DOTY
While riding in the mountains, Kelly finds an orphaned foal that seems to belong to a breed of wild horses supposedly extinct for thousands of years and which holds the secret to a modern medical mystery. 114 pgs.
The Black Stallion* by Walter Farley
J FARLEY
Shipwrecked on a desert island, Alec Ramsey finds and trains a wild Arabian stallion. After their rescue, they work together for a try in one of the greatest horse races at Santa Anita. 275 pgs. (Look for other titles by this author.)
Best Horse on the Force
by Sherry Garland
J GARLAND
Because of their pranks at the police stables, two boys cause a beautiful horse to be considered unfit for duty. 104 pgs.
A Morgan for Melinda
by Doris Gates
J GATES
Even though Melinda fears riding, her father buys her a horse. Through her friendship with an elderly writer, Melinda overcomes her fear. 189 pgs.
The Something-Special Horse
by Lynn Hall
J HALL
Chris runs away with a special horse to save it from his father’s business - the meat market. 101 pgs.
Misty of Chincoteague*
by Marguerite Henry
J HENRY
Paul and his sister Maureen’s determination to own a pony from the herd on Chincoteague Island, Virginia, is greatly increased when the Phantom and her colt are among the ponies rounded up for the yearly auction. 173 pgs. (Look for other titles by this author.)
Miranda and Starlight by Janet Hill
J HILL
Miranda Stevens is sure that if she had a horse of her very own, it wouldn’t matter that she was sent to live with her grandparents and go to a new school. 167 pgs. (Look for other titles in the Starlight series.)
Year of the Black Pony
by Walt Morey
J MOREY
This is the story of a boy’s love for his pony in rural Oregon in the early 1900s. 152 pgs.
Willow King by Chris Platt
J PLATT
Thirteen-year-old Katie saves a crippled foal from being destroyed and nurses him back to health and eventual championships. 193 pgs. (Also look for: Willow King: Race the Wind)
Wild Appaloosa by Glen Rounds
J ROUNDS
A handsome, wild Appaloosa filly, wanted by wild horse hunters, makes a young boy’s dream come true. 79 pgs.
Black Beauty* by Anna Sewell
J SEWELL
In this classic, a horse tells the story of his life in 19th century England, and his treatment under many different masters.
223 pgs.
Beauty by Bill Wallace
J WALLACE
Unhappy about his parent’s splitting up and having to move to his grandfather’s farm, eleven-year-old Luke finds comfort in riding and caring for a horse named Beauty. 177 pgs.
HORSE SERIES TO ENJOY
Phantom Stallionby Terri Farley
J FARLEY
Black Stallion by Walter Farley
J FARLEY
Starlight by Janet Hill
J HILL
Saddles, Stars, & Stripesby Deborah Kent
J KENT
JH FICTION (Grades 6-8)
More Than a Horse by C. S. Adler
JH ADLER
When her mother takes a job on a guest ranch in Arizona, Leeann hopes to be able to ride whenever she wants, but it takes her own perseverance, and the help of new friends, to win over the ranch’s crusty wrangler. 188 pgs. (Also look for the sequel: That Horse Whiskey!)
The Snowbird by Patricia Calvert
JH CALVERT
Following the murder of her parents, Willanna faces an uncertain future as she and her younger brother move from Tennessee in 1883 to the Dakota Territory where she trains her first horse. 146 pgs.
Keeping Faith by Lucy Daniels
JH DANIELS
When her family’s riding school is forced to close, Josie Grace tries to find a caring owner for her horse, Faith. 135 pgs. (Also look for: Last Hope and Sweet Charity.)
No Small Thing by Natale Ghent
JH GHENT
Twelve-year-old Nat and his sisters find that owning, training, and caring for a pony they acquired for free makes it easier to cope with the poverty they have faced since their father abandoned them. 245 pgs.
Flying Changes by Lynn Hall
JH HALL
Seventeen-year-old Denny and her family face hard times when her father is injured on the rodeo circuit. 148 pgs. (Also look for: Ride a Dark Horse.)
Jim-Dandy by Hadley Irwin
JH IRWIN
Living after the Civil War on a Kansas homestead with his stern stepfather, 13-year-old Caleb raises a beloved colt and becomes involved in General Custer’s raids on the Cheyenne. 135 pgs.
The First Horse I See by Sally Keehn
JH KEEHN
Left in the care of her beloved granddad after the death of her mother, Willojean tries to prove to her alcoholic father that she is able to train a skittish ex-racehorse that had been abused. 224 pgs.
Snow Pony by Alison Lester
JH LESTER
In the midst of all the family struggles, the only source of comfort young Dusty has is the friendship with her wild horse, Snow Pony. 194 pgs.
Riding the Wind by Barbara Polikoff
JH POLIKOFF
When an inheritance seems to make it possible for Angie to buy the beautiful Arabian she rides at Smitty’s stables, she finds her father and a jealous girl standing in her way.
131 pgs.
The Boy on a Black Horse
by Nancy Springer
JH SPRINGER
Intrigued by the mysterious and angry Romany boy who joins her class, 13-year-old Gray finds that he shares her love of horses but harbors a dark secret. 166 pgs.
I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade
by Diane Lee Wilson
JH WILSON
Oyuna tells her granddaughter the story of how her love for her horse enabled her to win a race and bring good luck to her family living in Mongolia in 1339. 232 pgs.
HORSE SERIES TO ENJOY
Chestnut Hill by Lauren Brooke
JH BROOKE
Heartland by Lauren Brooke
JH BROOKE
Keystone Stables by Marsha Hubler
JH HUBLER
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