2025 NAIWE Young Adult Book Winner
Author: Valerie Ormond
Fourteen-year-old Sadie Navarro rescued a mare from an auction. Young Sadie believed she had accomplished her most meaningful work—until she found out that a ranch on the other side of the country had adopted the mare. Now Sadie feels like a failure because she cannot ensure that Sunny’s new home will care for the horse in the manner she would prefer.
While Sadie’s love of horses has led her to worry what may become of Sunny, her supportive parents agree to take the family summer vacation at the dude ranch where Sunny now lives.
With the family vacation being scheduled several months out, Sadie struggles with preparations to leave her own horse in good care, but also with many mixed emotions of what she could do as a teenager if she discovers that Sunny is not being well cared for.
Valerie Ormond flawlessly and seamlessly gets in the mind of her main character, a young teenager, to express her many thoughts and her feelings of powerlessness in discovering what kind of a person she wants to become in relation to her current love of horses. This is a well-written book that describes a supportive family helping one another in need.
Congratulations, Valerie Ormond’s Believing in Horses Out West for being a NAIWE 2025 Book Award winner!
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