Part of The Baby-Sitters Club, book 54
First published 1992
Mallory Pike spends her days lost in horse stories and her nights dreaming of galloping across fields. She reads every horse book she can find and fills notebooks with her own horse tales. When her parents finally say yes to professional riding lessons, Mallory can barely contain her excitement. She pictures herself becoming an expert rider in no time. At Baby-sitters Club meetings, she finds herself drifting off, imagining the amazing rides ahead. But once Mallory climbs into the saddle for real, everything changes. The horses don't behave like the gentle creatures in her stories. Riding requires balance, strength, and skills she never considered while daydreaming. Mallory faces a choice between giving up on her horse dreams or finding the courage to keep trying when reality proves much tougher than fantasy.
Genres: fiction, family-life, contemporary, young-adult, horses
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, overcoming-challenges
160 pages · Paperback · Apple