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Titles in Order of Publication:
WILD THING: Winnie the Horse Gentler, Book 1
Dandi Daley Mackall
Tyndale Kids
ISBN-10: 0842355421
ISBN-13: 9780842355421
Ages 8-12
192 pages
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Twelve-year-old Winnie Willis loves horses --- just like her mother did. But since her mom died two years ago, Winnie, her sister, Lizzy, and her father have moved five times. Winnie never cared much --- until now. She has a chance to buy the horse of her dreams at an upcoming auction --- but how will she ever earn enough money? More importantly, how can she possibly convince her dad not to move them to another town…again?
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EAGER STAR: Winnie the Horse Gentler, Book 2
Dandi Daley Mackall
Tyndale Kids
ISBN-10: 084235543X
ISBN-13: 9780842355438
Ages 8-12
208 pages
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Winnie Willis wants to be a famous horse gentler. She already has one client, and a second has just signed on. But the new client has given her only a week to train a horse for an important race…and the rider will be Grant Baines --- the most popular boy in school. To him, Winnie is invisible. This is her chance to be part of the "in" crowd at school…if she succeeds. How can she ever train the horse and Grant to work together in one week?
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BOLD BEAUTY: Winnie the Horse Gentler, Book 3
Dandi Daley Mackall
Tyndale Kids
ISBN-10: 0842355448
ISBN-13: 9780842355445
Ages 8-12
208 pages
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Winnie Willis has confidence to spare --- on horseback that is. If only she could have the same self-assurance at school. When Winnie gets a dreaded school assignment, her whole world is affected. Worse, an accident on horseback shatters the one area of her life where everything was going fine. Now she'll have to find the courage outside herself to face her classmates and the horse she let down.
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MIDNIGHT MYSTERY: Winnie the Horse Gentler, Book 4
Dandi Daley Mackall
Tyndale Kids
ISBN-10: 0842355456
ISBN-13: 9780842355452
Ages 8-12
208 pages
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Staying at Coolidge Castle is weird enough. But having Dad away on Mom's birthday is too much. Then Winnie meets Ramon. He also knows what it's like to lose a parent. So when someone begins sabotaging his chances to follow in his mother's footsteps as a star circus performer, Winnie is determined to find out who it is. As accusations fly, Winnie's mind races in circles…until she begins to realize things aren't always what they seem.
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UNHAPPY APPY: Winnie the Horse Gentler, Book 5
Dandi Daley Mackall
Tyndale Kids
ISBN-10: 0842355464
ISBN-13: 9780842355469
Ages 8-12
192 pages
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
When Towaco, the recently bad tempered Appaloosa, bites Winnie's own beloved Nickers, Winnie screams. Flashing back a couple of months earlier, Winnie remembers how Nickers had aggressively gone after the then-frightened Towaco when he first arrived at the barn. Why the role reversal now? Winnie's friend, Victoria Hawkins (Hawk), brought her Towaco along with his "problems" to be "fixed." Just like her deceased mother, Winnie has a way with figuring out a horse's behavioral problems by watching and caring, something that just comes naturally to her. So this sudden change in attitude makes everything in Winnie stand at alert. It's a mystery to be solved, and Winnie's heart softens as she considers how to draw Towaco out of whatever is causing his hurt.
Winnie is stumped not only by the horse's problem but by the horse owner's problem as well. Hawk is being distant and not too kind to Winnie --- strange behavior considering that Hawk is her friend. While Winnie tries to help Towaco, she keeps thinking about Hawk and their disintegrating friendship. What did she do wrong? Why won't Hawk confide in her?
Then there's Winnie's inventor dad's new "friend," Madeline. Exactly how is her father defining "friend"? Winnie asks herself. Add Madeline's son Mason to the mix, and Winnie is overwhelmed with conflicting emotions. It seems everything is changing.
While her home life has settled somewhat since their move to Ohio, Winnie and her sister Lizzy are still learning to live without their mother, and reminders continue to sting as the holidays approach. When tempers flare and feelings get bruised, Winnie is challenged to love unconditionally and give those around her the benefit of the doubt. As Winnie takes the initiative in reaching out, she finds that many of the mysteries are well on their way to getting resolved.
--- Reviewed by Michele Howe
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GIFT HORSE: Winnie the Horse Gentler, Book 6
Dandi Daley Mackall
Tyndale Kids
ISBN-10: 0842355472
ISBN-13: 9780842355469
Ages 8-12
192 pages
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Winnie watches as her friend Hawk leaves with Towaco for a horse show in Florida. Even though Winnie realizes that Hawk and Towaco are coming back, she's feeling unnerved and afraid. This Ohio winter weather has her spooked. Her photographic memory kicks in, and Winnie is remembering a similar blizzard from two years back when she and her mother were driving out to see a horse and their car spun out of control on the ice. Winnie's mind rehearses that day, and she doesn't like the scene it replays.
After her mom died, Winnie's whole life changed. Thankfully her dad recognizes the real reason she's afraid to see Hawk leave, and that feels good. Sometimes they seem to really understand each other.
Trying to get her mind off of Hawk and Towaco's departure, Winnie heads to Pat's Pets where she offers online advice to people needing information on horses. Her friend, Catman, is already there, replying to questions on the topic of cats. His often-silent friend, M, is there as well, and Winnie wonders about M's story. As Winnie answers several questions, she receives a frightening warning to return home to her pasture immediately. Winnie panics, fearing that her wonderful horse, Nickers, has been hurt.
But upon her arrival, she sees that Nickers is fine. There's another surprise, though --- a sickly looking dapple-gray mare. Taking the situation in hand, Winnie immediately starts nursing the mare back to health when she discovers that the mare is pregnant. Winnie's dad is not happy about her adopting another horse, let alone an expectant one.
Winnie's efforts to save the mare and her filly go into overdrive as she also tries to deal with school responsibilities, ongoing family tensions and trying to find out who gave her the "gift" horse. Winnie works hard to do what is right, but sometimes she's not sure she has the energy to make everyone happy. Once again, little sister Lizzy's quiet faith in the midst of turmoil speaks to Winnie's heart, and she begins "talking" to God after a long silence.
--- Reviewed by Michele Howe
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FRIENDLY FOAL: Winnie the Horse Gentler, Book 7
Dandi Daley Mackall
Tyndale Kids
ISBN-10: 0842387234
ISBN-13: 9780842387231
Ages 8-12
224 pages
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
Winnie's horse gentler business is up and running. She's bottle-feeding colostrum to the brand-new filly whose mother she saved from neglect, but the filly is not imprinting as Winnie had hoped. Persistent, she continues to stick close to the filly until she has earned the animal's trust. With her mind on the next step, training the young filly to nurse from Annie Goat --- brought over from the Barker family's grandmother --- Winnie is interrupted by her sister Lizzy's voice.
An urgent call comes in from one of Winnie's classmates, Salena Fry, a friend of Winnie's horse barn competitor, the spoiled-rich Summer Spidell. Salena has just received a black-and-white miniature gelding from her grandmother and doesn't have a clue what to do with it. Enter Winnie, whose skill at gentling horses has just landed her another paying job. Though already stretched with caring for the newborn, Winnie tries her hand at befriending the miniature Amigo.
Throughout the coming days, Winnie learns a lot about real friendship as she observes Lizzy getting dumped by her best friend Geri for a boy. Her dad is repeatedly disappointed by his "friend" Madeline's lack of commitment in helping out with his inventions. And even Winnie gets firsthand experience at defining who is and isn't a true friend when New Year's Eve party invitations are extended.
Winnie realizes that not everyone understands what being a real friend means, and she needs to learn to look past people's exteriors and dig for what's underneath. After some more storyline twists, Winnie's commitment to staying faithful is tested again and again.
--- Reviewed by Michele Howe
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BUCKSKIN BANDIT: Winnie the Horse Gentler, Book 8
Dandi Daley Mackall
Tyndale Kids
ISBN-10: 0842387242
ISBN-13: 9780842387248
Ages 8-12
224 pages
• Click here to buy from Amazon.com
With a birthday approaching, 12-year-old Winnie doesn't feel like celebrating. Too many remembrances of her mom's death come to life in her photographic memory. Then there's the fact that Winnie and her sister almost share the same birthday, having been born one year and one day apart. While Winnie tries to get over longing for what other kids have --- two caring parents --- she fights the feeling that life is just unfair. Even though her inventor dad has been devoting major amounts of his time helping her design a winning science fair project, Winnie continues to struggle against wanting more.
Winnie is never left alone with her feelings for too long, though, as someone is always needing her assistance with another problem horse. This time, Winnie is called upon to help save an abused horse from his violent caretaker. She teams up with schoolfriend Kaylee to find a way to rescue the now-petrified animal. To do so, both girls must gain Bandit's trust, and they find practical ways to slowly work their way into Bandit's heart again. Just as the girls win Bandit's love, Kaylee calls Winnie to tell her that the vicious abuser is going to steal Bandit away to avoid legal charges.
Once again here comes Winnie to the rescue, but she needs to accept the trust of someone she's been resisting and resenting --- Madeline, her father's friend. Together, Winnie and Madeline admit they've both been holding back fearfully because of past pain. As the two talk about their worries and hurt, Winnie senses a new freedom enter her own heart.
Emboldened by their newfound courage to face all of life with God's grace, Winnie and Madeline determine to accept the fact that life is unfair, but God's love is enough to make up the difference.
--- Reviewed by Michele Howe
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