Shelley Peterson

A spine-tingling adventure with as many twists and turns as a steeplechase course. “The Jagged Circle is full of suspense and a perfect book for horse lovers.” — Amber Marshall, equestrian and star of CBC's Heartland It’s spring break and Evangeline Gibb is bored, stuck at her Gran Mary’s farm mucking stalls while her friends are away on vacation. She decides to spend the time training her horse, Kazzam, to ride cross-country to compete in the March Madness Steeplechase. But everything changes when Evie takes Kazzam for a gallop through the woods and makes a grisly discovery. In a hoof-pounding race against time, Evie and her heroic horse team up to solve a mystery that involves, murder and deception, her troubled stepsister, a circle of runaway teen girls, and long-hidden truths about her family.

Death, deception, discrimination, and cruelty to horses confront Bird as she uncovers the secrets of her past. When nefarious and inhumane acts shake the horse show world, the lives of horses are thrown into peril. Bird’s ability to communicate with animals leads her to work with an undercover RCMP officer. Together, they — and Bird's extraordinary horse, Sundancer — must bring the perpetrators to justice. But while Bird struggles to rescue horses in the night, there are mysteries closer to her heart that still need investigating. As her family is on the verge of falling to pieces, secrets from the past surface, revealing shocking truths about who she really is and why she possesses her remarkable gift.

A violent death throws a horse-riding community into conflict, stirring up fear, uncertainty, mental illness, and a mysterious stranger …Summer vacation has finally started, and Bird is looking forward to an extended stay with her Aunt Hannah at Saddle Creek Farm. But before she can settle into the routine of riding Sundancer and preparing for shows, the community is thrown into chaos when a local woman is brutally attacked and left for dead. The police aren’t acting fast enough to satisfy the community’s calls for justice, so a vigilante group emerges to take matters into their own hands.Bird finds herself embroiled in the mystery. Who had reason to attack the woman? Does the strange man Bird and Sunny meet in the woods have anything to do with the crime? And how does the reappearance of her grandfather fit into the picture? As Bird struggles to get to the bottom of the mystery, she learns more than she bargained for about her community, her past, and human nature.

Bird returns to Saddle Creek and her beloved horse Sunny for Christmas. Bird always dreads Christmas. For as long as she could remember, her mother Eva goes into a tailspin of selfishness and drama as the holiday approaches. This one will be no different, as Bird is once again dumped at Saddle Creek Farm with her Aunt Hannah while Eva parties. At midnight on Christmas Eve, in the midst of an ice storm, Cody (the loyal coyote) alerts Bird that elderly Laura Pierson is in danger down the road. Bird mounts her champion show jumper Sundancer, and with Cody they head out to save her. The family’s plans change because of the storm, but everyone finally gathers for Christmas dinner. Then, while the after-dinner bonfire burns, a Christmas miracle unfolds, but at great cost to a loved one. In Christmas at Saddle Creek, Bird beholds the magic of the universe and the circle of life, and learns the true meaning of Christmas.

A troubled girl and a damaged horse find each other, and against all odds — mistaken identity, abandonment, corruption, and fraud — make an unbeatable team. His name is Sundancer, and from the moment he arrives at Saddle Creek Farm, Bird is fascinated by him. The horse is suspicious and guarded, touchy, and even cruel. Bird’s Aunt Hannah calls him “unrideable,” and Bird has to admit that Sundancer might be trouble. But Bird, whose mother left her to be raised by her aunt halfway across the country, is a bit of trouble herself. How else would you describe a girl who hasn’t spoken since she was six, and hears things no one else can hear — like the thoughts of the animals she befriends? Sundancer is a wounded horse with a story he’s not ready to share. Bird starts to feel like, maybe, they aren’t so different, and maybe she needs him as much as he needs her. Will she be able to reach him before it’s too late?

Romance and the supernatural mingle with uncontrolled dark ambition, and Abby — with the help of her extraordinary horse, Dancer — must put a stop to it before her entire community is destroyed. Champion showjumper Dancer needs a new rider for the upcoming Grand Invitational, and Abby Malone is delighted to be chosen. It’s a dream come true, and she can hardly wait to get started. However, it turns out that Abby and Dancer may have some unexpected — and dangerous — hurdles to jump. The community is staging a play in the old converted barn, and as strange events begin to occur, Abby soon discovers something about the theatre is not quite right. Is she imagining things? Or is someone out to get her?

CCBC’s Best Books for Kids & Teens (Fall 2016) — Commended2016 VOYA Top Shelf Fiction SelectionA teen girl’s quest to find her mother leads her to the big city, and gives her the courage to fulfill her dream of becoming a jockey. Evangeline “Evie” Gibb lives a seemingly charmed life on a thoroughbred racehorse farm. But in reality, Evie feels alone in the world, cheered only by the affection of a racehorse named No Justice. She’s always been told that her mother, Angela Parson, is dead. Then, on her sixteenth birthday, a card arrives from her great aunt Mary with the suggestion that Angela might still be alive — and Evie’s life is turned upside down. In hopes of winning enough money to leave her hateful father and find her mother, Evie enters the Caledon Horse Race. But something she overhears her father say changes everything, and Evie steals the racehorse in the night and runs away. With a stray dog named Magpie at her side and help from Aunt Mary, Evie unearths long-hidden family secrets, finds unexpected love, and takes the racing world by storm.

“This Is a Great Book!” is rooted in the belief that having a wide range of “great” books to read is essential to student success as readers inside the classroom ... and beyond. Based on extensive research, this highly readable book explores a wide range of recommended titles that cover a spectrum of developmental stages for readers of chapter books to young adult novels. It presents novels around popular themes and features guest voices that include innovative teachers, librarians, booksellers, and students. Numerous activities and literacy events form the core of this valuable resource. Reproducible pages include response activities, reflection tools, assessment profiles, and inventories for easy classroom use. Committed to nurturing the love of reading, the book invites readers to dig deeper in their understanding and appreciation of books by responding through writing, discussion, the arts, media, and more. Special attention is given to the world of independent leisure reading, where students make choices based on their preferences and tastes. Experienced and new teachers will find fresh ideas and the tools they need to guide students to “great” books that will make a difference in their lives.