Phoenix
Will be published approx. on 3. March 2026
Book
Hardback
176 pages
978-0-593-85986-5 (ISBN)
Description
A fresh, unexpected horse-kid series from an unexpected horse-kid herself, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, award-winning and #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The War That Saved My Life and Fighting Words
Harper's life has just exploded. Her parents are getting a divorce. And she suspects her best friend, Cat, may have known the reason for it long before she did. Now Harper and her mom are starting over in a cramped house, in a new town, where everything feels unfamiliar, including the riding barn next door. Harper's never been around horses before. And no, she does not want to learn to ride. Then with no warning, a truck dumps a starved and neglected horse right in Harper's yard. She has no idea what to do with a live horse let alone a nearly dead one. But one look at the horse's huge eyes and his skinny body, and something inside Harper unlocks. The horse is named Phoenix, she decides. And she will not give up on him. Neither, it turns out, will Phoenix give up on her. She doesn't know it yet, but this is Harper's first step-toward new friends, new challenges, new adventures. Toward riding.
Harper's life has just exploded. Her parents are getting a divorce. And she suspects her best friend, Cat, may have known the reason for it long before she did. Now Harper and her mom are starting over in a cramped house, in a new town, where everything feels unfamiliar, including the riding barn next door. Harper's never been around horses before. And no, she does not want to learn to ride. Then with no warning, a truck dumps a starved and neglected horse right in Harper's yard. She has no idea what to do with a live horse let alone a nearly dead one. But one look at the horse's huge eyes and his skinny body, and something inside Harper unlocks. The horse is named Phoenix, she decides. And she will not give up on him. Neither, it turns out, will Phoenix give up on her. She doesn't know it yet, but this is Harper's first step-toward new friends, new challenges, new adventures. Toward riding.
Reviews / Votes
"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
"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
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Penguin Putnam Inc
Target group
Children/juvenile
US School Grade: From Fifth Grade to Ninth Grade, Interest Age: From 10 to 14 years
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Dimensions
Height: 217 mm
Width: 150 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
272 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-593-85986-5 (9780593859865)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
Kimberly Brubaker Bradley grew up horse-obsessed in a tragically non-horsey place and family. When she was eighteen and went to college, she took the reins in her own hands and hasn't stopped riding since. Kim foxhunted, competed at mid-amateur levels of eventing, and was the longtime "Boss Mare" of the Holston Pony Club for kids in her Tennessee hometown-a big part of her inspiration for this series-all while she was busy writing Newbery Honor-winning novels like The War That Saved My Life and Fighting Words. Kim is a fierce advocate for horses and the value of the human-horse connection. This is the horse-kid series of her heart.