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A Horse Called Holiday
The moment Middie sees Holiday, a beautiful chestnut thoroughbred, she is certain that he will be able to win her a blue ribbon or two in the horse shoe, until she discovers that Holiday is deaf. Original.
203 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1992
About the author
Frances Wilbur
8 books2 followersBorn in Mankato, Minnesota, and brought up in five Midwestern states, I graduated from Beloit College in Wisconsin as an English major, with teaching credentials in English, art, and chemistry. In my senior year, the Army War College asked me to enroll in a correspondence course in cryptanalysis. After graduation, I went to Washington and worked for four years in the Signal Intelligence Service, promoted to senior cryptanalyst.
My first husband was engaged by the USA Diplomatic Corps. He moved our family to Spain and Italy, where we spent seven years. When we were moved back to the United States, we settled in California, and later divorced amicably after raising four children. I joined the Rose Bowl Riders Club with my horse, Holiday, where I met my second husband, William, who graduated from Stanford Medical School and was a physician. Between us we had six grown kids, five dogs, and three horses, but we made a loving family. This summer we will celebrate 35 years of happy married life. We are very proud parents and we now have twelve grandchildren.
Bill and I bought some land in southern California where we ran a summer horsemanship camp, teaching complete care of the horse and, eventually, Combined Training, the Olympic sport known as the "Test for the Military." We closed the camp the day that Bill's horse died. It was the end of an era for us.
My first book, A Guide for Parents of Horse-Crazy Kids, was published in 1990. The following year, I suffered a stroke which left my left side paralyzed. We sold the ranch and moved back to town, but I continued to write. In my rehabilitation sessions, I re-learned how to walk and how to type. My second book, A Horse Called Holiday, was published by Scholastic in 1992, and has been translated into Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch, and German.
My third book, The Dog with Golden Eyes, was published in 1998 by Milkweed Editions, the winner of the 1998 Milkweed Prize for Children's Literature.
I belong to two writers' clubs, who are critiquing me as I work on my next book, The Horse Next Door.
**Frances Wilbur passed away on August 4, 2006, a champion of children's literature and reading.
My first husband was engaged by the USA Diplomatic Corps. He moved our family to Spain and Italy, where we spent seven years. When we were moved back to the United States, we settled in California, and later divorced amicably after raising four children. I joined the Rose Bowl Riders Club with my horse, Holiday, where I met my second husband, William, who graduated from Stanford Medical School and was a physician. Between us we had six grown kids, five dogs, and three horses, but we made a loving family. This summer we will celebrate 35 years of happy married life. We are very proud parents and we now have twelve grandchildren.
Bill and I bought some land in southern California where we ran a summer horsemanship camp, teaching complete care of the horse and, eventually, Combined Training, the Olympic sport known as the "Test for the Military." We closed the camp the day that Bill's horse died. It was the end of an era for us.
My first book, A Guide for Parents of Horse-Crazy Kids, was published in 1990. The following year, I suffered a stroke which left my left side paralyzed. We sold the ranch and moved back to town, but I continued to write. In my rehabilitation sessions, I re-learned how to walk and how to type. My second book, A Horse Called Holiday, was published by Scholastic in 1992, and has been translated into Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch, and German.
My third book, The Dog with Golden Eyes, was published in 1998 by Milkweed Editions, the winner of the 1998 Milkweed Prize for Children's Literature.
I belong to two writers' clubs, who are critiquing me as I work on my next book, The Horse Next Door.
**Frances Wilbur passed away on August 4, 2006, a champion of children's literature and reading.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 6, 2020
A wonderful story. It follows many of the familiar aspects of this kind of book but still manages to feel nice and original in certain parts. The cover gives away a fairly significant plot point but it's such a lovely picture that I don't really mind!
I appreciated the character growth from Middie over the course of the book as she learnt how to commit to work and think about something other than herself and how many ribbons she wanted to win.
I expect to reread this one in the future. 🐴
I appreciated the character growth from Middie over the course of the book as she learnt how to commit to work and think about something other than herself and how many ribbons she wanted to win.
I expect to reread this one in the future. 🐴
March 12, 2017
How good is this book? I used to have a copy when I was in my 20s, lost it and just recently I decided to buy a replacement copy. I'd missed this little book that much.
Now, it does have a lot of cliches found in girl-and-a-horse books. There's the "girl falls in love with horse that no one can ride but her" and "girl falls in love with horse that isn't hers" and "girl loves horses in general while her family cannot understand her love." However, cliches can be okay if handled well, such as in this book. In once sense they help enhance the story because the cliches are so familiar they are comforting, like an old blanket.
The only thing that was cringe-worthy about this book is that sometimes Wilbur writes from the horse's point of view. That is a bit jarring and although I loved this idea when I was young, I think it's rather presumptuous of any author to write a horse's thoughts. A horse is far more complex and mysterious than I think we will ever be able to understand.
Here's the cover for you:
It's so nice to read a horse fiction book written by someone familiar with horses and doesn't just use them as background decorations. Riding, caring and learning about horses is a core part of this book. There's not enough of them out there.
Now, it does have a lot of cliches found in girl-and-a-horse books. There's the "girl falls in love with horse that no one can ride but her" and "girl falls in love with horse that isn't hers" and "girl loves horses in general while her family cannot understand her love." However, cliches can be okay if handled well, such as in this book. In once sense they help enhance the story because the cliches are so familiar they are comforting, like an old blanket.
The only thing that was cringe-worthy about this book is that sometimes Wilbur writes from the horse's point of view. That is a bit jarring and although I loved this idea when I was young, I think it's rather presumptuous of any author to write a horse's thoughts. A horse is far more complex and mysterious than I think we will ever be able to understand.
Here's the cover for you:
It's so nice to read a horse fiction book written by someone familiar with horses and doesn't just use them as background decorations. Riding, caring and learning about horses is a core part of this book. There's not enough of them out there.
January 21, 2011
This was my favorite story when I was 10ish! Great story for young girls!
March 6, 2015
I loved this book as a child and still do. It is an intelligently written story about growing up and learning the difference between instant gratification and long term goals. It highlights maturity and the power of perseverance. And it is a really fun story about the bond that forms between a deaf horse with PTSD and teenager with, she thinks, everything to prove.
August 20, 2008
My favorite horse book ever because the main character, Middie, isn't just a spoiled little rich girl who gets a horse for christmas...middie has to work to earn her blind ex-racehorse....A big hit with me
August 1, 2018
I remember reading the library’s copy until the cover began disintegrating. I eventually got a copy of my own which started to suffer a similar fate. This is a wonderful story that has aged well. Perfect for the horse-crazy kid in your
May 10, 2022
10 year old Caren would have loved this book!
July 28, 2008
a good book for an little girl who ever dreamed about owning a pony...
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews