Windy Creek Stables: Natalie and the Summer of Surprises - by Kaitlyn Sage Patterson (Hardcover)

About the Book

In Natalie and the Summer of Surprises, Natalie has to discover if she can become the horse girl her mom has always wanted her to be.

Book Synopsis

In Natalie and the Summer of Surprises, Natalie has to discover if she can become the horse girl her mom has always wanted her to be.

Natalie is a city kid who loves indoor actives like reading and watching movies. So spending the summer stuck at her mom's riding school in nowhere, Virginia is the worst idea she's ever heard. But eleven-year-olds don't get to make the rules, which is why Natalie is at Windy Creek with a parent she barely knows and a bunch of horses she couldn't care less about.

Things go from bad to worse when Natalie realizes her mother actually expects her to ride. Windy Creek is full of horse-crazy kids Natalie has nothing in common with, and her mom clearly wishes she had any of them for a daughter instead. Natalie would give anything to get out of there and go back to the city, and even more than that, she wishes her mom didn't expect her to be someone she's clearly not.

With no choice but to learn to ride, Natalie begrudgingly participates in Windy Creek's summer horse camp alongside pretty, stuck up Harper, who is a million times better with horses than Natalie is and won't let her forget it, and energetic and fun Presley, who is at least happy to be Natalie's friend. Slowly, Natalie learns that a little perseverance and grit go a long way, and if she gives the riders (and horses) at Windy Creek a chance, they'll give her one, too.

Natalie and the Worst Summer Ever is the third book in Kaitlyn Sage Patterson's engaging Windy Creek Stables series.

Review Quotes

Praise for Windy Creek Stables:

"Patterson utilizes earnest third-person prose to showcase Presley's heartfelt enthusiasm for learning and new experiences, simultaneously providing an approachable primer to the world of horseback riding and a cohesive introduction to future protagonists. The result is a charming story that embraces friendship, responsibility, and the pursuit of one's dreams." --Publishers Weekly

"This fast-moving, accessible read balances more serious moments . . . with scenes of Presley reveling in her love for all things equine. Riding lingo and other details make this a surefire hit for horse lovers, but anyone seeking an absorbing read will be pleased." --Kirkus

About the Author

Kaitlyn Sage Patterson grew up with her nose in a book outside the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in East Tennessee. She started begging her parents to put her on a horse as soon as she learned to talk. After six long years they finally relented, and Kaitlyn began learning to ride. By the time she was ten she was working off extra lesson time by mucking stalls and helping out around the barn. Kaitlyn never shook the riding bug, and she is currently training her first horse, an off the track thoroughbred named Boon, to compete in dressage and eventing. In addition to Boon, her menagerie of adopted animals includes two black trashcan cats, a one-eyed ragdoll kitten, and a toothless greyhound. She is the author of the Windy Creek Stables series.