Wild Horse

Kristin Butcher writes novels for young adults. Her most recent works
are Cairo Kelly and the Mann, The Gamma War, and The Tomorrow Tunnel.

Wild Horse is the fourth book in the Mustang Mountain Series, and like
the preceding novels, it focuses on adolescent cousins Alison and Becky,
their friend, Meg, and, of course, horses. This time the action takes
place in Wyoming where the girls have gone to visit Becky’s mom, who
is attending classes at a local college. The girls stay with cousin
Terri-Lyn who chaperones them through a parade of new experiences and
life

lessons.

The story focuses on a wild horse auction and two paint horses on the
block. While Meg is fascinated with wild horses in general, Becky is
more interested in the young man who handles the horses. As for spoiled,
rich, self-centred Alison, she is drawn to the predicament of the paint
horses themselves. By helping them, she learns about humility and
compassion, as well as the value of placing others before herself.
Though these are certainly worthy lessons, readers of the earlier
Mustang Mountain books may be somewhat skeptical of Alison’s reform,
since previous instalments have seen her grow and regress several times.

Wild Horse isn’t as action-packed as the earlier books in the series,
nor is it particularly concerned with character development, but lovers
of horse stories will doubtless gobble this novel up. The book will be
of interest primarily to pre-teen girls. Recommended.