Can't Be Tamed

Horse Country #1

by Yamile Saied Méndez

Welcome to Paradise Ranch, where everyone can get a second chance.

Carolina Aguasvivas grew up on the newly renamed Paradise Ranch, which she knows down to every last pony. But things are sure to change when the new owner's daughter, Chelsie Sánchez, sweeps in with an attitude and a feisty Thoroughbred named Velvet. The mare is skittish, headstrong -- and Carolina is determined to ride her.



Chelsie, who considers herself too good to clean stalls, certainly doesn't seem like a real horse girl. Somehow, she thinks the same of Carolina. But Caro knows she's more worthy than Chelsie to help Velvet recover, and she's ready to prove it.



The girls may discover they have more in common than they think... including a passion for bringing the healing power of horses to every kid.

Genres: Middle Grade, Horses, Fiction, Animals, Young Adult, Childrens

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 5, 2022

About the author

Yamile (sha-MEE-lay) is a fútbol obsessed Argentine-American. She’s the mother of 5 kids and 2 adorable dogs. Yamile’s an inaugural Walter Dean Meyers Grant recipient, a graduate of Voices of our Nation (VONA) and the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA Writing for Children program.
She’s represented by Linda Camacho, from the Gallt and Zacker Literary Agency.

Reviews

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this one.
I loved hearing about the horses 🐎 and the ranch, wished it was real so I could visit!

The 🌟 bonds between Carolina and her family and Carolina/the horses were beautiful 😍.

I didn't connect as well with the other characters. This was Carolina's book yes, but aside from Kimber, the others felt.. faded by comparison.

I can see this being a good book for tweens and reluctant readers.

Won't be continuing with the series, but I had fun 👍🏼

[Sarah B · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this was the book I read on the way to / from the ranch this morning and thankfully it turned out to be a good one! I was able to relate to the main character even though she was very young, ready to enter the sixth grade. But it's the problems she faced that I could understand oh so well! Plus the horse stuff in here is so well written you just know that the author has horses.

Did you ever have that feeling, that fear that you are no longer needed? That some new person or thing came along and then you will be replaced?? In the past I am sure that has always been a person but these days I think technology can do it too: people being replaced by machines or AI.... But that is how young Carolina feels in this story. She has always taken care of the little barn. The ponies and donkeys in it were her responsibility. But now there is a new girl named Chelsie who was assigned to that job too.

Unfortunately Carolina is not a people person. She is a horse person.. and why? Because she doesn't know how to get along with most people. She does the wrong thing. And boy, she does that a lot in here! The hair is really flying! These two girls don't like each other at all. I think both feel threatened by the other and they don't know how to talk.

And a horse named Velvet hangs in the balance!

The story builds up to a great climax. And there are many exciting scenes before that too, including sneaking around at night and breaking rules. There's name-calling too.

Would you want to be called a "pooper-scooper"?

But the issues are resolved at the end and it's stressed that it's good to tell the truth.

Absolutely beautiful cover!

I picked up the other books today in this series so I look forward to reading them soon.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This looks like a promising new series for the Juvenile Fiction genre. The protagonist is a girl who lives in a caretaker's cottage on a farm where her parents live and work. She loves working with the animals and does much to take care of their needs. The book is very descriptive about the work that she does. Until I read this book, I did not realize that there was so much work to care for farm animals! Additionally, the book is a story about the girl's life as a sixth-grader and her social struggles. The book teaches a few of life's lessons. The most important one is that, although everyone deserves a second chance, there are always consequences for wrongdoing. This book was written for readers who are in grades 3 though 7, and that sounds about right to me.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to review this one. I don't usually read juvenile fiction or horse books, but I was pleasantly surprised by the writing quality and character development in this short book. I learned a lot about the care of horses. I can see recommending this to some of my fifth graders.

[Andrea Beatriz Arango · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hello, my name is Andrea, and I was 33 years old when I first read a horse book starring Latinx characters and written by a Latinx author.

Were you a horse obsessed child like me? Do you currently have a horse obsessed child in your life? Then HORSE COUNTRY is definitely a series to check out! The first book gave me Saddle Club meets Heartland vibes (the two horsey book series I was most obsessed with in the 90s and early 2000s), and I thought Yamile struck the perfect balance between friendship/family drama and horse training/care details. It's aimed at the younger end of the middle grade spectrum (which is great!) and I can't wait to follow along with the rest of the books as they come out.

Once a horse lover, always a horse lover.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

The girls don’t like each other and don’t even try to get along.
New horse Velvet is having trouble adjusting to other horses.
Carolina thinks it’s ok to sneak out at night to be with the horse which causes problems for it rather than help it, and to eavesdrop. She thinks she can do everything on her own but can’t. She makes a lot of immature choices but she’s a kid so it’s probably fairly accurate.

Messages in the book:
Things don’t make you happy, relationships do.
Don’t judge people by appearances or possessions.
Her dad tells her not to judge people by her expectations. Don’t let assumptions about who they are get in the way of making friends.

Lots of info about horses and their care.

[Kendall Mehaffey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted to read this before giving it to my niece for her birthday to make sure it’s appropriate (she’s turning 7). It’s definitely appropriate and has a lot of good messages! I think the financial piece towards the end might go over her head, but otherwise the messages about being kind and not judging others/making assumptions about them runs deep in this book. The character development was also really nice to see

[Eliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is probably best for older than 7 year olds because it is a bit longer that most other books. Carolina grows up on a ranch where she knows every horse. But when a new girl, Chelsea, comes in with an attitude, and brings Velvet the horse who needs to be tamed, Carolina is determined to ride her. Can the two girls get along, and can Velvet eventually get better?

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 11-year-old granddaughter loves horses and is taking riding lessons. I will be sending this, and probably the others in this series, to her. The story is well written and the characters are fully developed and believable.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this book with my daughter as part of book club. It was a really sweet story. Loved the lessons the girls learned along the way. Great character development.

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a modern day Saddle Club concept and well done.

[Susan Phelan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. It was well written and fun.

[Libby · Rating 4 out of 5]

*4.5 stars*
The PERFECT book for young readers around grades 3 to 7! Beautiful story with valuable lessons subtly included alongside the fun narrative! 🐎

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 I’m not the target audience but still a good story. I would have liked these books when I was younger if they had been published at that time.

[Nina Beaty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book I loved the dialog and the way the author explained Carolinas` thoughts.

[Elizabeth Pantoja · Rating 5 out of 5]

La autora de este libro tiene la escritura muy agradable, gentil y entretenida. Te hace querer ser una buena persona.

Muy recomendado para lectores jóvenes y que les gusten los caballos. Este es el primer libro de varios más.

[Sue Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pretty good book
Love stories about horses and the bond between friends