Julie survived a horrific car accident, but she has no memory of the event or the boyfriend who was with her in the car.

He disappeared, and she is diagnosed with PTSD. Her doctor recommends a therapy animal, and Julie chooses to get a horse. Julie's experience with horses is limited, but it's empowering to finally be involved in life again, and her symptoms abate. However, she has a lot to learn, and when the riding coach gives confusing lessons, Julie is thrown off balance, both emotionally and in the saddle. The improvement she'd begun to experience with PTSD symptoms is lost, and her nightmares return. Can Julie and the horse recover and heal their broken spirits?

K.L. Denman was born in Calgary, Alberta, and spent her childhood in a house one street away from the open prairie. When she was 11, her family moved to Delta, British Columbia, and she got to know life on the coast: tides, clam digging, rain gear, green grass year-round and enormous trees. It was there that Kim and her sisters got their first pony. She continued to live near Vancouver for many years while finishing school, attending college, and eventually getting married and starting a family. She always loved writing and when her teen children and their friends provided inspiration and re-kindled memories of this challenging passage, writing for teens became an irresistible venture.

Today she lives on a small farm on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast with her family of people, two dogs, three cats, two horses and an elderly mule. When she's not writing or caring for critters, she's reading, trying to grow vegetables, taking pictures, or volunteering at therapeutic riding. More information about Kim is available on her website at www.kldenman.com.

K.L. Denman's profile page

• Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens

“Horses, healing and hope—Coming Back has it all. A heartwarming tale that shows how time, therapy and the love of an animal help Julie unlock painful memories and begin to recover from PTSD.”

Ellen Schwartz, author of <i>Heart of a Champion</i>

“This well written, Rapid Reads book will engage and entertain readers. It is truly a page turner as the reader accompanies Julie and her horse Scarlett on their emotional recovery. Written at a lower reading level and with the book’s brevity, the text is very good for reluctant and struggling readers but will entertain readers of all reading abilities.”

Must Read Literature: K thru YA

"A must-read novel, challenges its readers to look not only outward without judgement but also inward."

CM: Canadian Review of Materials