The flying horse by Sarah Maslin Nir, illustrated by Laylie Frazier

 I am finally getting to the bottom of my pile of galleys and review copies. This is one that sounded interesting, but the cover looked meh and I set it aside. Once I actually read it though, I was intrigued by the unique voice. The story alternates perspectives between Trendsetter, or Trendy, a horse, and Sarah, a horse-loving 7th grader. Both characters are based on the author's childhood and her own horse.

Nir weaves history and horse facts into this story that follows the real Trendsetter through a series of imaginary adventures, from his birth to the training arena of the Lipizzaners, and finally to America, where an accident seems at first to mark the end of his promising career. Sarah's life is less eventful; she spends a lot of time with her beloved grandmother and struggles at school, even though she has earned a scholarship to a challenging school. Her inability to write or spell holds her back until her grandmother suffers a serious accident and Sarah finally tells her family her struggles.

The two stories come together when Trendy gets a new chance with Sarah and Sarah gets a new chance with school and writing, when her teacher shares her story with the Olympic equestrienne who brought Trendsetter to the US.

The tone of the story is warm and thoughtful, confiding little morals and words of wisdom to the reader and the descriptions, especially of Trendy's feelings and the places he goes, are richly imagined. Horse-loving kids who like quieter, more thoughtful stories will relish the slow build and quirky characters and the short length, 160 pages, keeps the story from bogging down in description.

Verdict: This is not your typical horse story, but it stands out because of its length and interesting perspectives. The cover is not very attractive, but a paperback edition is coming in August with a photographic cover that I am sure will make it fly off the shelf. Recommended if you have readers who like more old-fashioned horse stories or who prefer shorter reads.

ISBN: 9781951836672; Published March 2023 by Harry N. Abrams; Galley provided by publisher; Paperback edition ordered for the library

Two titles, this one and The Jockey and Her Horse, were published in 2023 by Abrams. The paperback editions coming in August, and a third hardcover coming in the fall, are published by Cameron & Co. and have the photographic covers, as seen below.