The One Dollar Horse by Lauren St John
This is a well-constructed book with strong, believable characters. It is aimed at the teenage market but would be enjoyed just as much by adults, I couldn’t put it down.
It is about a young girl from a poverty-stricken background who has a love for horses. She works at a stable voluntarily. Casey has big dreams of winning Badminton in the future; she rescues a horse for one dollar and the story revolves around her relationships with the horse, her father, her coach, her rival in the racing world and her love interest. She trains hard and the book tracks her progress.
There are many twists and turns but the plot is easy to follow and gripping, I would recommend this book for girls aged from twelve through to adult. The author has a flowing style and an art for bringing her characters to life. Even the characters of the horses are truly imaginable and you can really enter into a relationship of your own with the central characters.
I really enjoyed reading this book as a personal read but feel there would be limited discussion options for a reading group.
personal read 4/5
group read 2/5
publisher Orion
