Shadow of a Doubt

by Skylar James

Fyfe Flynn lives on a modest farm in the shadows of the world-famous horse track Churchill Downs, where she spends more time around horses than she does around other kids._ That suits her father, the acclaimed jockey Roscoe Flynn, just fine.
When a new foal is born but loses his mother, Fyfe gains a loyal best friend in the horse she names “Shadow of a Doubt.” Together they dream that one day Shadow will become the a great racehorse and win the Kentucky Derby. At first, few believe in Shadow’s prospects—especially when the neighbor next door, Colonel Epsom, uses his great wealth to produce racehorses of the finest caliber and will do whatever it takes to see them win. But Fyfe and Shadow, with the help of their animal friends, refuse to give up on their dreams.
Shadow of a Doubt is a heartfelt book about family, friendship, taking risks and believing in those we love. Shadow and Fyfe are sure to win the hearts of anyone lucky enough to join in their inspirational story.

Genres: Fiction

326 pages, Hardcover

First published April 21, 2015

About the author

Skylar James was born and raised in New York City. She learned to ride horses at the age of six and although her riding career was short-lived, lasting just one year, she is exceedingly proud of the red ribbon she won “that one time”. She spent many an afternoon pressed up against the rail at The Meadowlands Racetrack, long before she was big enough to see over it. Skylar worked in charity, and before that in film and television, until she decided to chase her dreams and become a writer. This is Skylar’s first novel. She hopes you enjoy it.

Reviews

[joyce g · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet horsey tale. Perfect for a young rider.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review is also posted at kidsreads.com

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In SHADOW OF A DOUBT --- Skylar James’ debut novel about friendship, family and perseverance --- plucky protagonist Fyfe Flynn and her best friend Shadow the horse dream of racing in the Kentucky Derby, even though Shadow was bred to be a workhorse. With the help of her father and all the animals on Flynn farm, Fyfe and Shadow must overcome a number of trials and tribulations in order to achieve their dreams. If they don't, they might lose Flynn Farm for good.

Fyfe is a great protagonist for kids to look up to. She's brave, spirited, open, caring (especially about her animal friends), a little stubborn and learns to overcome mental and physical disabilities in order to achieve her goals. She's a bit of a tomboy and doesn't have many (human) friends, but everyone still accepts her for who she is. I really admired her tenacity in the face of all the hardships she and her father have to contend with. Fyfe and Shadow also have a great relationship, and though they can't exactly communicate with each other, they understand one another on a level that anyone who has ever had a beloved pet can relate to.

My favorite aspect about the story is the relationship between the farm animals. The animals can communicate with each other, similar to stories like CHARLOTTE’S WEB, and there is quite a cast of characters on Flynn Farm. I appreciate that the animals' story ran along with the main plot, and I looked forward to all of the animals’ interaction and development. Oats, the brooding, downtrodden pony who never quite had a "real job" to do on the farm, particularly stood out.

I also enjoyed how the author uses the colloquial language of the Kentucky countryside setting --- it really immerses readers into the story. Overall, SHADOW OF A DOUBT is a fun, compelling tale sure to please any animal-loving reader.

[Kelsey · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give this zero stars, or even negative stars, I would. Teaches me to pick up my first impulse read in years with zero research.

Riddled with cliches, filled with incorrect information (has the author even been to a racetrack lol), the most over-the-top evil villain that it turned into a snoozefest, and a POV change that drove me insane. Don't try to make this a cutesy, full-of-heart tale about a poor kid trying to make a go of her dreams and then turn it into some talking animals shit. I'd normally eat that shit up, but I hated it. And the main character is completely disrespectful to her "hardass" of a father in such a way that the author was trying to frame as super dramatic, but in actuality would never fly.

I might have liked this when I was younger, but it's hot garbage now. Avoid.

[TS · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for my honest review.

Although I am an avid reader, my 10 year old daughter is not! It's like pulling teeth trying to get her to read. Go figure? But she has read this book twice already! She says she loves the story and the characters. She also loved the illustrations that are throughout the book.

[Krystle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have words to say about this book. I love horses and love to read about any horse related sports, so horse racing is one of them. I found this in the clearance section of Barnes and Noble for $2.00 and after reading this that allocation was entirely correct.

I bet this book was written during the time of California Chrome's Kentucky Derby victory (a true fairy tale if there ever could be one in the sport of horse racing) and American Pharoah's Triple Crown victory, the first in over 35+ years. Reading up on those horse and watching their races is probably more entertaining than this one.

Okay, this is presented as a middle grade novel so I can forgive some of the more outlandish plot points (thoroughbred racehorses being roan, palomino, etc and a thirteen year old girl disguising herself as a boy to jockey her family horse in a race) as that is what drives lots of other horse books too to make the main character or horse in particular seem a lot more special.

I cannot forgive the factual inaccuracies in regards to thoroughbred horse racing. The whole point scoring is a very recent endeavor to get into the Kentucky Derby as it used to be done by graded stakes earnings. But there is actually no threshold as to how much a horse needs to earn to get into the race - unlike that the author implies. Only 20 horses can start so obviously the more points you have, the better, but you don't necessarily have to win races or be at a restricted number of points to advance or enter races. It's really ridiculous that Shadow of a Doubt (the horse in the story) has his first race in a GRADED STAKES. What?! That usually never turns out well! There are maiden races for this purpose.

Also, you can absolutely NOT interfere with another horse, move into their path, or cause injury or harm to horse or rider during a race. You must be CLEAR before you make a move. Doing something intentionally such as shoving a horse into the rail is NOT ALLOWED AT ALL. There is a terrible scene where the rival horse owner and villain has his jockey slam his horse into theirs so they could fall and become injured. WHAT?! That would not fly! It's why there was such a whole controversy when Maximum Security was disqualified because he moved into the paths of oncoming horses.

There's a scene where the villain has his brand new trainer timing the rival workouts around a half mile training track. Rule of thumb for a horse racing is 12 seconds per furlong and a good half mile time would be 48 seconds then. However, the author has the time as something like 51 3/5ths which is a godawful time for a thoroughbred racehorse. That is slow as heck. That might be good or decent time for a harness racer but not for a top quality thorough race horse.

It upsets me that the method the author chose to portray the villain as some money hungry old guy intent on preserving his reputation and legacy and she has to show this via the use of drugs. As in drugging up their horses so they run better and faster. Can we not? That is so tired and lazy. Not to mention this guy owns the dam (mother) of Shadow of a Doubt and she WON THE KENTUCKY DERBY and threatens to SHOOT HER if they insist on competing in the race.

The illogicalness and fallacy with this idea! First of all, a female horse winning the Kentucky Derby has only been done 3 times in the entire race's history (Regret, Genuine Risk, and Winning Colors), and they were beloved by the public. If he ever did something to this horse the public would be in a uproar and would come after him. She would be the most valuable mare on the planet.

Another gripe I have is the talking animals. There is no indication or set up in the premise that there would be talking animals in this book. They come out of nowhere so abruptly and are inserted in throughout chapters or scenes it does nothing more than serve as a nuisance and distraction to bring me out of the story. The story would have been better if it had just been focused on the horse and the girl to me.

I have many more things I could gripe and nitpick about but I'm going to stop. If I had been a kid and never read a book about horses before I might have thought this was decent. But there are far better books if you want middle grade level horse books. The Thoroughbred Series starting with A Horse Called Wonder or Horse Crazy from the Saddle Club series if you were more interested in show jumping.

These series were a lot better written, good characters that grow up over the course of the series, and FACTUALLY accurate without being a bore.

Try those. Please.

[Shazza Maddog · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I could give this 3.5 stars...

Fyfe is about twelve or thirteen, living with her Dad on a tiny horse farm in Kentucky. Their neighbors are the Epsoms, breeders and owners of fine thorobreds for four generations or more. Fyfe's dad buys a thorobred mare and breeds her, but the mare dies in foaling. The Epsoms have a mare who lost her foal. Fyfe's foal and the Epsom mare are put together to save both their lives.

But Colonel Epsom despises the raggedy colt Fyfe names 'Shadow of a Doubt' and insists he leave the Epsom farm. Shadow learns to be a plow horse and to haul wood and other things in a wagon - but he really wants to race. And eventually, Fyfe's dad decides to try him out on the track, mostly because they need the money or the farm will be auctioned off.

And Shadow's good. He's so good, he might be what Fyfe and her Dad need to get out of debt, if they can just come up with enough money - and stay healthy enough - to get to Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Derby.

The story is a bit slow but Fyfe and Shadow are definitely engaging. The animals all have their own stories to tell, from the chicken to the cow, and Gilda, the mare who raised Shadow. While this is not as lovely as National Velvet, the sweetness is very evident.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the "girl and her horse" book I wanted when I was younger and hungrily watching/reading The Black Stallion over and over. There are tried-and-true horse fiction tropes here but the charm of the narration sells them easily. The book plays itself in the mind easily and while occasionally, the rational adult side of me rolled its eyes at the bits of the animals interacting, they were still sweet and fun in their own way.

[Kaitlyn Fitzpatrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute kids story about a family who turns their work horse into a racehorse. It’s filled with heart. Unfortunately, I’m a little old for it and found a few parts to be cheesy. The animals talk to each other. And for a story that’s supposed to be a good example, I didn’t like that the dad did some illegal things like betting and using a jockey that’s too young.

[Lila Roeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing and great for people who know how to push through anything to do what you love ❤️

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

FTC Disclosure: I received this book free from Goodreads hoping I would review it.

[Sarah Monsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fyfe Flynn is only twelve, but she knows her way around a racetrack. That’s because her father’s a jockey and a winning jockey, at that. It’s a good thing, too, because if the Flynns had to make their living from the family farm they’d be in serious trouble. What the Flynns know is horses, but even Fyfe’s father can’t be convinced when she insists their horse Shadow is a true winner. Everyone else may say that Shadow’s too small and too ordinary to be a racehorse, but Fyfe knows better. Fyfe knows that Shadow’s got the heart of a winner. Fyfe and Shadow will have to risk everything to prove it and get a chance at a big win.

I’ve been looking for a book with an old-fashioned sensibility that readers today would also enjoy. That’s a tall order since today’s readers expect a much faster pace than kids once did, and it’s tough to get the sensibility of the older, more leisurely books when the plot’s whipping along like a racehorse. Skylar Jones has handled this feat magnificently. Shadow of a Doubt has humor and heart, and the plot never lags so it won’t cause readers lose its readers’ attention.

I’m a wimp about animal stories. Even when they’re not intended to, they often make me sad. Ironically, I’m a sucker for a horserace story. I’ve spent many a happy afternoon curled up with Dick Frances. This story never pushed my weepy-poor-animal buttons; it kept me engaged and made me laugh, instead. And I enjoyed the humorous and sometimes snarky commentary from the animal characters.

There was a down-home element of this book that was voiced in part by many, many clichés. It came right up to the verge of annoying me, but seemed to lessen in each scene just as I was beginning to consider how much it was bothering me. All-in-all Shadow of a Doubt is a charming and heartwarming book that animal-loving middle grade readers and others will enjoy. It would make a good read aloud for a classroom or for bedtime.

I received a review copy of Shadow of a Doubt courtesy of Adaptive Books.

[Alex]

Bought it for my eight year old cousin, she wasn’t super interested but it was sitting around and i ended up picking it up since I’m a major horse nerd and was so incredibly endeared, its such a cute story with a good ending :)