A Tale of Sweetbriars. A 'feel good', coming of age series, for horse-mad girls, teens and those 'young at heart'. Tabby's Big Year, won the Best Young Adult Fiction award at the 2019 EQUUS Film Festival. It's also been called a 'Must Read' by Horse & Hound and 'included several times in the Pony Magazine's best horse book recommendations. Welcome to the yard! Come and meet the girls... Cate, Tabby and Violet. This second book follows Tabby. After her father vanishes, a deep rift develops in Tabby's family. Tabby's ...
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A Tale of Sweetbriars. A 'feel good', coming of age series, for horse-mad girls, teens and those 'young at heart'. Tabby's Big Year, won the Best Young Adult Fiction award at the 2019 EQUUS Film Festival. It's also been called a 'Must Read' by Horse & Hound and 'included several times in the Pony Magazine's best horse book recommendations. Welcome to the yard! Come and meet the girls... Cate, Tabby and Violet. This second book follows Tabby. After her father vanishes, a deep rift develops in Tabby's family. Tabby's mother is focused on being a star performer in her pharmaceutical sales career, while Ava, Tabby's older sister, is living with grandparents in Cornwall. Tabby feels neglected by her mother and jealous of Ava and although outwardly diligent and responsible, she's like a kettle about to blow its top... bottling things up until it's nearly impossible to keep a lid on her frustration and sadness. Tabby finds solace with her best friends Cate and Violet at Sweetbriars Farm where she is nursing her dream horse Bliss back to peak performance, to be able to participate in the try-outs for the British Young Riders Squad. Tabby also finds herself facing other challenges - saving her beloved horse Nancy from the knacker's yard and finding the courage to tell her friends the truth about her family. Will Tabby be able to save the horses she loves and be brave enough to tell people how she really feels? This book can be read stand-alone in the series, or after the first book - Leaving The City. Some Reviews: Blogger B.R. Maycock. "It's been some time since I read a horsey book, or indeed was around horses and this book as the biggest breath of fresh air I could ever have received! It is the story of Tabby. If you look at the blurb above it's about her family and how things are and have unravelled but I read this as I would have back when I was a teen obsessed with horses, as a book about a yard, a group of friends that are there for each other and the everyday goings-on around some fantabulous horses. And oh were the horses fantabulous! I easily settled into the, um, settings, breathing in the horsey sights and smells of not only the yard but of pony club meets and shows. I experienced every single second of this book, in particular, Tabby setting out to save her favourite horse from destruction. The family issues were, of course, important, but I relished this book purely for the vividness, the beauty and the excitement and I look forward to buying it for someone for a gift." Award-winning Children's Author Sherry Ellis. "Tabby's Big Year, is a story about overcoming challenges-both internal and external. Young Tabby lives with her single workaholic mom at a horse farm. Since her father left, the mom has had to work long hours, leaving Tabby alone most of the time. Tabby must come to terms with this and learn how to express her feelings in a constructive way. Other subplots include Tabby learning to manage a spunky young horse named Bliss and rescuing another horse named Nancy." Children's Author Deanie Humphreys-Dunne. "In this second book in the Sweetbriar's series, readers meet Tabby, a young lady with many conflicts in her life. She loves horses and riding, but she is dealing with several family issues. For example, she resents her mom and her older sister, Ava. But eventually, Tabby makes a plan to resolve her internal strife. This is one thing I liked about the story. I think readers will be pleased to see how Tabby has gained wisdom. The story is engaging. Readers will want to see what happens next. What does Tabby do to save one of her favorite horses? Does she reach some of her equestrian goals? Horse- lovers, in particular, will love this story and cheer for Tabby' s success. I highly recommend it."
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