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About Jockey Girl
Product Description CCBC’s Best Books for Kids & Teens (Fall 2016) ― Commended 2016 VOYA Top Shelf Fiction Selection A teen girl’s quest to find her mother leads her to the big city, and gives her the courage to fulfill her dream of becoming a jockey. Evangeline “Evie” Gibb lives a seemingly charmed life on a thoroughbred racehorse farm. But in reality, Evie feels alone in the world, cheered only by the affection of a racehorse named No Justice. She’s always been told that her mother, Angela Parson, is dead. Then, on her sixteenth birthday, a card arrives from her great aunt Mary with the suggestion that Angela might still be alive ― and Evie’s life is turned upside down. In hopes of winning enough money to leave her hateful father and find her mother, Evie enters the Caledon Horse Race. But something she overhears her father say changes everything, and Evie steals the racehorse in the night and runs away. With a stray dog named Magpie at her side and help from Aunt Mary, Evie unearths long-hidden family secrets, finds unexpected love, and takes the racing world by storm. Review Peterson tackles the tough societal issues of addiction, abuse, and homelessness with compassion and the understanding that people are not always who we want them to be. ― The Rider This outing will thrill Peterson’s fans ― she has many in Canada ― and should win her some new ones. ― Kirkus Reviews Peterson packs this story with several lessons ― about making choices, facing addiction, self-actualization, and peer-pressure. ― Resource Links Jockey Girl is a detailed and action-filled story that makes the reader want to race to the finish ― Canadian Materials Peterson’s depiction of the racing world is intriguing and comprehensive, and stories about girls and their horses will never go out of style. ― Booklist About the Author Shelley Peterson is the bestselling author of several novels for young readers, including Sundancer, Christmas at Saddle Creek, and Jockey Girl. She raises horses at Fox Ridge, her family’s stable in Caledon. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. The Caledon Horse Race “Riders up!” Evangeline Gibb swallowed hard. We shouldn’t be here, she thought. If her father had any idea.… Today was the eleventh of June, the day of the Caledon Horse Race. The biggest event in town. It’d seemed like it would never arrive. But here it was, with a bright blue sky and a slight breeze sent from above to relieve the climbing temperature. Evie took the reins in her left hand and prepared to mount the nervous black horse she’d renamed Kazzam. He was the smallest horse entered ― at fifteen hands barely taller than a pony ― but he was fit and muscled and ready to run. Kazzam pawed the ground and shook his head. He flattened his ears and pranced with anticipation, then shook his silky, short black mane impatiently. Every time she almost got her foot in the stirrup he moved away. “Settle down, Mister Racehorse,” she cooed as she scratched his withers and again tried to climb on, again without success. “You’re making me look stupid.” Kazzam stopped skittering for a split second and Evie seized the opportunity. She slipped her left boot into the stirrup and scrambled up into the saddle with speed, if not grace. “Thanks for your help,” she muttered. Evie sat as quietly as she could, waiting for Kazzam, and for herself, to calm down. His body trembled underneath her as she stroked his neck. “You’re the fastest horse here and we’re going to prove it.” Electricity coursed through his tensed muscles and into her hands and legs. All around them, fired-up horses snorted and jigged and jogged. Riders in multicoloured shirts controlled their mounts with grim faces, shouting out competitive jibes to one another. Evie tried to keep her distance, at least out of kicking range. She wondered if this was what it was like to be in the eye of a storm. She shivered in spite of the heat. Folks had travelled for miles to cheer for their favouri
