Books

The One Dollar Horse

Book 1

Lauren St John, Author

Paperback

Series: The One Dollar Horse

Imprint: Orion Children's Books

Publication date: January 31, 2013

Category: Animal stories (Children's / Teenage)

ISBN: 9781444006360

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‘Lauren St John creates both characters and horses so real you can almost reach out and touch them.’ Jilly Cooper

‘Captures all the excitement of top-level riding – I loved it.’ Mary King, International Eventer

Fifteen-year-old Casey Blue lives in East London’s grimmest tower block and volunteers at a local riding school, but her dream is to win the world’s greatest Three Day Event: the Badminton Horse Trials.

When she rescues a starving, half-wild horse, she’s convinced that the impossible can be made possible. But she has reckoned without the consequences of her father’s criminal record, or the distraction of a boy with melty, dark eyes, with whom she refuses to fall in love.

Casey learns the hard way that no matter how high you jump, or how fast you ride, you can never outrun the past.

A romantic thriller set in the equestrian world about daring to dream and finding the courage to follow your heart.

Reviews

...one of the best characters in this thrilling rags-to-riches tale is Storm Warning. You can't help but identify with this courageous animal and St John makes you feel the thrill of what it must be like to jump over a fence on such a horse with such heart and soul. No nagging doubts, this book's a winner.

TELEGRAPH ONLINE

Certain to be a huge favourite with readers and will bear comparison with classic horse stories by authors such as Patricia Leitch and KM Peyton.

BOOKS FOR KEEPS

Full of equine detail the book is definitely one for horse-lovers though the story is so strong that it will interest non-horsey types too. The underlying message is that a dream is achievable if you are willing to put in the hard work and make the sacrifices.

CAROUSEL

The One Dollar Horse is certain to be huge favourite with readers and will bear comparison with classic horse stories by authors such as Patricia Leitch and K M Peyton.

BOOKS FOR KEEPS

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.

NEWBOOKSMAG

Lauren St John's The One Dollar Horse is rare among pony books in setting its dream-come-true story in inner-city London... Writerly, full of equestrian knowledge and rich in character - not least of the horse - this is also a tale of first love, and is a handsome package with deep pink-edged pages.

THE SUNDAY TIMES

Lauren St John

Lauren St John grew up surrounded by horses, cats, dogs and a pet giraffe on a farm and game reserve in Zimbabwe, the inspiration for her bestselling White Giraffe and One Dollar Horse series, as well as her YA horse novel, The Glory. Dead Man’s Cove, the first in her Laura Marlin Mystery series, won the Blue Peter Book of the Year Award. Before becoming a children’s author, she worked as a journalist for The Sunday Times, writing about sports, music and spies. Along with her veterinary nursing training, it served as perfect research for her Kat Wolfe mystery series and The Snow Angel, a standalone MG novel.

A passionate conservationist, Lauren is an Ambassador for the Born Free Foundation, a patron for horse sanctuary, Mane Chance, and the founder of Authors4Oceans. When not rescuing leopards and dolphins, she is a full-time valet to her rescued, and not in the least demanding, Bengal cat, Max.

To find out more, visit her website at www.laurenstjohn.com