After working all summer at the stable to save up, Annie finally sees her dream come true.  She buys a horse of her own.  However, someone is trying to sabotage the barn, and her new best friend is caught in the crossfire. 

Blazing Courage by Kelly Milner Halls is a light and easy read.  Its premise is straight forward to the point of being rather shallow, with almost no character development.  The main character, Annie is quite likable but many themes that are presented never really get delved into and character conflicts are glossed over, never to truly be resolved. It is written in a first person, journal style, that gives it a crisp pace but also makes it feel like more of a short story than a novel–moving through the action while lacking urgency or investment.

Despite being a little short on the substance that older readers may desire, Blazing Courage is a fun, quick story that young readers and animal lover will enjoy.

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Darby Creek Publishing

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  2 religious exclamations.

Violence/Gore:  Several references to horses being killed to make dog food; horse kicks at character; horse bites character; character worries what a panicked horse will do; character knocked over by horse; character thrown from horse; horse bites another horse (in a dream); horse kicks wall; Man squeezes girl’s arm; horse breaks property; character worries about wolves eating a horse; horse kicks an animal; animal gets a cut on its chest; fire destroys property; character is mildly burned; horse deliberately trapped in fire; reference to an old injury.

Sex/Nudity:  None

Mature Subject Matter:

Friendship, loyalty, animal cruelty, sabotage, child abuse.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

None