Ruby Ferguson -
Fidra’s publication of the second in the Jill series, A Stable for Jill, is now available both through them
and through the usual bookselling sites. This is the first paperback edition to contain the full original
text and illustrations since Armada’s publication of the title in 1963: an edition it’s almost impossible
to find in decent condition.
Fidra’s edition of Jill’s Gymkhana is still available, and it’s very well worth getting. All the Knight
paperback editions were drastically cut, as well as having a completely different set of illustrations
which recoloured Black Boy as a piebald.
Coming up
Linda Chapman -
The next episode in Ellie’s life in her uncle’s showing yard is due out in January 2011. I liked the first
book, particularly as it’s very rare to find a book that focuses on showing. Linda says she wanted to
write a pony book that was more epic in feeling than pony books tend to be now. “I was inspired by
old pony books I used to read that used to make me cry -
The Black Stallion, Black Beauty and on a non-
to write something similar -
person, a story that would hopefully make the reader cry at points but ultimately leave them uplifted!”
This book sees Ellie coming to terms with her new life at High Peak Stables, as she finds she can
communicate with other horses besides Spirit. However, they don’t all respond in the way Spirit does,
and although the highly strung show hack Lucifer obviously needs help, Ellie can’t find a way through
to him.
Hazel M Peel -
Hazel is reprinting her two wild horse stories, Fury and Jago, set in
Australia. Both will be out in Spring 2011, published by GIETE in
Somerset, and at the moment have a publication date of 25 March 2011.
I like the dramatic black and white of the Fury cover, but am particularly
excited about Jago, having long since mislaid my beloved Armada
paperback.
Jago is one of those books that used to be quite reasonably priced,
but is very far from it now, so it’s good it will be widely available again.
It’s the story of an Australian racehorse, brutalised and misunderstood
by humanity, who escapes and manages to forge a life for himself
in the wild.
Girls Gone By -
Girls Gone By are continuing with their programme to reissue all of Monica Edwards’ titles. Their titles for
2011 are Black Hunting Whip (provisionally April 2011, but you will be able to order it from January);
Punchbowl Midnight (provisionally September 2011) and Brian Parks’ Punchbowl Farm Companion
(provisionally November 2011). These last two can be ordered from mid 2011.
The cover to the right is purely for the purposes of illustration -
rather obvious faults!
Jane Smiley -
The sequel to Jane Smiley’s excellent Nobody’s Horse will be published by Faber in 2011. The cover’s not been finalised yet but I will post it here once it is.
Victoria Eveleigh
is writing her next book: “It's about a boy called Joe who discovers by accident that his wonderful dad isn't his biological father. Joe runs away from home to search for his father, and before long is at Appleby Fair with a horse, a bloody nose, no money and the police searching for him....”
Other news from Victoria: Midnight on Lundy has been listed as a Book of the Year on the Lovereading4kids website; bookshops might like to know all her books are now at Gardners on a consignment basis, and she’s doing a lot of f public speaking (complete with photo show of Exmoor, Lundy and ponies). She says: “I've surprised myself by really enjoying it!”