Stardust Stables is the series and Sable Hamilton
is a
pen name for a writer who will sound familiar to readers
of
Young Adult books; Jenny Oldfield. Her best-selling series
include The Horses Of Half-Moon Ranch. When a writer
changes name it's sometimes for contractual reasons, but
rest assured the same love of horses and adventure
continue
under the name of Sable Hamilton.
A STAR IS BORN is the first book in this new series set in
Colorado. Kami Cooper is keen to work with horses at
Stardust Stables. Why, when she already comes from a
working ranch and wins barrel racing classes? Well,
Stardust Stables is special because here young people are
taught how to do stunt riding for the movies. Kami has
been
selected as having talent, and teamed with a light grey
horse called Magic, she is ready to go!
Of course getting along with other people is a huge part
of
movie skills. The girls share a dorm and, with the boys,
learn that nobody is too good to do hard work. Lizzie and
Jack Jones are the stable owners and instructors, and they
train by natural horsemanship methods, which means never
using force. In this business there is always rivalry, so
another stable competes for the same contracts. Not to
mention, there is rivalry - friendly but none the less
intense - among the young people at Stardust. Kami hasn't
been training for long when she gets her first audition,
to
be stunt double for a star. Can she brush aside her
homesickness, doubts and inexperience and do a great job?
I enjoyed the teamwork, competition and challenges. Not to
mention the stunts such as standing on the saddle, getting
dragged on the ground, vaulting on to the horse, playing
dead, riding through water... tremendous fun! Horse
lovers
will surely take to this unusual series and learn a lot
besides enjoying the adventure. The characters feel real
and come across as well-rounded. Other books in the series
will focus on different riders. The gorgeous cover photo
of
A STAR IS BORN depicts a scene from a film which requires
Kami and Magic to gallop along a beach. Wish I was there!
New girl Kami can't wait to join the team at Stardust
Stables, but she soon discovers that life there isn't all
glitz and glamour. There's plenty of stall cleaning to do,
not to mention the hours of training! When a studio comes
looking for a stunt girl to do horseback riding for a
major new movie, Kami is eager to get the job. But will
she have enough experience to rise to the challenge?