Emily Edwards Equestrian Extraordinaire
She knows the facts. Now she has to figure out the rest.
Emily Edwards has read every horse book in the library, watched countless how-to videos, and can name every Kentucky Derby winner since 1875. But when she finally gets the chance to prove herself at horse camp, she discovers that knowing the answers and knowing what to do aren't always the same thing. She also hopes camp will give her a chance to do something she's never found easy: make a real friend. But becoming the horsewoman she dreams of being may turn out to be easier than figuring out how to make a friend and be one.
Who is Emily?
Emily likes facts. Facts make sense. She can study them, remember them, and usually know when she's right. And when it comes to horses, Emily knows an awful lot.
The problem is getting other people to recognize it. Emily is determined to become an equestrian extraordinaire, and she can't understand why riding instructors keep treating her like a beginner. How can she be a beginner when she knows more about horses than almost anyone she meets? Discovering that there's a difference between knowing about horses and gaining experience with them is something Emily finds deeply frustrating.
Making friends is even harder. The library book Emily checks out before camp can't explain all the unwritten rules of friendship, especially when those rules seem to contradict each other. But Emily is determined to figure them out and make a real friend at camp.
As Emily's world grows beyond horse camp, the problems she faces get bigger, too. But when a horse, a friend, or someone she loves needs her, Emily doesn't just stand by. She throws herself into finding a solution, even when some problems are bigger than she can solve on her own.
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Emily Edwards Equestrian Extraordinaire
At horse camp, Emily finally has the chance to prove just how much she knows about horses. But riding lessons challenge her confidence, friendship proves harder than expected, and Emily soon discovers that proving she's an equestrian extraordinaire will take more than knowing all the right answers.
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Emily Edwards to the Rescue
Emily is determined to save the horse she loves from an uncertain fate. But Calypso isn't the only one she wants to help. With a friend in trouble and her family struggling, Emily takes on more and more responsibility, convinced that if she tries hard enough, she can find a way to help them all.
Read a SampleRecommended for ages 9–13 and readers in approximately grades 4–7. The books are accessible for independent middle-grade readers while offering plenty for older readers and adults to enjoy, too.
Emily's stories will especially appeal to readers who love horses, facts, and learning everything they can about the things that interest them. Readers who have ever felt more comfortable with animals or books than with figuring out other people may find something familiar in Emily, too. Her first-person narration brings readers right inside her thoughts as she puzzles through riding, friendship, family, and the sometimes confusing rules of the world around her.
The series balances humor and horse-filled adventure with increasingly serious family situations, including a parent's absence and illness. These subjects are handled sensitively and with middle-grade readers in mind. Book two also includes references to addiction and incarceration.
Ready for another story? Discover more books by Laura Holt-Haslam.
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