Return to Albemore

By Mary Lynn Michelle

Crystal and Shadow, two white horses living on a green plain meet two young girls on a trip of a lifetime to battle the evil forces of Ricky and make many friends along the way. Through wild forests, vast dessert, and the open ocean; our heroes will face magic and chaos in hopes of saving the world.Will they be able to save their friends and ach

• Language: English
• Publisher: Leavitt Peak Press
• Release date: Feb 28, 2023
• ISBN: 9781957956848

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RETURN TO ALBEMORE

Mary Lynn Michelle

Copyright

Copyright 2023 by Mary Lynn Michelle

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotation in a book review.

ISBN 978-1-957956-83-1 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-957956-84-8 (Ebook)

Inquiries and Book Orders should be addressed to:

Leavitt Peak Press

17901 Pioneer Blvd Ste L #298, Artesia, California 90701

Phone #: [phone]

For Carol and Albert Trim

Always in My Heart

Contents

Kirkus Book Review

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Epilogue

Kirkus Book Review

Debut author Michelle offers a children’s book that combines horses, magic, and adventure.

White horses Crystal and Shadow are longtime pals who begin the story as wild animals, simply living with other members of their herd. A local rancher catches the pair and takes them back to his farm; there, the horses meet youngsters Dana, whose father runs the ranch, and her friend Rachel, who both feel terrible about the fact that the wild creatures are being forced into domestication. The girls come up with a plan to let the animals go at night when no one is watching their pens. However, one of the ranch workers, Ricky, overhears their conversation and follows them; he has ambitions to become

The lead rancher, and he’s willing to execute his own shady plan to get what he wants—one that involves kidnapping the kids. Before he can do so, though, a former soldier living in a shelter nearby stops him, and the girls manage to escape on horseback. The rest of the story follows the girls’ adventure as they follow a map to try and return the horses to their original home and get themselves to safety; along the way, the story introduces an unexpected magical element. Michelle’s work is clearly meant for a very young audience who are just starting to read chapter books. As such, the narrative is simple and easy to follow, but it also makes an effort to grab the reader’s attention with plenty of incidents, as well as intriguing supernatural aspects. The character development mostly focuses on Rachel and Dana’s friendship with each other and their conflict with Ricky. The book also adroitly addresses themes of loyalty, respect, and cooperation to achieve a common goal.

A straightforward, engaging fantasy novella about friendship and overcoming difficulty.

Chapter 1

I’m a horse; a wild mare, in fact. I have a long white flowing mane and a long white flowing tail. I’m a darker color than my mother, but she told me that I turn white when I grow up. Many things happen for a reason and I always wonder about that. Let me tell you a story about my life, it might help you learn.

It all started when I was born and grew up in the wild. I was born in the spring, on a beautiful green plain. I looked just like my mother but a little different since my mane and tail were small.

I struggled to get up so I could follow my mother and the herd. My mother waits for me patiently. When I got up my left hoof gave in and I fell to the green grass. I tried again and the same thing happened. My mother showed me how to get up without falling. She helped me get half way up and the rest I did myself. Once I got up I took baby steps then I started to walk, then I trotted, cantered, and finally I galloped.

My mother was very surprised when I galloped. She knew I had the strength and heart of my father who was a wild white stallion and leader of the herd.

Spring is a beautiful season since there are so many kinds of flowers that bloom. Mother says that there are four seasons during the year. There are spring, summer, fall, and winter. Mother also says that I was born in the spring like the other foals in the herd.

Summer followed spring which is beautiful and a much hotter season. The reason it’s hot is because of the sun which is stronger during the summer. It makes the green grass warm too. The herd and I gallop through the green plain and we see flowers in different colors. The trees are greener than ever in this season as well.

I always love to gallop on the green plain with the other foals in the sun. It’s nice to see other wild animals playing around. We always seem to feel free with no worries to make us feel frightened. That’s because of my father since he protects the herd from any dangers.

During the summer I met up with another foal named Shadow. Oh, I’m Crystal by the way. Sorry I forgot to introduce myself. Shadow looks like me and is a darker color than I am.

We became good friends and soon I met his mother. My mother and Shadow’s mother were talking, and I overheard them say Shadow and his mother had no herd to be with. My mother told Shadow’s mother that they could stay with us and be a part of our herd.

Shadow told me that he never liked to stay in a herd because he liked