What do you think?
Rate this book
Star Dancer
From the land of the racehorse, an international bestselling author writes a horse story for children.
Ger Kelly, a tough twelve-year-old, at the centre of whatever mischief takes place in his Dublin neighbourhood, sneaks into the Dublin Horse Show. This is a very posh event and he and his friends are there to cause trouble.
Then Ger sees a vision of beauty. She is Suzanne O'Carroll on her horse Star Dancer. They are dancing! Ger never imagined that a horse could float sideways, pirouette, or skip like a child. He is captivated.
He hangs around and eventually manages to strike up a conversation with Suzanne. She is learning dressage and dreams of riding her horse in the Olympic Games.
Ger longs with all his heart to ride a horse like Star Dancer. Suzanne arranges that Ger can groom her horse at the show grounds every day, and so Ger begins the first job he has ever had. He has entered a magical new world. His pals make fun of him, but for the first time in his life Ger does not care what they think.
Suzanne and Ger follow the horse events of the season, to gymkhanas, point-to-points and local and major shows.
Ger makes many mistakes and his friends cause problems and difficulties, but Suzanne sticks by him and they become firm friends. The two help each other. It will take years of hard work for Suzanne to achieve her dream, but Ger's dream is even more demanding. He must shrug off his old way of life and become caring and disciplined if he is to be good with horses.
STAR DANCER is a story about growing up. It is also an adventure story, filled with thrills and excitement, and a tingle of danger. It is full of the unique atmosphere of the horse world.
Ger Kelly, a tough twelve-year-old, at the centre of whatever mischief takes place in his Dublin neighbourhood, sneaks into the Dublin Horse Show. This is a very posh event and he and his friends are there to cause trouble.
Then Ger sees a vision of beauty. She is Suzanne O'Carroll on her horse Star Dancer. They are dancing! Ger never imagined that a horse could float sideways, pirouette, or skip like a child. He is captivated.
He hangs around and eventually manages to strike up a conversation with Suzanne. She is learning dressage and dreams of riding her horse in the Olympic Games.
Ger longs with all his heart to ride a horse like Star Dancer. Suzanne arranges that Ger can groom her horse at the show grounds every day, and so Ger begins the first job he has ever had. He has entered a magical new world. His pals make fun of him, but for the first time in his life Ger does not care what they think.
Suzanne and Ger follow the horse events of the season, to gymkhanas, point-to-points and local and major shows.
Ger makes many mistakes and his friends cause problems and difficulties, but Suzanne sticks by him and they become firm friends. The two help each other. It will take years of hard work for Suzanne to achieve her dream, but Ger's dream is even more demanding. He must shrug off his old way of life and become caring and disciplined if he is to be good with horses.
STAR DANCER is a story about growing up. It is also an adventure story, filled with thrills and excitement, and a tingle of danger. It is full of the unique atmosphere of the horse world.
- GenresChildrens
160 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1995
64 people want to read
About the author
Morgan Llywelyn
77 books1,001 followersMorgan Llywelyn (born 1937) is an American-born Irish author best known for her historical fantasy, historical fiction, and historical non-fiction. Her fiction has received several awards and has sold more than 40 million copies, and she herself is recipient of the 1999 Exceptional Celtic Woman of the Year Award from Celtic Women International.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 7, 2018
This is a good read which contrasts a no-hope streetwise kid with a suburban girl who is learning to ride dressage. Their paths cross when the lad sneaks in to the Royal Dublin Society showgrounds to look at the horses. This was in the days when we still had the Spring Show.
Ger decides to pretend that he belongs, and starts to want to help out with the glossy, friendly horses. Yes, horses have that effect on people. Suzanne, who owns Star Dancer, needs some help too, because much as she loves her brave horse, she's secretly afraid of jumping. Even though they get to be friends, and Ger works on weekends in the stables, Ger has to go home at night, and his real life keeps catching up with him.
This was written in 1993 and reprinted a few times. The few spelling mistakes are still present in my 2008 copy, and the author's photo is dire. She's wearing a white blouse and the contrast is so great that everything else is very dark. The cover photo is lovely but we are just told it is from Getty Images. Young readers will be fine with this but they won't overlook that both young people are called children, repeatedly. Ger is 12 - 13 and Suzanne is clearly older. While the style of writing is not complex, many horsey terms are used and life challenges presented, so young adults can learn as they enjoy the book. I'd recommend this book to anyone 8 - 14 years and to adults who love horses.
I borrowed this book from the Raheny public library. This is an unbiased review.
Ger decides to pretend that he belongs, and starts to want to help out with the glossy, friendly horses. Yes, horses have that effect on people. Suzanne, who owns Star Dancer, needs some help too, because much as she loves her brave horse, she's secretly afraid of jumping. Even though they get to be friends, and Ger works on weekends in the stables, Ger has to go home at night, and his real life keeps catching up with him.
This was written in 1993 and reprinted a few times. The few spelling mistakes are still present in my 2008 copy, and the author's photo is dire. She's wearing a white blouse and the contrast is so great that everything else is very dark. The cover photo is lovely but we are just told it is from Getty Images. Young readers will be fine with this but they won't overlook that both young people are called children, repeatedly. Ger is 12 - 13 and Suzanne is clearly older. While the style of writing is not complex, many horsey terms are used and life challenges presented, so young adults can learn as they enjoy the book. I'd recommend this book to anyone 8 - 14 years and to adults who love horses.
I borrowed this book from the Raheny public library. This is an unbiased review.
Displaying 1 of 1 review