Where the Wild Horses Are

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)

Alznauer crafts a heartfelt narrative that balances humor and poignancy, capturing Nash's vivid imagination and fierce determination. . . . The inclusion of Deaf characters adds depth and authentic representation, while the rural setting and mustang training premise provide a fresh and engaging backdrop. . . . A strong addition to middle grade collections.
--School Library Journal (starred review)

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