A Horse by Any Other Name

Book excerpt: Fifteen-year-old Fran and her impulsive mother live alone on a small farm with a menagerie of entertaining animals. Against Fran’s better judgement, her mother rescues an abused horse from a shifty character. Fran names him Charlie and nurses him back to health. Gradually, they realize that he is a horse of rare quality. When it is suggested to Fran and her mother that Charlie might have been stolen, Fran is miserable at the thought of another girl out there with a broken heart. But her love of Charlie grows by the day and he’s turning into a fabulous jumper, giving Fran confidence she never had before. Meanwhile, a mysterious Gypsy boy, Kez, appears out of nowhere, lurking at the edge of their fields, and a string of tack thefts hits the area. Fran must go with her instincts to protect the wrongly accused, all the while searching for Charlie’s real owners yet hoping they will never be found. "A Horse by Any Other Name" is a story of friendship, crime solving, bravery, and love.