Description: Nash Eliza West has been horseless her whole life, and she has one shot to turn things around.
Twelve-year-old Nash is a self-proclaimed cowboy. She sleeps with her riding boots on, takes lessons at the local barn, and reads True Grit for life advice. There's just one thing missing-- a horse of her own. Enter the Extreme Mustang Makeover contest, a chance to receive and tame a newly-captured mustang for the summer. Signing up will guarantee Nash one hundred days with a horse; and if she wins, she can use the prize money to bring him home for good. It's the miracle Nash has been waiting for. But Nash's attention is divided when her cousin Benny arrives to stay for the summer. While Nash and Benny were once like sisters, the six years since Nash moved away have driven a wedge between them. Benny is everything Nash isn't: gentle and well-behaved, and Deaf like Nash's parents are. Sometimes she wonders if they'd rather have a daughter like that than a headstrong cowboy CODA like Nash. A brave girl and a horse no one believes can be tamed: it's a tale as old as time, brought to sizzling new life through Nash's one-of-a-kind voice. Amy Alznauer weaves cowboy bravado, growing pains, and Deaf culture inspired by life in her Deaf-hearing family into a debut middle grade novel that will lasso you tight by the heart.Review Quotes: An emotionally satisfying story. . . . Nash's distinctive first-person voice captures both the intensity of her aspirations and the vulnerabilities hidden beneath her stubborn demeanor. Particularly enriching is the portrayal of Nash's parents, whose loving partnership and unwavering support ground the tween through every triumph and roadblock. The result is a deeply felt tale of belonging.
--Publishers Weekly (starred review)
--School Library Journal (starred review) Alznauer reinvigorates the classic horse story with her tender, emotionally perceptive middle-grade debut. Nash is deeply relatable, and the supporting cast . . . adds dimension to a story otherwise rooted in the fierce hopefulness of adolescence. The measured pacing mirrors Nash's work with Reverie, making each incremental gain feel earned throughout this warm, beautifully observed novel.
--Booklist (starred review) Nash's voice is quirky and strong, and the representation of Deafness in a family setting with some hearing characters is fantastic: natural, full, and with details that come from Alznauer's personal experience. . . . A well-characterized example of disability inclusion.
--Kirkus Reviews The story of the two girls learning how to communicate with each other, with the two wild horses, and with the adults who are supporting this endeavor is beautifully written. . . . Alznauer gives readers a thoughtful, complex, and compelling story about fulfilling a deep desire and about the many ways humans and animals can connect.
--The Horn Book A gentle story, and underneath it a wild thrumming heart.
--Daniel Nayeri, Newbery Honor-winning author of The Many Assassinations of Samir, the Seller of Dreams This breathtaking triumph of a novel has it all: luminous prose, a gripping plot, and characters you'll love forever. Step aside, Black Stallion. There's a new classic in town.
--Katherine Applegate, Newbery Medal-winning author of The One and Only Ivan