A Blue for Beware

Named to the West Virginia Children’s Book Award Master List: In the first horse show with her new mare, Lily competes against her best friend for the blue ribbon

Today’s the big day. Lily and her horse, Beware, are going to compete in the junior horse show. Lily’s best friend, Mandy, is also in the competition, riding her horse, Shane. When Lily and her mother and grandfather arrive, Mandy looks so grown up, like a rider in a magazine. And with his shining copper coat, Shane looks just like a show horse. Worried that Beware looks shaggy next to Shane, Lily brushes her until she’s sleek and polished.
 
Then it’s time for Lily to get ready. She puts on her breeches and boots and tries to remember everything her grandfather taught her about riding. Will Lily and Beware walk away with the blue? And will Lily and Mandy still be best friends when it’s over?

“A satisfying story that should please young readers and riders.” —School Library Journal
 
“Vivid descriptions of the events will make readers feel as if they had a ringside seat at the show, and there’s an amazing amount of information about preshow preparations and scoring events. Horse lovers will relish the story and hope for more adventures featuring Lily and her spunky mare.” —Booklist
 
Jessie Haas is the author of numerous acclaimed books for young people, including Unbroken, which was a Publishers Weekly Best Book. She lives in Westminster, Vermont, with her husband, Michael J. Daley, a children’s author. Haas began writing about horses from a young age and wrote a story during her junior year of college that became her first novel, Keeping Barney.