A horse finds a new home in the first installment of debut author Belove’s “Sally Horse Chronicles” for middle graders. It is a fine-paced, character-driven story that will appeal to an audience beyond horse lovers and middle graders.

In Council Bluffs, Iowa she was a beloved, talented quarter horse. But when Cotton Candy Sally arrived in New York City, they started calling her a nasty, mean, sour nag. The girls at Bernadette’s riding school were afraid of her, and after awhile, after bucking all her riders onto the pavement, Sally started spending more and more time alone, with her head tethered to the wall of her stall. Couldn’t anyone find a way to tame her? Twelve-year-old Kara fell in love with Sally and was determined to fix things. But her father had recently died, and her mother had no money to buy the spirited mare. Worse yet, Bernadette started was talking about sending her “down the road” because she wasn’t earning her keep. Where would she end up and what would happen to Kara, who finally found a way to be happy in the wake of her father’s death?