A Horse Called Trouble by C.K. Volnek
4.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com
A troubled teen must overcome her abusive past to save the defiant horse that has taught her to love and trust again. Abandoned by her mother at the young age of seven, Tara Cumming’s been passed from foster home to foster home; not wanted anywhere by anyone. At thirteen she finds herself skeptic and suspicious, with no family, no friends, and forced to participate in horse therapy.
Horse therapy “will teach trust, perseverance, respect and the value of teamwork,” or so says the program’s instructor. Tara is unconvinced. Trust only got her heart broken, perseverance only gets her put down, and no one respects or wants to team up with the misfit foster kid.
At the stable, Tara meets Trouble, an angry horse bent on destroying everything and everyone around him. When Tara realizes he’s just as misunderstood and untrusting as she is, she pushes aside her fear and a special relationship is formed. Trouble trusts Tara, and Tara in turn finds hope and acceptance as well as the will to love and trust again herself.
But Tara’s confidence is shaken as a great challenge looms ahead. Trouble’s manipulative owner is determined to have him destroyed because of his ‘dangerous’ nature. Tara must overcome her own limitations and fight to save the horse that has freed her heart and given her life value and meaning.
Reviews
"Amazing...I would suggest this book to everyone, not just middle school. I do have one warning: read with a box of tissues. Volnek is a master story teller and I'm eager for her next masterpiece."
-Kathryn Gilmore
"This book is a red-eye for two reasons. First, I stayed up until 3AM reading. I literally could not put the book down. Two, I cried. Tara is a character I grew to love and her heartache was my heartache. Tara is my younger, hurting self when I lacked the courage to stand up for myself. Thank goodness that I at least had a family that loved me. I highly recommend this book to middle grade classes, parents who want to talk to their children about bullying and any one who enjoys a solid book with strong characters."
-Sabrina Sumsion
