Backyard Horses series: Horse Dreams (for your daughters!)

     My daughters love riding horses just about as much as any other American girl loves to ride.  They don't receive frequent opportunities to ride, but when they are able to ride a friend's horses, they are in heaven!  (Or at least, they think so.)

     When I noticed that Tyndale was asking for reviewers for Backyard Horses, by Dandi Daley Mackall, I knew this would be a great book for us to receive and have the girls review it.

     Unfortunately, part way into the book, Brittany couldn't find it anywhere.

     A couple of days before I wrote this review, we narrowed it down to two places where it might have been left.  Sure enough, my sister-in-law called to ask if we were missing a book.  Yup!

     She was able to bring Backyard Horses by our house this afternoon, so Brittany finished reading the book this evening. 

     In case you're not familiar with the new Backyard Horses series of books, this first book, Horse Dreams, is about a ten-year-old, Ellie James, who spends a lot of time daydreaming of owning a black stallion show horse and winning trophies in the horse show.  At some point, the answer to all of her dreams and prayers gallops into her life, but will she recognize it?  This book is about Ellie and her quirky family in their exciting, horse-loving adventures.

      Here are Brittany's thoughts about the new Backyard Horses series:

     "I thought the book was interesting because it was written from a child’s perspective.  It was written in present tense, though, and I found that harder to read and enjoy.  Horse Dreams was a quick, easy read, which I like!  I'm excited for the next book in the Backyard Horses series!

     I liked the “cliffhanger” at the end of the book.  Okay, not really, because it leaves me wondering what will happen next, but it also makes me want to read the next book!
Ellie is a girl with no friends that are girls, and her best friend is a boy.  I wasn't sure how old Ellie is.  Her mom is kind of weird and crazy.  Her dad appears wimpy in one scene.  One thing I did notice is that sometimes the adults seem “dumb” (not dumb, but you get the point), whereas the kids appear “smart”.  I'm not sure I agree with that.

     Horse Dreams did include bits and pieces of God woven into the story.  It wasn't completely centered on God; there could have been more biblical ideas in the book.  This is the same author of the "Winnie, the Horse Gentler" series.  I loved reading this book!"

~ Brittany, age 11

author Dandi Daley Mackall

     Our family will look forward to reading the rest of the series by Dandi Daley Mackall.  She has written over 400 books for children and adults!  Wow.  You may learn more about Mrs. Mackall's books HERE. 

     Horses will probably always be a favorite topic in our home, and I'm glad.  They are beautiful creatures!

     Horse Dreams is now available for purchase in many bookstores and also on Amazon and ChristianBook.com.  We'll anxiously await the rest of the books, because we don't want Brittany to lose her mind while she waits to find out what happens next!

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Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review of this product.  No other compensation was provided.