Stolen! A Pony Called Pebbles (Rainbow Street Shelter Series #5)

by Wendy Orr, Patricia Castelao (Illustrator)

Overview

Amy lives and breathes horses, but all her horses are in books or in her head. So when she goes on a picnic with her friend Hannah's family, Hannah thinks Amy is imagining things when she says she heard a horse neigh nearby. But then Hannah hears a neigh, too! What's a horse doing in the park?

With a little help from Mona at the Rainbow Street Shelter, Amy makes sure the horse is safe and sound. She almost hopes the owner never turns up, so that she could keep visiting the pony. . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250068033
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	09/15/2015
Series:	Rainbow Street Shelter Series , #5
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	144
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 7.40(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	780L (what's this?)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Wendy Orr has written more than twenty children’s books, including Nim’s Island. She lives on a dairy farm in Australia with her family.

Patricia Castelao was born in the rainy Santiago de Compostela, so she spent lots of time drawing at home as a child. All that drawing led to her work on the Rainbow Street Shelter series and many other wonderful illustration projects.

Read an Excerpt

1

 

The stables on the hill were shadowed and quiet in the moonlight. As the two men in dark clothes crept down the long hall, they could smell the warm scent of clean horses and fresh hay.

“Go right to the end,” whispered the leader.

They snuck into the last stall, where Pebbles was sleeping. She was short and stocky, silvery white with some darker gray dapples across her rump. Her eyes were soft and brown in her pretty face.

“That’s not a racehorse!” the smaller thief snarled. “We’re in the wrong stall!”

A tall black stallion sprang to his feet. The men heard his hooves strike the floor. They felt the rush of his powerful body, and now that their eyes were used to the darkness, they saw his shape.

“That’s Midnight!” exclaimed the boss thief. Before the stallion knew what was happening, a rope had been thrown around his neck and looped over his nose into a halter.

The horse’s eyes rolled white with fear and rage. He jerked back and reared, his strong front legs slashing the air. The thief holding the halter was thrown into the corner of the stall. He rolled out of the way just as Midnight’s hooves thudded down.

“Forget it!” the smaller man screamed. “I’m not going to get killed just to steal a horse!”

“Be quiet!” said the boss thief. He opened the stall door and pushed the other man out.

The stallion pawed the floor, snorting in alarm.

The thief ignored him. He rubbed the silver mare between her ears and breathed gently into her nostrils.

“What are you doing?” the smaller man demanded. “That’s not the one we want!”

“I’m guessing this big guy doesn’t go anywhere without his little friend. And when you’re worth as much as he is, what you want is what you get.”

The boss slipped a rope halter over Pebbles’s head.

 

Text copyright © 2012 by Wendy Orr

Illustrations copyright © 2012 by Patricia Castelao

Editorial Reviews

The story will thus appeal to fans of pet fiction as well as those who love happy endings to sad stories.” —BCCB on Lost! A Dog Called Bear

“The believable plot and inherent suspense will keep readers turning the pages of this fine addition to early chapter books.” —Kirkus Reviews on Lost! A Dog Called Bear

“Orr has a way with words and dialogue that brings this story to life. . . . A promising start for the Rainbow Street Shelter series.” —Booklist on Lost! A Dog Called Bear

“A wonderful stupendously blunderful read aloud: full of delicious word play that will delight listeners, with art reminiscent of Edward Ardizzone.” —Ellen Fader, Youth Services Coordinator, Multnomah County Library and ALSC Immediate Past President on Mokie & Bik

“This set of splishy-splashy episodes will itself draw waggles from easy-reader graduates and read-aloud audiences in general.” —Kirkus Reviews on Mokie & Bik

“Orr's colorful use of language brings energy to the story. The many crosshatch drawings are often graceful and always appealing. A lively, unusual choice for young readers.” —School Library Journal on Mokie & Bik

From the Publisher