'Horsey' Books for 10yo dd

[YouG0GlenCoco]

Hi,

My dd is about to turn 10 and has asked for some books for her birthday. She's getting into horses at the moment so would like something horsey to read as well as others. She reads a lot and at a level slightly above her actual age, she likes a bit of drama and intrigue but is quite sensitive so nothing too scary or upsetting!

She's currently working through the Chocolate Box Girls series by Cathy Cassidy and loving those so I may look for more by her, would love recommendations of anything similar! She also likes Jacqueline Wilson, Holly Webb (her older aged stuff e.g. The Silver Pony, The Dawn Seal), recently had The Midnight Unicorn by Alice Hemming from the school library and was absolutely gripped by it!

Any recommendations very much appreciated! ☺️

The ‘Jinny’ series is very old but I loved it when I was young.

My horsey niece likes these horsey authors:
Stacy Gregg (particularly the Pony Club Secrets series)
Olivia Tuffin
Catherine Hapka (Horse Diaries series)
Jennifer Lynn Alvarez
Marguerite Henry
Walter Farley

she also liked Snow Foal by Susanna Bailey, Horse Girl by Carrie Seim, Black Beauty by Anna Sewell and Lizzie Flying Solo by Nancy Turner Stevenson.

Blind Beauty - my favourite Horsey book (which I still reread as an adult).

Monica Edwards "Wish for a Pony" etc
Monica Dickens Follyfoot stories?

Pippa Funnell (5* eventer / Olympian) writes children's books under 'Pippa's pony tales' there are lots of them available now

Oh the Jinny books are wonderful! The Jill (Ruby Ferguson) ones are great but old fashioned. Anything by any Pullein - THompon sister! The 'Jays' books by Pat Smythe. And Fly - By - Night by K.M.Peyton. When she's a bit older Darkling by Peyton is brilliant too.

A bit more modern: Jane Smiley's "Nobody's Horse"

I recommend all the old fashioned ones mentioned above. Ideal for a child who is a confident reader but you don't want the material to be too ' grown up '. My youngest was an early reader and we mostly stuck to classics for that reason. I have shelves of these old pony books!

jane badger books are republishing a lot of the older pony books, lots available by the Pullein Thompsons, the Jinny books are coming. They are a lot more old fashioned - for some newer ones you could try pony jumpers by Kate Lattey which are set in New Zealand

Maybe My Secret Unicorn by Linda Chapman? Younger than the Chocolate Box books but she might enjoy them...about a girl who moves to the countryside, gets a horse and finds out it's secretly a unicorn.
Other non-horsey books she might enjoy are the Hilary McKay books, or Scarlet by Cathy Cassidy?

Patricia Leitch's 'Jinny at Finmory' series - absolutely wonderful, magical, beautifully written stories that centre on a girl and her very special horse but have so much more depth to them. I still have mine, read to rags, and loved them just as much when I re-read them as an adult. There are twelve of them, best read in order: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/l/patricia-leitch/jinny-at-finmory/

Not a book but watch the film 'dreamer' with her it has Dakota fanning in it. I watched it as a child and was obsessed. Still remember it now.

Black beauty's family is great written from the perspective of the horses

Thank you so much, so many great suggestions! She will be needing additional bookshelves soon!

The Jinny ones seem to be a popular recommendation, thank you @spiderlight for the link to the list 😊

The Heartland series is 20 books long and they're very good

Mary O’ Hara’s My Friend Flicka, Thunderhead and Green Grass of Wyoming.
Elyne Mitchell’s Silver Brumby series.
Monica Dickens Follyfoot series and World’s End series.

I used to love the saddle club books when I was a horse obsessed child. Plus there’s loads of them!