Showtym Adventures 7: Jackamo, the Supreme Champion

Description

The seventh book in an exciting junior fiction series inspired by true stories from the Wilson Sisters' childhoods. The race is on . . . will Vicki find a NEW champion? In the seventh Showtym Adventure, it's a race against time for Vicki to find and train a brand new pony for the show season. Should she go for experience, or for potential? When Vicki's multi-champion pony is injured, she is devastated. It's the beginning of the show season and the 14-year-old must find a replacement quickly - but no pony comes close to the one she has lost. Then Vicki sees beautiful and inexperienced Jackamo. She senses he has star quality, and chooses him over proven ponies with years of show-ring success. With so little time, will she be able to transform Jackamo into a winner? Or has she risked everything on the wrong pony? In a turn of events they didn't see coming, Vicki, Kelly and Amanda face heartbreak and difficult decisions about the future in this story inspired by the Wilson Sisters' early years.

Born in Whangamata, Kelly Wilson relocated to Northland with her family at the age of five. Having grown up around horses, she competed in show jumping to Pony Grand Prix level, before focusing on her creative talents. She won a scholarship to Auckland University of Technology and graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Graphic Design, going on to become an award-winning photographer and designer. She is the bestselling author of four biographical non-fiction books, For the Love of Horses, Stallion Challenges, Mustang Ride and Saving the Snowy Brumbies, a children's picture book Ranger the Kaimanawa Stallion and a junior chapter book series Showtym Adventures. With her sisters Vicki and Amanda, Kelly has starred in the hit-rating TV series, Keeping up with the Kaimanawas, following their work taming New Zealand's wild Kaimanawa horses, and travelled to America and Australia to rescue and tame wild horses.

"This series has top shelf status in my 10-year-old's world." --The Sapling "This is a story which holds the attention. I really enjoyed the relatable, highly competent young female main characters--horse-riding certainly seems to breed resourcefulness, organisational skills, focus, responsibility and self-discipline! But then that's not surprising, when it takes such a very huge commitment. I also liked the realistic financial aspects: these girls and their parents think about money, a lot, and how to manage their purchases, increase value, and fund their passion. I found that realism refreshing. Very often characters in stories just seem to have the cash to do stuff without really worrying about where it comes from--as if people all have secret private incomes and oodles of cash. Whereas in the real world, most people don't. Finding the money to fund stuff is important. So, even for someone not into horses this is a very readable, very enjoyable story with great characters, and offers an inside look at another world. The writer's expertise and understanding of this equestrian world is thorough and fascinating . . . A highly entertaining read." --Kids Books NZ "This is the seventh book in Kelly Wilson's Showtym Adventures and once again young horse-lovers will easily relate to the tale of Jackamo . . . the story is about grit, determination and bravery as the Wilson sisters, Kelly, Vicki and Amanda, continue to learn all they can about horses." --Hawke's Bay Weekend