The first book in the Ride On series, fresh, exciting horse-kid stories from Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, bestselling author of The War that Saved My Life

Harper’s life just exploded. Her parents are getting a divorce and eleven-year-old Harper and her mother are starting again—in a cramped house, in a new town, where everything feels unfamiliar, including the riding stables next door. Harper has never been around horses before. And no, she does not want to learn to ride. Then a truck dumps a starved and neglected horse right in Harper’s yard.

One look at the horse’s huge eyes and skinny body and something inside Harper unlocks. She names the horse Phoenix, and she will not give up on him. Neither, it turns out, will Phoenix give up on her. Will this be Harper’s first step towards new friends? Towards riding?

Phoenix is for readers of the Pony Club Secrets series and anyone who loves horses.

Kimberly Brubaker Bradley grew up horse-obsessed in a tragically non-horsey family. When she was eighteen, she took the reins in her own hands and hasn’t stopped riding since. Kim ran a pony club for kids in her home town—a big part of her inspiration for this series—all while writing Newbery Honor-winning novels The War That Saved My Life, The War I Finally Won and Night War. Kim is a fierce advocate for horses and the value of the human-horse connection. This is the horse-kid series of her heart.

'Phoenix has all the charm, wit, and fierce intelligence readers have come to expect from Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. She makes bold choices as she both educates and entertains. You don't have to love horses to love this book, but you just might find you do after reading Phoenix.' Holly Goldberg Sloan, New York Times bestselling author of Counting by 7s and Short

'Phoenix is a story of hope rising stubbornly above despair. Beautiful, authentic, and so moving, it’s a gripping and heart-expanding read. I read it in one sitting—it is wonderful.' Carrie Seim, author of Horse Girl and Horse Camp: A Horse Girl Mystery