The White Horse Talisman

Mary St. Onge-Davidson is president of the Essential English Centre in
Ottawa.

This first book in The Summer of Magic Quartet series is an exciting
fantasy adventure that is rooted in Celtic legend.

While staying at her uncle’s White Horse Farm in England, seven
year-old Chantal hears the voice of the Great White Horse Equus. The
horse is on a quest in search of his mate and to regain his magical
talisman. Responding to his call, Chantal, her brother Adam, and cousins
Owen and Holly, are drawn into a mythical world and a frightening chain
of events. Trying to keep them from helping the Great White is a
sinister dragon who intends to acquire the talisman for his own dark
purposes. Before long the sibling bond between Chantal and Adam is
threatened by the dragon’s manipulations, and they soon find
themselves involved in a spine-chilling battle between good and evil.

Spalding’s well-written story was inspired by her childhood
experiences growing up in England and based on the myths and folklore
surrounding Uffington and the Great White Horse. Although seeped in
fantasy, this first volume will leave young-adult readers anxiously
awaiting subsequent adventures of Chantal, Adam, Owen, and Holly in the
series’s next three volumes. Highly recommended.