Suggestions for horse mad 8 year old

[judetheobscure]

My dd (8 years) loves horses and would read horse books all year long if she could. Only problem is she reads most of them in less than a day (eg. Heartland, Sheltie, Sandy Lane Stables) and wants something a bit more complex (and would give me better value for money if bought!). For example, she is currently reading Lord of the Rings, which she is enjoying but would rather it was about horses.

For information, she has already read Black Beauty, My Friend Flicka (and sequels) and Silver Brumby. She also has the Flambards series but doesn't like them (presumably because they're too much about the people and not the horses!).
She does also like fantasy books so any suggestions for these welcomed.

On and International Velvet. Princesspeahead has already suggested National Velvet

I have all of these and still read 'jill and the perfect pony' sometimes when I am - ahem- 'hiding' in the loo.

I think too young for Flambards yet, but she'll get there and love them if she likes horses/lord of rings. I wrote to K M Peyton when I was little and got a lovely letter back - she ended up dedicating one of her Jonathan and Iris series books to me .

She could try the Enid Blyton Mistletoe farm series - Melisande! - very horse based and brilliant.

Also Blind Beauty by KM Peyton - fab but maybe too old for an 8 year old? here

how can she resist!!!

Loved the Jill books, still reading them happily last year .

KM Peyton is always a good bet, they are not all like Flambards tho I suppose they are mostly fairly human-focused. Could try 'Who Sir? Me Sir?', 'Fly-By-Night' and others.

Oxfam specialist book shops tend to have good children's books sections if there's one near you.

If you can find a copy of Pat Smythe's Jump for Joy, I think it's a great read - it's her autobiography, she was apparently a famous show-jumper after the war. She's v posh but it is a bracing tale of riding 10 miles a day in order to earn 5 shillings in gymkhana prizemoney and then muck out 2 horses before laundering your own jodhpurs IIRC. If you can't find one i'll try and dig my copy out.

LunarSea - yes, that would be great - would be really happy to buy or borrow - let me know how much you want for them plus postage or if you're near me I could collect (Kent/S.London)

National Velvet sounds good and Blind Beauty(I'll read it first - no chore). I've got the Horse Whisperer so went to look it at and the page which popped open ... "they became friends not lovers. Instead, Annie lost her virginity to a beautiful Sengalese man" .... I kid you not
I'll put that one back on the top shelf - if she ever notices it she's bound to want to read it as we saw a horse whispering demonstration at a show we went to a while back.

Tamara Pierce sounds good too. I can't remember if she's read Watership Down. I'm afraid she's very cold-hearted so that wouldn't be a problem - I cry more than she does when I read her horsey books. I can hardly see the pages when I read My Friend Flicka but she's completely dry-eyed.

We've got five Silver Brumby books. Are there any more? Silver Brumby is her "favourite of all time".

Pph - is the Steinbeck quite readable?

Thank you, thank you for all your ideas. She's going to be so happy when I've got hold of some of these for her.

The books Momof2 was recommending about the statue of a horse - one of them is Sea Horses Gathering Storm, by Louise Cooper.

What about The Last Unicorn, by Peter Beagle? It's a long time since I've read it, so not sure if entirely suitable.

Avalon - That's the ones! I had to look on DD's book case this morning before I came to work!
The other book is called "The Unicorn's Secret - Moonsilver" but I can't remember who wrote it.
Again these might be lighter reading for your DD.
I started reading The Last Unicorn to DD as a bedtime story last year, but we both struggled with it.
On another tack - DD is currently reading the Molly Moon stops the World by Georgia Byng, nothing about horses and I thought she would hate it, but she absolutely loves it (Grandpa got it on recommendation from his local book shop).

What a great thread - has made me feel really nostalgic!
Diana was the other Pullein-Thompson sister. They wrote some follow ups to Black Beauty which I seem to remember enjoying - Black Velvet, Black Ebony (I think etc.) Josephine wrote some slightly more up-to-date books, amongst them Pony Club Challenge, Pony Club Cup, Pony Club Trek.
I also LOVED Jump for Joy. I still read all of these in the bath.....
Slightly more grown up (but nothing particularly racy happens) & really enjoyable with loads of horsy detail + humour are the Caroline Akrill eventing trilogy books - Eventer's Dream, A Hoof in the Door, Ticket to Ride (another book, Flying Changes is probably too grown up for her - a bit gloomy).
Ooh, I could go on! Dated but fun are all the Georgia books by Mary Gervaise. Also I really liked the Jinny books - they were really mystical & spooky. The author (Patricia Leitch) wrote some other good books as well
have just looked up 'pony' on Amazon and am totally lost in nostalgia now....

oh wow, I know she's read it , but flicka - I loved those so much...

more on the fantasy vein I'm not sure of the age these should be read at, but they're all wonderful

I would really recommend Susan Cooper, she wrote an amazing series 'The Dark is Rising' which may do now or maybe in a year? actually anything by her. I seem to remember Flicka having sad bits, so I should think this would be good now.

Diana Wynne Jones, Chronicles of Crestomancy

Alan Garner, the Weirdstone of Brisingamen,

Ursula le Guin - the Earthsea Quartet

oh, and not horses - but I know I loved all teh Swallows & Amazons... & that would keep her busy for a while...

of course there is an International Velvet as well.. Velvets daughter goes to the Olympics, falls in love(?) and wins, no drugs testing either...

this is great
about real life horse whisperers, read it recently and dont remember any dodgy bits but it is meant for adults

Flicka was my favourite book Xena, I've cried so many tears over it over the years. But I never knew there were any sequels until dd started reading it.

Thanks for all the ideas. I've printed them off amd will be making dd a happy girl very soon

Don't forget the 'World's End' series (Monica Dickens again). Perfect for an 8 year old. I must try and get them for my dd.

Has she tried the horse/ pony related books written by Lucy Daniels? They have fabulous names such as 'Shetland in the shed'!! and 'Pony in the park'. My year 4 pupils really love them. Another good one is 'Horse Stories that really happened' by Diana Kimpton.