A Horse To Love by: Marsha Hubler

"Young lady - and I use that term loosely - I'm tired of your despicable behaviour. You have exhausted this court's patience. I'm sending you to the Chesterfield Detention Center!"

Thirteen year-old Skye Nicholson is in trouble for vandalism, shoplifting, drug abuse, and leaving five foster homes, and that's just in the past year! Fortunately, Eileen Chambers and her husband, Tom, are willing to take Skye on and keep her from being sent to juvenile detention. Skye doesn't think that it is fortunate, though. In fact, she would rather be sent to juvenile detention! She is in trouble for so many things that the judge admitted that in all his time serving as a judge, he had never seen so many offences on a girl so young. To Skye the Chambers' home, Keystone Stables, is just a another foster home that she will have to break out of. Except this foster home has religious people in it, a girl in a wheelchair, yappy dogs, and horses. Skye is terrified of horses! So when the Chambers forced her to ride one, you can imagine how she felt. But slowly, Skye begins to like horses, one in particular. She is still cold towards her new foster parents, but horses? They were beginning to be the most important thing in her life. She began to realize that she could never leave her horse, Champ, for anything.

Soon Skye is forced to go a meeting where someone has to "bring themselves up" every time. "Bringing themselves up" meant they had to come to the stage and confess something bad they'd done. Skye is forced to bring herself up and confess that she punched Hannah Gilbert in the nose. The other children all told her that was unacceptable and began teasing her. It was then that Skye's patience gave out. She had to leave, no surprise there. Then Skye decides to do something dangerous to impress a boy, and ends up getting Mr. Chambers in the hospital! Skye didn't realize how much she actually cared about the Chamber family until then. But is it too late?

My thoughts:

I like all horse books, and this one is no exception. Mrs. Chambers bugs me though. The way she talks I sometimes find to be annoying. Her choice of words is strange. I know most people won't agree with me on that. Also, I found it to be the same with the Chambers' other daughter, Morgan. I thought they made Skye a little too calm in some situations too. Most people will probably think that's weird, because it is, but that is just my opinion (which is what I'm here to give :). Anyways, I think this book is good for ages ten to fourteen.

8/10 stars