THE YONAHLOSSEE RIDING CAMP FOR GIRLS / Anton Disclafani / 388 pages

In her début novel, Disclafani has the main character, Thea Atwell, relate the story of how at age 15 she is sent away from home to a girls boarding school in the Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina. The reader doesn't know why Thea's been sent away, only that her twin brother, Sam, refuses to speak to her, she hasn't heard from her aunt, uncle or cousin Georgie for quite sometime, and her once loving parents have become distant.

The story takes place during the depression with the twins having been raised in practical isolation by their wealthy parents on a large farm in Florida. Thea has never been away from home and the mystery behind her exile is revealed slowly as she learns to deal with the other girls at camp and accept that she may not be retuning home as soon as she thinks.

THE YONAHLOSSEE RIDING CAMP FOR GIRLS should appeal to readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories and literary fiction.

Dark Horse / Rumer Godden 115 p.

Dark Invader was a washout on the racecourse so his owner sold him to a businessman in India.  In Calcutta, he thrived.  He was set to win a big race when a brutal jockey causes him to bolt.  To the nuns, where he takes shelter, he is a gift from God which the wiley mother superior uses to support her work among the very poor.

The Scorpio Races / Maggie Stiefvater / 409 pgs.

"Nineteen-year-old returning champion Sean Kendrick competes against Puck Connolly, the first girl ever to ride in the annual Scorpio Races, both trying to keep hold of their dangerous water horses long enough to make it to the finish line."

A great book for teens as it has a strong female character, discusses topics such as life & death, struggle and survival, poverty / wealth and personal happiness.  This is a also a great book for horse-lovers since the care and training of the horses as well as the exciting annual race is central to the story.   There is a romance in the story but it is very chaste the fighting against the Water Horses can get a tad intense and gory.