Synopsis
When 13-year-old Samantha returns home to her family′s cattle ranch in Nevada, she′s worried. She moved away two years ago to recover from a bad fall off her beloved mustang, Blackie, and she′s still not sure she can get back in the saddle. Her new colt doesn′t seem to like her, and the other ranchers treat her like the boss′s spoiled daughter, and Blackie has been missing since that fateful day.
But that′s just the beginning. When Sam suddenly finds the fate of a mysterious mustang who may or may not be the missing Blackie - resting in her hands, she has to learn to be a real cowgirl, ready or not. The classic theme of a girl and her horse is set against a backdrop of mustangs, tumbleweeds, and a West that′s still Wild.
Phantom Stallion #1: The Wild One
On a moonlit night, a mustang comes to Sam. Is it Blackie grown up and gone wild? Is it the legendary phantom stallion? Or could it be both?
Ages 10+
Judy Silverman - Children's Literature
Shades of The Horse Whisperer haunt this story of a wild mustang who crashed, injuring his rider and owner, Sam, then disappeared. Now two years later, Sam is back home, riding again, but missing her horse terribly. One night a mustang appears as if by magic. He comes straight toward her. Is he Blackie, come back? Hard as it is to believe, this seemingly wild mustang responds to Sam's secret name for Blackie, a name she's never told anyone. Conflict arrives when a neighboring rancher wants to claim the mustang at the next roundup. Sam doesn't know what to do. If she allows the rancher to claim the horse, she will never see him again, and she fears that the man will be cruel to him. But if she claims him for herself, she'll be removing him from the place he belongs. Can she be strong enough to forfeit her claim to Blackie and return him to the wild, to live with his herd of mares? This is the first volume of what promises to be a series. It may not be strong enough to compete with Marguerite Henry's most compelling horse books, but for slightly younger readers it could be the beginning of a beautiful experience. Part of the "The Wild One" series. 2002, HarperCollins Children's Books,