Natalie and the Summer of Surprises (Windy Creek Stables #3)

Natalie, who appeared briefly in Harper and the Horse Show Sabotage, has to spend the summer at Windy Creek Stables with her mother, Traci, since her father has to spend time in Antartica studying fish. This is not something that Natalie wants to do, and she is sure she is going to have a horrible summer. She's never really been interested in horses, since she was severely allegic as a child, and hasn't tried to learn very much even after she realized she had outgrown that condition. Her first experience in the barn underlines that; a horse runs off, scares her, and she drops and breaks her phone. Her mother isn't mad, but she isn't happy either; she wants Natalie to learn more about horses, and signs her up for horse camp. Natalie is sure that the riders like Harper, who are thin, preppy girls, won't be friendly to her, since she is one quarter Korean and self-describes as fat. She's glad that Presely, (from Presley and the Impossible Dream), is super friendly and even invites her to a sleepover. Natalie manages to ride a very gentle horse, and puts her mind to learning about how to care for horses in an effort to be close to her mother. She also tries to help out around the house and have a better attitude. She realizes that Harper isn't so bad when she joins her "Mission Mom" to connect with Traci. Natalie does much better, and even successfully completes a trail ride with Harper. Once she is all in on horses and starts to enjoy being at Windy Creek, however, she realizes that she will be sad when she goes back home to Washington, D.C. when her father returns.

Windy Creek Stables is a fun series because we get to see the organization from different viewpoints. Harper treats being there as her right; her older sister works for a horse related magazine, and the two are engaged in more technical and difficult equestrian endeavors like vaulting. Presley fought hard to be allowed to take riding lessons after reading about the sport, and felt a bit out of her element, since there aren't quite as many Black riders. Natalie doesn't even want to ride, but has a mother who is quite an accomplished equestrienne, so puts in a lot of effort to get up to speed. There are a lot of horse series, but I can't think of one that includes a reluctant character.

While Natalie is unhappy for about half the book, she does try to make an effort to appreciate her situation. It's good to see that both Presly and Harper are welcoming, and watching as Natalie involves herself with the unpleasant and pleasant aspects of working with horses may encourage readers to look into opportunities to ride in their own communities. I'm curious to see if there will be another book in the series, since there feels like there is more story to be told.

Readers who enjoyed Bowling's Holding On for Dear Life, Brill and Magruder's Creaky Acres, Hicks' Ride On, or Nir's The Flying Horse will want to add these Windy Creek titles to their stable of horse literature.