Dream of Night
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- $20.99
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- $20.99
Publisher Description
Untamable. Damaged. Angry. Once full of promise and life, now lost in the shadows of resentment and detachment, this is Dream of Night's story—and it is also Shiloh’s. One is a thoroughbred racehorse, the other an eleven-year-old foster child. Starved to the bone, Dream of Night is still a very powerful animal, kicking, bucking, screaming to show his strength. Shiloh has been starved in other ways—starved of affection, starved of stability and she lashes out too…with sarcasm. This injured and abused racehorse has a lot in common with punky Shiloh and by chance they both find themselves under the care of Jessalyn DiLima—a last stop for each before the state takes more drastic measures—sending the girl to a “residential facility” and the horse to a vet...for euthanizing.
Jess is giving them a second chance, a last chance—but she fosters animals and children like this for a reason—she’s a little broken, too. And she knows what it’s like to have lost nearly everything she loves. As the horse warms up to the girl and the girl lets her guard down for the horse, the three of them become an unlikely family. They recognize their similarities in order to heal their pasts, but not before one last tragedy threatens to take it all away.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Alternating among the points of view of a damaged racehorse, an abused child, and the remarkable woman who brings them together, Henson (Here's How I See It Here's How It Is) creates an affecting story about emotional recovery. Foster parent and animal rescuer Jess DiLima receives two new wards on the same day: Dream of Night, a "shell of a horse" she saves on a Humane Society run, and Shiloh, a 12-year-old charge of the state. Both are full of anger and resentment when they arrive at Jess's rundown farm ("And Shiloh knows. The black horse hates the woman. Hates her, pure and simple. And somehow this makes it better"). But over time, touched by Jess's unwavering gentleness and patience, they begin to trust again. Besides highlighting the connections between Night and Shiloh, Henson also sheds light on Jess's painful history, sensitively conveying why she needs the horse and child as much as they need her. The book's climax in which Night's previous owner attempts to steal him away reveals the strength of bonds that have formed among the characters. Ages 8 12.
