Title: Believing in Horses
Author: Valerie Ormond
Genre: Children Young Adult
Reviewer: jim greenwald
ISBN (links go to the MWSA Amazon store): 0973633026
Horse-crazy Sadie Navarro moves for the sixth time to Bowie, Maryland, only to find out her Navy dad is deploying to Afghanistan for a year. To ease the transition, Sadie's parents reward her with her dream of a lifetime, her own horse. “Lucky,” her beautiful tri-color pinto, quickly becomes her best friend and equine learning partner. Via the internet, Lucky and Sadie come across ten horses in a holding pen waiting to be sold at auction, and Sadie commits to saving them before harm comes to them.
With the help of her new teacher and classmates, a Maryland State Delegate, a local Washington TV reporter, a mounted policeman, her family and other colorful characters, she pursues her mission and faces unexpected roadblocks, some very dangerous for both her and her horse. Sadie faces head-on the challenges experienced by military families and demonstrates how young people can act to bring about change if they believe in what they are doing. In just a few short months, Sadie meets both good and bad people, and experiences joy, fear, disappointment, self-doubt, lost horses, and a level of responsibility she has never known before.
