Horse Crazy (Book 1) - The Silver Horse Switch by Alison Lester -- Book Review

Young horse lovers are going to get a kick out of Horse Crazy, the new series by Australian author Alison Lester.

In Book 1, The Silver Horse Switch, we meet best friends Bonnie and Sam (her real name is Samantha). These girls know all the horses in Currawong Creek: Whale, Biscuit, Bella, Blondie and Tex, just to name a few. Bonnie whispers to horses and Sam always knows how a horse feels.

The Silver Horse Switch finds Sam's dad, Sergeant Bill Cooper in possession of Drover, a young brumby who had been captured and broken in. Drover is afraid of trains, but makes a good work horse for Bill, even though she won't let the girls ride her. Drover hates being locked up in the small paddock each night and she longs to be free to roam with the other wild horses.

One day, the girls notice that Drover has changed. She doesn't pace in the paddock anymore and even though she a bit afraid of the girls, she seems to like them. And then they notice that Drover's crescent-shaped scar is gone. This isn't Drover at all, but a horse that looks just like her.

How was the switch made? And how can they keep the horse's secret so that they can keep her?

Geared for readers ages 5 to 8, The Silver Horse Switch is an engaging story that will be enjoyed by young readers everywhere. Lester has created two girls who love and know horses like no one else in Currawong Creek.

Even though Currawong Creek is in Australia, based upon the illustrations and the storylines you could mistake Currawong Creek for an American mid-western prairie town, which makes the book appealing to a wider audience.

Speaking of the illustrations, Roland Harvey did an excellent job of bringing this story to life with his pictures. The inside cover has a colored map of all the places in town, including where each horse mentioned in the book resides. Harvey's illustrations are so charming and sometimes funny--like the time the new Drover pressed her mane right up against Mick Daly's face--that they truly compliment and complete the story. I'm glad to see that Harvey returns to illustrate the other books in this series.

Also included is a short list of Australian terms found in the book.

Whether your young reader is a lover of horses or just enjoys a good story with interesting characters and delightful illustrations, The Silver Horse Switch is sure to please.

I can't wait to read the next Horse Crazy books!


Title: Horse Crazy (Book 1) - The Silver Horse Switch
Author: Alison Lester
Publisher: Chronicle Books LLC.
ISBN: 978-0-8118-6554-8
SRP: $4.99 (U.S.)

Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish by Linda Thieman--Book Review

Katie & Kimble are back with a new adventure in Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish, Book 2 in the Katie & Kimble chapter book series.

When Katie finds a magic coupon in a box of cereal, Katie and Kimble decide to use their free wish to make Kimble human again. The wish will only last for two days and it's a bit scary for Kimble to know that Katie's parents will be able to see her and that she won't be able to float through walls for a while. But the girls plan to make the most of those two days and hope that everything will be back to normal once the wish is over.

Katie & Kimble is an entertaining series for young readers. After discovering Kimble in Book One--which we reviewed here--Katie and Kimble have become more like sisters than friends. While Katie's mother, Mrs. Russell can't hear Kimble when she's a ghost, she still allows Kimble to call her Mama. And once Kimble becomes human, Mrs. Russell not only hears her, but she hugs Kimble tightly and cries for joy.

One of the best aspects of this book is the complete acceptance of Kimble into the Russell family from Katie's parents, her two-year-old brother, Toby--who has always been able to see Kibo (as he calls her)--and even the family's dog, Twinkle. While young readers might not make the connection, this could be a book that parents use to show adopted children that they are accepted and loved just as much as natural born children.

An interesting admission comes from Mr. Russell in The Magic Wish and this helps pave the way for him to believe in Kimble and to welcome her home after she becomes a ghost again and goes off to rest.

The cover art uses the same color scheme as the first book to make it easily identifiable, and as the mother of a child who struggles with reading, I appreciate that the plot is interesting but not too complex and that there are words to challenge my daughter but many sight words too.

Katie & Kimble is a charming and fun chapter book series that kids will love. I can't wait to read the next one!


Title: Katie & Kimble: The Magic Wish Book 2
Author: Linda Thieman
Publisher: Pale Silver Rainplop Press
ISBN-10: 0-9794396-2-0
ISBN-13: 978-0-9794396-2-9
SRP: $5.95 (US)