Rocking Horse War

by Lari Don

One sunny morning, the triplets disappear, leaving only a few mysterious clues behind: an open upstairs window, three missing rocking horses, and strangely shaped marks on the lawn. Could they be hoof prints? Used to their silly pranks, older sister Pearl sets out to find them. At the garden gate, she encounters Thomas, the snooty grandson of a local earl, who warns her that the moors are not safe today. But who is he to boss Pearl around? As she searches for the triplets and tries to outwit Thomas, Pearl's journey through the rugged Scottish hills develops into an amazing and perilous adventure. Pearl tries to outwit living, breathing rocking horses and several powerful land magicians, who turn the very rocks of the mountains against her. But can she trust the mysterious Thomas? And can she save her brother and sisters from the unknown fate that lies ahead?

This is a tale of dark magic and destiny set in the 1920s Scottish Highlands.

(Ages 8-12)

Genres: Fantasy, Childrens

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

I'm a children's writer based in Scotland, and most of my fiction is inspired by the Scottish landscape and local legends. I love writing fantasy adventures for 8-12 year olds, including the Fabled Beast Chronicles and the Spellchasers trilogy, but I also love creating stories for other age groups.
I've gone darker and more dangerous in my YA thriller MindBlind.
And I've worked with amazing illustrators on picture books, including a retelling of the Scottish tale of the kelpie, The Secret of the Kelpie, with gorgeous pictures by Philip Longson, and a new fable about Nessie, The Treasure of the Loch Ness Monster, with fabulous artwork by Nataša Ilinčić.
I've written collections of myths and legends, including heroine tales from all over the world in Girls Goddesses & Giants, and Scottish tales in Breaking the Spell and Viking saga tales in The Dragon's Hoard, both illustrated by the wonderful Cate James.
I'm passionate about sharing old stories, creating new ones, and inspiring new young readers and writers. And I'm writing more adventures and retelling more myths, right now!
But I'm also reading... I read a lot of non-fiction, because a lot of my fictional ideas are inspired by folklore and history. I also read a lot of children’s fiction, because kids get all the best stories! And sometimes I remember how old I am, and read books for adults.
I also love discussing books, and answering queries about my books and stories, so please do get in touch. You can chat to me here on Goodreads, or through my own website, http://www.laridon.co.uk, or find me on Twitter @LariDonWriter, Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/laridonwriter, or Instagram: laridonwriter Have fun reading!

Reviews

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darker than the First Aid series but every bit as well written. It has a great feeling of the land with something of a modern environmental twist. Adult fans of John Buchan should read it just for the sympathetic treatment Scotland's landscape.

[Amy (Golden Books Girl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

After loving both the Spellchasers trilogy and the Fabled Beast Chronicles, I had high expectations for Rocking Horse War and it delivered. While I initially struggled to get into it, and I hadn`t realised for some reason it was set historically, I was very intrigued by Pearl`s story of waking up one morning and discovering her troublesome triplet siblings gone. She becomes tangled up in mysterious magic, and must battle to take the triplets home. I liked Pearl a lot; she was so determined and focused, and never gave up. Another thing I thought was great was that we got to see the impact of the first world war on a family, which isn`t especially common but I find fascinating. Finally, as always, Lari Don`s worldbuilding and magic system was exceptionally well done, particularly as we are learning more about it along with Pearl gradually so it never feels like an infodump despite the small page count. 4.5/5

[Linnae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pearl is the big sister to a trio of troublesome siblings--triplets, actually: Emerald, Ruby, and Jasper. She is constantly having to get them down from high places and find them when they've run off. Then one morning she goes into the nursery to find that they've vanished completely. Stranger still, it appears that wherever they are, they've ridden off (out of a 3rd-story window) on their rocking horses.

She sets out to find them once again, but this time she has to go into the perilous southlands, and face foes that have strange powers over the land. It would seem the triplets are caught in the middle of a war--someone else's war, and both sides want them for their own uses. Pearl mainly wants to bring them home for supper.

This was great! Original plot, with slippery antagonists that, as I wanted to like at least one of them, kept doing things that made me dislike them intensely. Pearl was a true hero, keeping her head in every situation, and continuing on at great personal sacrifice, even when things didn't work out the way she hoped they would.

[[ J o ] · Rating 1 out of 5]

[ to review at a later date - possibly even re-read at a later date as well, though not urgent ]