When eighth grader abby lovitt looks out at those pure-gold rolling hills, she knows there's no place she'd rather be than her family's ranch--even with all the hard work of tending to nine horses. but some chores are no work at all, like grooming young jack. at eight months, his rough foal coat has shed out, leaving a smooth, rich silk, like chocolate. as for black george, such a good horse, it turns out he's a natural jumper. when he and abby clear four feet easy as pie, heads start to turn at the ring--buyers' heads--and abby knows daddy won't turn down a good offer. then a letter arrives from a private investigator, and suddenly abby stands to lose not one horse but two. the letter states that jack's mare may have been sold to the lovitts as stolen goods. a mystery unfolds, more surprising than abby could ever expect. will she lose her beloved jack to his rightful owners? pulitzer prize winner jane smiley raises horses of her own, and her affection and expertise shine through in this inviting horse novel for young readers, set in 1960s california horse country and featuring characters from the georges and the jewels. .

 

This book features in the following series: Horse Of Oak Valley Ranch, Horses Of Oak Valley Ranch .

This book has been graded for interest at 10+ years.

There are 246 pages in this book. This book was published 2011 by Random House USA Inc .

Jane Smiley was born in Los Angeles and grew up in St Louis, Missouri. In 1992 she won the Pulitzer Prize for A Thousand Acres, for which she also won the National Book Critics' Circle Award. Her books about Abby and her horses are her first for children. Star Horse is the fourth in the series.