field. She raised one hoof and then the other, enjoying the feel of it underneath her
.
She’d eaten, the warm mash steaming, and had her fill of cool water
.
She was tired now after her long run, but still she put her head out the half door, curious to see what was happening outside
.
Everything was quiet, the light dim, a creature asleep near the door. Across from her was the mare, watching her, ears pricked forward
.
The mare whinnied, a soft sound, a good sound
.
The filly whinnied back, contented, and then she slept
.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First, a thank-you to my husband, Jim, for the times we spent at Belmont and Aqueduct, sunny days, happy days, with memories of that first opening day so long ago, when I began to learn about the races.
Then, to my dear students at Clara H. Carlson, who told me more about Belmont—the cats, the chickens, that world that was just a short distance from the school.
This book was in my mind from the time I first learned about the beautiful silks made by Antoinette Brocklebank. Every time I saw a race, those colors captured me, and I knew they belonged in a book.
I owe a tremendous debt to Sheri Wilcox, who read this so carefully and gave me ideas, and to her father, Joseph Brocklebank, whose idea of Rafael’s race was so much better than my own, of course. I hope I haven’t disappointed them; any errors certainly are my own.
I can’t forget my children, Jim and Laura, Bill and Cathie, Alice and Jim: my advisors, and critics, who give me joy. Their children, Jim, Chris, Bill, Cait, Conor, Patti, and Jilli, inspire me. I write for them.
PATRICIA REILLY GIFF is the author of many beloved books for children, including the Kids of the Polk Street School books, the Friends and Amigos books, and the Polka Dot Private Eye books. Several of her novels for older readers have been chosen as ALA-ALSC Notable Books and ALA-YALSA Best Books for Young Adults. They include
The Gift of the Pirate Queen; All the Way Home; Water Street; Nory Ryan’s Song
, a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Honor Book for Fiction; and the Newbery Honor Books
Lily’s Crossing
and
Pictures of Hollis Woods. Lily’s Crossing
was also chosen as a
Boston Globe-Horn Book
Honor Book. Her most recent book was
Eleven
. Patricia Reilly Giff lives in Connecticut.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2009 by Patricia Reilly Giff
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
Wendy Lamb Books and the colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Visit us on the Web! www.randomhouse.com/kids
Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at
www.randomhouse.com/teachers
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Giff, Patricia Reilly.
Wild girl / Patricia Reilly Giff. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Summary: When twelve-year-old Lidie leaves Brazil to join her father and brother on a horse ranch in New York, she has a hard time adjusting to her changed circumstances, as does a new horse that has come to the ranch.
eISBN: 978-0-375-89391-9 [1. Horses—Fiction.
2. Homesickness—Fiction. 3. Family life—New York (State)—
Fiction. 4. Immigrants—Fiction. 5. Brazilian Americans—Fiction.
6. New York (State)—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.G3626Wh 2009
[Fic]—dc22
2008047733
Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.
v3.0_r1
.
She’d eaten, the warm mash steaming, and had her fill of cool water
.
She was tired now after her long run, but still she put her head out the half door, curious to see what was happening outside
.
Everything was quiet, the light dim, a creature asleep near the door. Across from her was the mare, watching her, ears pricked forward
.
The mare whinnied, a soft sound, a good sound
.
The filly whinnied back, contented, and then she slept
.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
First, a thank-you to my husband, Jim, for the times we spent at Belmont and Aqueduct, sunny days, happy days, with memories of that first opening day so long ago, when I began to learn about the races.
Then, to my dear students at Clara H. Carlson, who told me more about Belmont—the cats, the chickens, that world that was just a short distance from the school.
This book was in my mind from the time I first learned about the beautiful silks made by Antoinette Brocklebank. Every time I saw a race, those colors captured me, and I knew they belonged in a book.
I owe a tremendous debt to Sheri Wilcox, who read this so carefully and gave me ideas, and to her father, Joseph Brocklebank, whose idea of Rafael’s race was so much better than my own, of course. I hope I haven’t disappointed them; any errors certainly are my own.
I can’t forget my children, Jim and Laura, Bill and Cathie, Alice and Jim: my advisors, and critics, who give me joy. Their children, Jim, Chris, Bill, Cait, Conor, Patti, and Jilli, inspire me. I write for them.
PATRICIA REILLY GIFF is the author of many beloved books for children, including the Kids of the Polk Street School books, the Friends and Amigos books, and the Polka Dot Private Eye books. Several of her novels for older readers have been chosen as ALA-ALSC Notable Books and ALA-YALSA Best Books for Young Adults. They include
The Gift of the Pirate Queen; All the Way Home; Water Street; Nory Ryan’s Song
, a Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Golden Kite Honor Book for Fiction; and the Newbery Honor Books
Lily’s Crossing
and
Pictures of Hollis Woods. Lily’s Crossing
was also chosen as a
Boston Globe-Horn Book
Honor Book. Her most recent book was
Eleven
. Patricia Reilly Giff lives in Connecticut.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2009 by Patricia Reilly Giff
All rights reserved. Published in the United States by Wendy Lamb Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
Wendy Lamb Books and the colophon are trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Visit us on the Web! www.randomhouse.com/kids
Educators and librarians, for a variety of teaching tools, visit us at
www.randomhouse.com/teachers
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Giff, Patricia Reilly.
Wild girl / Patricia Reilly Giff. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Summary: When twelve-year-old Lidie leaves Brazil to join her father and brother on a horse ranch in New York, she has a hard time adjusting to her changed circumstances, as does a new horse that has come to the ranch.
eISBN: 978-0-375-89391-9 [1. Horses—Fiction.
2. Homesickness—Fiction. 3. Family life—New York (State)—
Fiction. 4. Immigrants—Fiction. 5. Brazilian Americans—Fiction.
6. New York (State)—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.G3626Wh 2009
[Fic]—dc22
2008047733
Random House Children’s Books supports the First Amendment and celebrates the right to read.
v3.0_r1
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