Shelby and the First Ride
An Old Quarry Lake Farms Tale
by Marty Kay Jones
Shelby Simone is a horse-crazy kid living in the city with her parents. Despite having the best friends ever at the exclusive Metro School for Girls, she can’t help but feel something is missing from her life.
When her parents break the news to her that they’re moving to a nearby rural community, Shelby is devastated… until her parents promise she can take riding lessons at Old Quarry Lake Farms, one of the best-known riding stables in the state! Shelby only has a month to say goodbye to city life and hello to a new world that includes horses.
After a rough start at Old Quarry Lake, Shelby starts to wonder if horses are really as wonderful as she imagined. As the summer days creep closer and closer to her first day at the Old Quarry Lake school, she worries if the trade-off was worth it.
Join a group of pre-teen girls who build a bond through their love of horses. Together, they tackle situations like moving to a new town, feeling different, and accepting themselves and each other just as they are—while sharing everyday adventures with their horses!
5 out of 5 fairies
This was a great book, and I look forward to reading more in the series. Shelby isn’t what you probably picture when you think of a stereotypical horse-girl, and I think that makes her the perfect protagonist. She’s kind of nerdy, and doesn’t quite fit in. She struggles a lot with being herself and how she looks, which is an experience a lot of tween kids experience. The story is a fun read, and I won’t give spoilers, but I really like the way everything turned out in the end.
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Like Old Quarry Lake’s newest resident, Shelby Simone, author Marty Kay Jones grew up obsessed with horses. She also lived in the city and had to wait until her teen years to experience them for herself.
Today, Marty Kay Jones is still obsessed with horses, but now she gets to see them every day. She runs a small boarding stable in the Appalachian foothills and loves teaching new generations everything there is to know about horses.
Ms. Jones believes learning never stops and extends her equine knowledge to readers of the Old Quarry Lake Farms book series. While the books are written about 11-year-old Shelby Simone and her sixth-grade friends, readers of all ages will appreciate and identify with the challenges and triumphs that come with the major life changes Shelby experiences.
When not playing with her own horses, Chip and Mango, Ms. Jones can be found hiking with her Australian Sheep Dog Petey, tinkering around with her project hot rod, or curled up with a good mystery.
Shelby and the First Ride
Amazon | Goodreads
Shelby’s Horse-Filled Summer
Amazon | Goodreads
Shelby and the Back-to-School Blues
Amazon | Goodreads