Storm Chaser

Storm Chaser showed up in my mailbox by surprise one afternoon and I have to say I don’t really make a very big effort to read books that I didn’t request, mostly because I have a pretty good idea of what I will like and what I want. My reading time is valuable and I want to make sure I’m reading books I will enjoy. Every so often, a book comes along that catches my eye though and makes me want to pick it up and see what it’s about. Storm Chaser was one such book.

I HAD to read it, really, because it’s about girls and their horses and I have a lot of girlfriends who love horses. My best friend growing up was constantly begging me to “play horse” so I feel as if I’ve had a lifetime of experience with this genre, even though I’m personally not into the (beloved) animals as some are. Storm Chaser is written by Chris Platt whose name you might recognize as being one of the authors in the Thoroughbred series. Chris Platt is THAT girl – the one who loved horses from a very young age and uses her writing skills to declare her affection far and wide.

This particular story revolves around thirteen year old Jessie Platt who lives with her family on a ranch in Nevada. What Jessie wants most to do is to learn how to train wild horses, just like her brother and father. However, her father doesn’t think she’s quite ready. Jessie’s brother offers to teach her some ground training techniques (which would not require her getting on the wild horse) against her father’s wishes and, of course, their disobedience is discovered. I’m not a big fan of books that have children deliberately disobeying their children and having that disobedience glorified for the reader. I can assure you that this book does not do that. Jessie’s father is simultaneously displeased with her disobedience as he is pleased at her horse training skills (turns out she’s got what it takes!) and the situation is handled well.

Furthermore, the subplot, if you will, to this book is that, due to an unfortunate fire in the barn, Jessie’s family is forced out of necessity to open up their ranch to vacationers. In doing this, Jessie learns a little bit about friendship and what loyalty is worth. She also learns responsibility and humility and is rewarded for her good behavior in the end with the horse she has been training.

This story has a wholesome feel to it, has suitable challenges and, of course, horses, horses, horses! I was pleased and entertained and I’m glad to have given this book a read through. If you have a middle aged female reader who cannot get enough of this amazing animal, check out Storm Chaser.

Carrie comes by her book obsession honestly, having descended from a long line of bibliophiles. She blogs about books regularly at Reading to Know.