The Truth About Horses

A brave 14-year-old girl races against time to save her horse, her farm, and her relationship with her father while honoring her mother’s memory.

“A sumptuously written novel about love, loss, and horses. I devoured this book!”—Elin Hilderbrand, author of The Perfect Couple

Winner of the 2024 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Award for General Fiction and Silver Awards for Best New Voice and Teen Fiction, this best-selling debut novel weaves a spellbinding tale in which everyone has magical powers within them just waiting to be discovered.

REESE TUCKER’S family lives a simple, hardworking existence on their farm in Birdwood, South Dakota. Their love for the horses they raise and train is the only thing that keeps their business afloat. But their fortunes could change if they find a horse special enough to win the Black Elk race. Reese’s mom believes that horse is Trusted Treasure.

But two connected tragedies set Reese’s world spinning. Just when victory is mere feet away, Trusted Treasure takes a fall at the Black Elk finish line. While still reeling from that loss, the family is given hope when, during a drive, they encounter a near-mystical herd of wild horses led by a mysterious black stallion. But just when they’ve begun to dream again, the drive ends in a disaster that results in the sale of the family business and their beloved horse, Trusted Treasure, decisions for which fourteen-year old Reese may never forgive her father.

Heartbroken and still longing for the life she loved, Reese meets Wes, a stranger who’s just come to town. His way of training horses is unlike anything she’s ever seen. If anyone can win the Black Elk, it’s him—but he’s struggling with his own troubled past.

Amid heartaches and triumphs, Reese must prove her worth, heal her fractured family, help a new friend with a troubled past, and show everyone that some dreams are worth fighting for. As she struggles to do all this she discovers that even in the darkest of times, love and resilience can light the way.

The Truth About Horses will have you laughing and crying—sometimes on the same page—all the while rooting for Reese, the most unlikely of heroes.