• Age: 10 to 13
• Grade: 4 to 8
• Reading age: 7 to 10

Caroline grew up around horses and had been a tough, skilled rider as long as she could remember. When she wins a rodeo near her Millarville, Alberta home, the owner of a posh riding school recognizes her talent invites her to learn show jumping, free of charge.

Soon she's moving in a different world, full of thoroughbred horses, expensive trainers, and rich, sophisticated students. As Caroline trains to try out for the Jump Alberta Team, however, she learns that success in the show ring comes at a high price, win or lose.

A Way with Horses shows how one athlete's ambitions can come into conflict with the complexities of her sport.

PETER McPHEE, a Southern Alberta-based writer, was for many years an editor and film critic for the Winnipeg Sun. His plays have been produced at Winnipeg's Prairie Theatre Exchange and Calgary's Alberta Theatre Projects. He has written several books for both children and young adults, including Runner and A Way with Horses, both Canadian Children's Book Centre "Our Choice" Selections.

Peter McPhee's profile page

"[A Way with Horses deals with complex themes of friendship and integrity while also delivering an exciting story featuring show-jumping competitions and the intrigue behind the scenes at a riding stable... the general flavour is very upbeat and humorous... the competition and show-jumping scenes are fast paced and dramatic and will definitely have every reader cheering Caroline on!"

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