A passion for horses propels this enthralling adventure but you don’t have to be horse-mad to enjoy it! Abby’s life revolves around the horses that she helps her Dad to train but out of all of them there is one, the foal Jack, who is most special to her. Abby and Jack have a very special bond so when keeping him is under threat it is Abby who must solve the mystery that may pull him away. Jane Smiley writes a gripping adventure firmly founded on the vividly conveyed details of all things horsey.
When eighth-grader Abby Lovitt looks out at those pure-gold rolling hills, she knows there's no place she'd rather be than her family's ranch - even with all the hard work of tending to nine horses. But some chores are no work at all, like grooming young Jack. At eight months, his rough foal coat has shed out, leaving a smooth, rich silk, like chocolate. As for Black George, such a good horse, it turns out he's a natural jumper. When he and Abby clear four feet easy as pie, heads start to turn at the ring - buyers' heads - and Abby knows Daddy won't turn down a good offer. Then a letter arrives from a private investigator, and suddenly Abby stands to lose not one horse but two. The letter states that Jack's mare may have been sold to the Lovitt's as stolen goods. A mystery unfolds, more surprising than Abby could ever expect. Will she lose her beloved Jack to his rightful owners?
'Jane Smiley is one of the premiere novelists of her generation, possessed of a mastery of craft and an uncompromising vision that grow more powerful with each book.' Washington Post
Author
About Jane Smiley
Jane Smiley was born in Los Angeles and grew up in St Louis, Missouri. In 1992 she won the Pulitzer Prize for A Thousand Acres, for which she also won the National Book Critics’ Circle Award. Her books about Abby and her horses are her first for children. Star Horse is the fourth in the series.