Amateau, Gigi. Dante: Horses of the Maury River Stables.

Amateau, Gigi.  Dante: Horses of the Maury River Stables.  Candlewick Press  2016  306p  $6.99  ISBN 978-0-7636-8754-0  ms  Animal  VG 

A retired racehorse finds a second chance at life.  Told from the horse’s point of view, this is the story of Dante’s Inferno -- a racehorse whose grandfather was the greatest racehorse of all time.  However, Dante fails as a racehorse and ends up at a rescue facility run by rehabilitating prisoners before being adopted by the Maury River Stables, where he becomes a project horse.  Dante slowly befriends other horses, Daisy and Napoleon, and he lowers his guard.  Can he succeed on the cross-country course?  Readers will race through the book to find out.

Some readers may find the use of dialect off-putting, but animal lovers will embrace this engaging horse story. While it is not packed with action, it offers emotional depth and Dante is an appealing character.  Readers who enjoy the book will be delighted to learn that it is part of a series, although this volume can stand on its own.

Summary: A retired racehorse finds a second chance at life as a project horse on a stable run by prisoners.

Horses-Fiction, Horse racing-Fiction                  --Hilary Welliver

Scott, Victoria. Titans.

Scott, Victoria.  Titans.  Scholastic Press     2016  310p  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-545-80601-5  ms  Realistic fiction  VG  

Titans are mechanical horses that run races just like real horses, and, just as in real horse races, gambling is the source of revenue for the questionable owners of the titans and the racetracks. This is the story of what happens when a young girl and a retired engineer team up to get an old Titan up and running races ... and maybe winning as well.      Titans is a quick-paced, well-written novel that is at its base the story of a girl and her horse, and her place in the family. The weaving together of the multiple story lines and genres, action/adventure, sci-fi, and family, reminds this reader Kathy Reich’s Virals series. The author nicely handles the unsavory aspects of gambling and horse racing for middle-school readers. Astrid, the protagonist, is a strongly written girl who has no qualms about stepping into the word of the Titans, and the danger that comes along. Sure to be a hit with female readers.

Summary: Titans is the story of a young girl and a retired engineer who team up to get an old Titan, or mechanical horse, fixed up so it can run races, just like a real horse.
     

Mechanical horses-Fiction, Horse racing-Fiction    --Lynn Fisher