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Horse Girl #1
Horse Girl
Seventh-grader Wills is head-over-hoof for horses, and she is beyond excited when she gets the chance to start training at the prestigious Oakwood Riding Academy. But Amara, the Queen of the #HorseGirls, and her posse aren't going to let the certifiably dork-tagious Wills trot her way into their riding club so easily. Between learning the reins of horse riding, dealing with her Air Force pilot mom being stationed thousands of miles from home, and keeping it together in front of (gasp!) Horse Boys, Wills will learn that becoming a part of #HorseGirlWorld isn't easy. But with her horse, Clyde, at her side, it sure will be fun!
240 pages, Hardcover
First published March 30, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
March 19, 2021
But some animals. . .leave a trail of glory behind them. They give their spirit to the place where they have lived, and remain forever a part of the rocks and streams and the wind and sky.--Marguerite Henry
When I was Willa's age, the horse was my most favorite animal. I had my own pony named Trudy and I drew horses at every opportunity. My favorite authors were Marguerite Henry, Walter Farley, and Mary O'Hara. This book provides information about riding and showing horses along with a little mystery. The fact that Willa's mom is an army pilot is also very current and adds a new level of interest. Both of Willa's horse buddies -- Clyde Lee and Minnie-- are fabulous. There are loads of fun puns and a few dad jokes that are clever. There was just one thing that kept me from giving this book five stars -- blergh!
Thank you to Penguin and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
When I was Willa's age, the horse was my most favorite animal. I had my own pony named Trudy and I drew horses at every opportunity. My favorite authors were Marguerite Henry, Walter Farley, and Mary O'Hara. This book provides information about riding and showing horses along with a little mystery. The fact that Willa's mom is an army pilot is also very current and adds a new level of interest. Both of Willa's horse buddies -- Clyde Lee and Minnie-- are fabulous. There are loads of fun puns and a few dad jokes that are clever. There was just one thing that kept me from giving this book five stars -- blergh!
Thank you to Penguin and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.
October 25, 2020
Like Mean Girls with horses—but better. Everybody wants a horse like Clyde in their life. A must read!
March 14, 2021
Horse Girl was hugely entertaining. I've always been a sucker for stories about kids and their horses and I grew up with the Black stallion, Black Beauty and the Misty of Chincoteague books and still fondly remember reading them as an entertaining way to spend a lazy summer evening. Horse girl reminded me of what I loved about those books while bringing a very modern and updated sensibility so that the story and the characters felt fresh and new and different. The main character's (Willa) experiences as an entrant into the cloistered world of the #horsegirls (and boys) is very well done. The author vividly evokes all of the little details of the show jumping experience, both inside and outside of the ring, and gives the young reader an excellent primer on the equipment, fashion and competitive structure of riding as well as the pleasures of working with and caring for horses. Horse Girl is funny, intelligent, irreverent, light-hearted, breezy, fast-paced and has a ton of heart.
I really appreciated that the reader didn't need to be a riding aficionado at all to enjoy the book....it's very accessible to kids who have never spent a moment riding. Although it is set in the equestrian world, the book worked for me more as study of how a spirited middle school every-girl establishes herself in a new group of friends and a new activity over the course of a year. I was reminded of some of Judy Blume's classics (Are You there God, it's Me Margaret or Tales of the Fourth Grade Nothing) by the authors ability to capture the joy and heartbreak and hilarity of being a middle school kid...she really nails the experience of navigating that tricky moment of life between childhood and adolescence when the stakes seem very high and the drama is ramped up to eleven for even the most ordinary events. Willa is a vivacious, sassy, goofy and intelligent protagonist who is also at times angst ridden, uncertain and insecure about her place in the world (like most of us were when were thirteen) and I loved her humor and resilience and occasionally flawed decision making in the face of setbacks and challenges both equestrian and personal. I loved it and bought it for all my nieces. Can’t want to read the next volume. Great job!
I really appreciated that the reader didn't need to be a riding aficionado at all to enjoy the book....it's very accessible to kids who have never spent a moment riding. Although it is set in the equestrian world, the book worked for me more as study of how a spirited middle school every-girl establishes herself in a new group of friends and a new activity over the course of a year. I was reminded of some of Judy Blume's classics (Are You there God, it's Me Margaret or Tales of the Fourth Grade Nothing) by the authors ability to capture the joy and heartbreak and hilarity of being a middle school kid...she really nails the experience of navigating that tricky moment of life between childhood and adolescence when the stakes seem very high and the drama is ramped up to eleven for even the most ordinary events. Willa is a vivacious, sassy, goofy and intelligent protagonist who is also at times angst ridden, uncertain and insecure about her place in the world (like most of us were when were thirteen) and I loved her humor and resilience and occasionally flawed decision making in the face of setbacks and challenges both equestrian and personal. I loved it and bought it for all my nieces. Can’t want to read the next volume. Great job!
March 22, 2021
Loved this so much! Charming, full of heart and a bit of whimsy, it's a fun book about challenging yourself to find your place in the world. Dealing with mean girls and a family deployment, exploring the signs of an early crush, all while learning how to ride her beloved horses - Willa is a good match for this moment when we’re all struggling to make sense of a quickly evolving world, and I would love to see more of her!
April 3, 2021
Love this one! Highly recommend - I read it with my nieces and it was such a compelling story that kept them entertained as well as me!
Can’t wait for the next one to come out!
Can’t wait for the next one to come out!
October 26, 2020
Horse Girl is overflowing with heart and humor. Wills is all of us--awkward, uncertain, brave, and determined. This book will make you long for breakfast-for-dinner, an afternoon spent in a stable, and a loveable best friend named Clyde.
September 6, 2022
Hear me out...I know this book is for tweens but I saw it posted in a Town & Country magazine article and I had to check it out. It was the horse girl book of my horse girl dreams. It was witty and endearing, and the footnotes with all the horse facts were perfect. I would have lost my mind if I read this when I was 10 with how much I loved it at 30. I highly recommend sharing this with any of the horse girls in your life. They will love it.
January 1, 2021
I received a review copy from Edelweiss. Thank you! Includes all of the comical and awkwardness of fitting in for middle school age kids in a riding club setting. A book my students will enjoy!
March 25, 2021
I have had so many students in the past few years asking me for stories about horses and riding in general. It’s been so hard to find something that fit their needs, but I can absolute see Horse Girls being a book that middle grade students will devour. The book does a great job of providing information about riding and showing horses for those that are not familiar with the process or the terminology. I also think the author did a great job of character development by bringing in multiple traits that fit well with the story line (Willa’s mom being an army pilot, lots of puns and dad jokes). The book brought in a lot of insight into the “clique” life of middle school and how you typically develop new friendships as well - which is always OKAY! The author does a great job portraying the middle school experience from an adult’s perspective, navigating this life between being an adult and a young child, that maturity switch - all of these are huge factors that play into the middle school behavior, and it is shown in a great way through Willa and the #HorseGirls.
August 14, 2022
A fun book about horses, about family, about confidence, and more. I really enjoyed reading it and the MC was fun (even if she was a bit... well simple, at times XD). I loved the horses parts and loved seeing her grow attached to first Clyde and later Minnie (though the latter never got the biggest love). Had fun seeing our MC grow and get better and better, though at times I couldn't really place how much time had passed.
I do wish she cared a bit more about her sisters allergies, I am allergic to quite a few things myself and I know how bad it can get. It is just a little bit of effort to clean your stuff, not put your horse/hay stuff all over your sister's stuff.
Also didn't read the annotations. They always pull me out of the story.
I do wish she cared a bit more about her sisters allergies, I am allergic to quite a few things myself and I know how bad it can get. It is just a little bit of effort to clean your stuff, not put your horse/hay stuff all over your sister's stuff.
Also didn't read the annotations. They always pull me out of the story.
June 1, 2021
This story makes me want to be a #HorseGirl!
October 7, 2025
A sweet and funny story of longing for friendship in the world of horses and horse girls.
April 1, 2021
No matter how old you are, if you ever loved horses, this is a terrific read. I was unable to put down this thoroughly delightful book. The main character is completely relatable to anyone who has ever had an "awkward" stage (that's most of us, right?) Also, you don't have to be a horse fan, but if you are ... bonus! Also ... horses! Lovely witty writing that never looks down on anyone. A classic in the making. Nicely done.
August 17, 2022
This is a very sweet and fun book of a young girl figuring out how to make friends and fulfilling her love of being a #horsegirl.
I very much enjoyed the characters and this was a super quick read. The additional facts were great and very useful for kids that are interested in horses and riding.
I very much enjoyed the characters and this was a super quick read. The additional facts were great and very useful for kids that are interested in horses and riding.
April 11, 2021
You had me at dork-tagious! Seriously though, how could anyone not fall in love with horses after reading this? Carrie Seim is such a prolific, witty and engaging author. Thanks to this book, my 10-year-old niece is now ready for her own horse.
July 31, 2021
This book was soooooo good!!! While this book’s main character is a 13 years old 7th grader along with her 16 year old sister and some 7th grade friends, this book is appropriate to read with any chapter reading reader.
The story has a lot going on. Willa, Kay, and her dad are left behind in NE while mom is a pilot serving overseas. The whole family misses mom but they know they have to pull through to keep the family running and make mom proud.
Because they are a military family, they move around a lot and it’s hard on Willa to make friends with people. She prefers horses. Willa finally convinces her parents to let her take horse riding lessons but under the condition that she has to make friends. Human friends. Willa has no problem making friends with her horse but it turns that she just might have a human friend too. She just needs to figure out who it is that keeps leaving secret encouraging messages for her.
This was a really good book for horse lovers and wannabe horse lovers out there. There was quite a few technical horsemanship terms used and the author provided footnotes, from the main character’s tone, at the bottom of the page.
The story has a lot going on. Willa, Kay, and her dad are left behind in NE while mom is a pilot serving overseas. The whole family misses mom but they know they have to pull through to keep the family running and make mom proud.
Because they are a military family, they move around a lot and it’s hard on Willa to make friends with people. She prefers horses. Willa finally convinces her parents to let her take horse riding lessons but under the condition that she has to make friends. Human friends. Willa has no problem making friends with her horse but it turns that she just might have a human friend too. She just needs to figure out who it is that keeps leaving secret encouraging messages for her.
This was a really good book for horse lovers and wannabe horse lovers out there. There was quite a few technical horsemanship terms used and the author provided footnotes, from the main character’s tone, at the bottom of the page.
July 11, 2023
Honestly, kind of cute and not terribly far-fetched bad as I feel a lot of horse books are when they’re written by a non-horse person. Actually kind of cute and sweet with some decent research and horse facts in there.
Honestly, the author really had me there when she said “Eventually, every horse breaks your heart.” She gets it.
Honestly, the author really had me there when she said “Eventually, every horse breaks your heart.” She gets it.
January 30, 2026
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Willa, who goes by Wills, is used to moving around a lot because her mother is a pilot in the Air Force. She is currently stationed abroad, and the family is in Oakwood, Nebraska. Her dad tells horrible jokes and makes breakfast for dinner, and her older sister Kay is a mathlete. Wills is taking riding lesson at a local stable, and is very fond of the horse she rides, a Clydesdale named Clyde Lee. There is a team of riders that competes, and the captain is mean girl Amara. Wills has some self esteem issues, and views herself as clumsy and large, which is one reason she bonds with Clyde. After a difficult ride, she finds a note written in sparkly purple ink giving her support. This encourages her to keep up with riding even when her Halloween horse costume isn't as successful as she would like, she finds it hard to get along with the other riders (and equestrian teams are co ed), and Clyde has troubles with his foot. She continues to try to solve the mystery of the notes of support, and prepares to join the Oakwood Flyers competitive team in the battle against the Elkhorn Equestrians, who stole the Flyers' best rider, but when she finds out that Clyde is going to be adopted, she mounts a protest, chaining herself to the horse. Will she be able to ride competitively in the future?
Strengths: Like Wills, many middle school girls are quite interested in equestrian pursuits, and the combination of horses with a mean girl and a team dynamic is well done. The fact that Willa's mother was in the Air Force and stationed abroad added a level of emotional complexity that compelled the story forward; her wishful thinking that her mother meant to visit and surprise her at her competition was absolutely the way that middle graders would think. The father was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the fact that while Kay was allergic to horses and had completely different interests, she supported Willa as much as she could. The this wasn't really a mystery book, but the mystery kept this moving along as well.
Weaknesses: The stable manager cares deeply Clyde's well being, and it irked me that Willa was more concerned with the fact that she would miss him. I also could have done without the graphic description of Amara's reaction to competition; it's definitely a reality, though. Had several habitual "pukers" during my cross country years!
What I really think: This had a lot of good details about riding horses as well as competing with them, and as such will appeal to my students who are fond of horses. Despite my own objections about Wills' behavior, I think this will circulate well, and I do try to buy a couple of horse books every year.
Willa, who goes by Wills, is used to moving around a lot because her mother is a pilot in the Air Force. She is currently stationed abroad, and the family is in Oakwood, Nebraska. Her dad tells horrible jokes and makes breakfast for dinner, and her older sister Kay is a mathlete. Wills is taking riding lesson at a local stable, and is very fond of the horse she rides, a Clydesdale named Clyde Lee. There is a team of riders that competes, and the captain is mean girl Amara. Wills has some self esteem issues, and views herself as clumsy and large, which is one reason she bonds with Clyde. After a difficult ride, she finds a note written in sparkly purple ink giving her support. This encourages her to keep up with riding even when her Halloween horse costume isn't as successful as she would like, she finds it hard to get along with the other riders (and equestrian teams are co ed), and Clyde has troubles with his foot. She continues to try to solve the mystery of the notes of support, and prepares to join the Oakwood Flyers competitive team in the battle against the Elkhorn Equestrians, who stole the Flyers' best rider, but when she finds out that Clyde is going to be adopted, she mounts a protest, chaining herself to the horse. Will she be able to ride competitively in the future?
Strengths: Like Wills, many middle school girls are quite interested in equestrian pursuits, and the combination of horses with a mean girl and a team dynamic is well done. The fact that Willa's mother was in the Air Force and stationed abroad added a level of emotional complexity that compelled the story forward; her wishful thinking that her mother meant to visit and surprise her at her competition was absolutely the way that middle graders would think. The father was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed the fact that while Kay was allergic to horses and had completely different interests, she supported Willa as much as she could. The this wasn't really a mystery book, but the mystery kept this moving along as well.
Weaknesses: The stable manager cares deeply Clyde's well being, and it irked me that Willa was more concerned with the fact that she would miss him. I also could have done without the graphic description of Amara's reaction to competition; it's definitely a reality, though. Had several habitual "pukers" during my cross country years!
What I really think: This had a lot of good details about riding horses as well as competing with them, and as such will appeal to my students who are fond of horses. Despite my own objections about Wills' behavior, I think this will circulate well, and I do try to buy a couple of horse books every year.
January 18, 2026
My girls and I read this book together for my 4th grade daughter’s book club that she is a part of. We had our doubts — I was worried it would be too old for her as the main character is in middle school (but it wasn’t at all). And upon finding out that this was the next book to read, my daughter wasn’t initially thrilled. She had no interest as she’s not into riding, and because another friend of hers in the club said she wasn’t liking the book (I don’t think she had gotten very far). Anyway, we started it and pretty quickly after it began, we really got into it. Carrie Seim’s writing is so fun and refreshing and witty, and each chapter had us wanting to read more to see what happened next. We loved the horse references and the footnotes included so we were able to understand and learn a bit about riding. And we all agreed that we loved how she tied it all together at the end! I had a hunch that it would end in a positive way and my girls were all smiles with the entire ending!
July 18, 2021
I read this book myself (34 year old female) and I loved it so much, I bought 4 more copies to give to my little cousins (those who ride and even the ones who don’t!). I instantly fell in love with this coming of age story. It’s just perfect. Friendships. Love. Horses. Mean girls. This is exactly the kind of book I would have stumbled upon when I was younger and would have motivated me to keep reading! ..to keep finding books just like this one. I found myself cracking up during parts of the book. Lighthearted reads like this are my favorite.. I really don’t like getting sad or depressed by a book. I highly recommend this to all young girls and all grown up girls haha!
February 28, 2025
Wills loves horses, so she's thrilled when she finally gets to take riding lessons! But then things start going wrong. She keeps embarrassing herself and a mean girl named Amara keeps trying to psych her out! But Wills is determined to become an official #HorseGirl no matter what it tkes.
Overall I found this to be very enjoyable. I especially loved how the focus was on the horses and I love that all of the terminology is included. I did find Wills a bit annoying at times though, and the secret note resolution wasn't my favorite. But overall, very enjoyable and a good book to give to the horse girls in your life.
Overall I found this to be very enjoyable. I especially loved how the focus was on the horses and I love that all of the terminology is included. I did find Wills a bit annoying at times though, and the secret note resolution wasn't my favorite. But overall, very enjoyable and a good book to give to the horse girls in your life.
March 14, 2021
Horse girl is the sweet story of Willa, a head over heels girl for horses. Willa is a seventh grader that goes by the name Wills and has a mom that serves in the Air Force as a pilot. Dad is the kind of dad my girls have, a little quirky and quite funny. This book will leave you longing for breakfast for dinner (which is my favorite), a stable family that doesn't move, and probably for a horse like Clyde. When Wills gets the opportunity to start riding lessons, she becomes very fond of a Clydesdale named Clyde Lee. This book also faces the topic of "mean girls" and also anonymous inspiring notes after Wills & Clyde Lee have a difficult run. I do like that the book has a central focus around horses, and my girls love horse books, so I will be adding this one to my classroom library, and probably school library if I get in one soon.
Thank you for the eARC via Penguin and Edelweiss.
Thank you for the eARC via Penguin and Edelweiss.
October 11, 2023
I got to meet the author and purchase this book directly from her at Breyerfest!
I thought this was an adorable little girl horse book. I loved that it added in little facts about horses without interrupting the story. It also did a really good job of mixing in her regular life without it dominating the horse aspect. Great job!
My only complaints were that it was for a much younger audience than I was expecting and the overuse of "blergh" and "swoon" and saying "Thatta girl" rather than "atta girl."
I thought this was an adorable little girl horse book. I loved that it added in little facts about horses without interrupting the story. It also did a really good job of mixing in her regular life without it dominating the horse aspect. Great job!
My only complaints were that it was for a much younger audience than I was expecting and the overuse of "blergh" and "swoon" and saying "Thatta girl" rather than "atta girl."
August 14, 2025
What a cute book!
This is a wonderful, hilarious, heartfelt story about the power of friendship, belief in yourself and others, family, and horses. The characters are lovely, goofy, relatable human beings. The protagonist, Willa, and her family really carry the book, and it’s written in an easy, relatable language that kids will immediately identify with.
Perfect for all the #HorseGirls of all ages!
This is a wonderful, hilarious, heartfelt story about the power of friendship, belief in yourself and others, family, and horses. The characters are lovely, goofy, relatable human beings. The protagonist, Willa, and her family really carry the book, and it’s written in an easy, relatable language that kids will immediately identify with.
Perfect for all the #HorseGirls of all ages!
October 27, 2025
such a fun middle grade read!! perfect for any young horse lover (or older horse lover wanting to reunite w their inner child!)
willa is such a fun character and it was nice to see the rest of her family/friends so fleshed out :) and her being accepted by the others at the barn despite being newer at riding
v much related to grooming being soothing/calming haha and all the footnotes are a good idea for younger readers who may not know as much about horses
willa is such a fun character and it was nice to see the rest of her family/friends so fleshed out :) and her being accepted by the others at the barn despite being newer at riding
v much related to grooming being soothing/calming haha and all the footnotes are a good idea for younger readers who may not know as much about horses
October 19, 2021
Willa, Kay, and their parents have been together forever, but one day Willa's mom has a job across the world leaving her with her dad and her annoying sister Kay.But then her dad signs her up for Oakwood Academy which is a horse training school. There she meets a four legged friend Clyde Lee. Willa and Clyde Lee like to solve mysteries, make mischief and eat pizza.
October 25, 2021
If you've recommended a lot of books, you've undoubtedly been asked for "horse books" a la Marguerite Henry and Black Beauty. This is definitely going to be one I hand out the next time it comes up! I liked that Willa's mom was stationed in the air force-it made Willa's attachment to horses instead of people (from all the moving) and her reactions a bit more understanding and heft.
January 5, 2023
This was cute, though I have to say that the way it was written was often cringey. I mean when the writer kept adding "blergh" or "swoon" in between the MC's thoughts on every page, it felt like she were trying to hard to sound young and modern... The actual plot and horse parts were interesting, but the writing made it feel kind of silly or superficial in its entirety.
May 13, 2021
Will purchase for my horse fiction fans. The details about riding are great. Started strong and then MC got a bit annoying. She seemed a bit young for 7th grade even if she's a social misfit. I really got sick of "Blergh!". That phrase got old fast.
July 31, 2021
This is a middle grade read and it was so good!!! If you are looking for something sweet and tender hearted and love horses, then I think you will enjoy this read. This book was so good I think it would be even better if you read it aloud to your kids too. ;)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews