A GOOD HORSE Horses of Oak Valley Ranch, Book 2

Angela Goethals's performance highlights eighth-grader Abby Lovitt's practical and calm manner in this story, set on a horse ranch in California. Like Abby herself, Goethals is most animated when Abby is working with horses, particularly her foal, Jack. Goethals effectively introduces a note of alarm when Abby's family's ownership of Jack comes into question. Later, Goethals adds a tone of panic when Abby becomes frightened while performing jumps in a horse show. The focus here is on horsemanship, but Goethals deepens the story with her vocal characterizations of the people in Abby's world. She's especially skilled at creating male voices as well as that of the crisply efficient riding instructor, Miss Slater. This audiobook will be most appealing to horse lovers but will also be welcome family listening. A.F. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2015]