Hold Your Horses

by Maxwell Grantly, Skippy Beresford (Illustrator)

Maxwell and Skippy had been looking forward to the annual village fete all summer. They were among friends and they knew that no one would stare at them or poke fun at their pointed elven ears. They both were so excited at the thoughts of watching the Donkey Derby, guessing the weight of the cake, counting marbles in a jar and visiting the numerous stalls around the village green. What could be better on a lovely sunny afternoon?

However, things take a turn for the worse when the Donkey Derby becomes cancelled, especially for Father Mosely (their carer) who had a secret passion for horse betting on the sly!

Read “Hold Your Horses” and find out how Maxwell and Skippy saved the day for the whole village. The plot will have you smiling in delight and the dreamy illustrations will delight you.

Kindle Edition

First published April 25, 2014

About the author

Maxwell Grantly is the nom de plume of Nigel Shelton , a schoolteacher living in a small seaside town on the east coast of Great Britain. Although he has written many short stories, he does not think of himself as an author. Maxwell is, first and foremost, merely a mathematics teacher. He simply writes just because he enjoys doing so and for no other reason.

Being a schoolteacher, Maxwell Grantly enjoys reading children's literature as part of his work as well as for recreation. However, as a writer, he does not always write books that could be described as typically suitable for the younger reader: his work is incredibly varied in both syntax and style. Maxwell produces short stories that he enjoys writing and that he enjoys reading. Sometimes he uses vocabulary and imagery that is more suited to adults. At other times, he writes directly for a younger audience. This means that some of his books may only be suitable for accomplished young readers (or for adults who might like a break from their regular reading agenda) while others may be suitable for younger readers who are still developing their literacy skills.

By not targeting his work to one particular audience and by not being a professional author, it does mean that Maxwell has an incredible freedom to branch out and simply write recreationally for his own artistic satisfaction. If you enjoy reading his stories then he is pleased that you were able to briefly enter his fantasy world too, if only for a brief ten or fifteen minutes.

Reviews

[Haneen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute story. Maxwell and Skippy are a lovely bunch. I liked how the author mentioned how hard it is for them to be elves among humans, even if it wasn't discussed that much.