Stardust Stables: Sunset in the West by Sable Hamilton (Children’s, 9 years +10E/10E, short 'n' sweet review)

 

June 2014, Stripes Publishing, 176 pages, Paperback, Review copy

Content:  major peril, mild teen romance, tissues needed

Summary from Little Tiger Press

Sunset in the West is the third title in the Stardust Stables series. Stardust is a stables with a difference… Set in the Colorado mountains, it’s home to the super-talented horses and kids who are stunt riders for movie stars. Only daredevil riders need apply!

Adventurous Hayley is overjoyed when she and her horse Cool Kid successfully audition for a stunt riding role in Pioneer, a movie set in the nineteenth century era of wagon trains carrying early settlers west through the Rockies. After perfecting some key skills for the role – lassoing, bareback riding, crossing rivers and trekking along rocky ledges – they’re ready to go. But on the journey to the set, the trailer skids off a dirt road and Cool Kid panics and escapes. Can the team track him down before he comes to any harm?

Nayu's thoughts

Being a stunt rider student seems pretty awesome, which made it a harder read because I knew how important it was for Hayley to find Cool Kid. I hate knowing that some people who will be nameless in this review were doing everything they could to sabotage the hunt. It's sad that some people can't stand others being happy, that they want all the glory. Hayley's friends rally round in a way that made my heart cheer, especially after feeling that I know them well after the previous books in the series. This will make you laugh, cry and sigh, and is a story you'll reread again and again.