Jane Smiley

"Perestroika in Paris is an imaginative story of three extraordinary animals--and a young boy--whose lives intersect in Paris. Parasis a spirited racehorse at a racetrack west of Paris. One afternoon she pushes open the door of her stall--she's a curious filly--and, after traveling through the night, arrives by chance in the City of Light. She's dazzled, and often mystified,by the sights, sounds and smells around her, but she isn't afraid. Soon she...

On her family's California horse ranch in the 1960s, eighth-grader Abby Lovitt faces the possibility of giving up her beloved colt, Jack, when it comes to light that his dam might have been stolen.

In 1960s California, eighth-grader Abby Lovitt has trouble with True Blue, the newest horse on her family's ranch, a beautiful dappled gray who is so often spooked, Abby wonders if he is haunted by the ghost of his deceased former owner.

The author celebrates the art of fiction as she looks at one hundred very different examples of the novel, ranging from the classics to little-known gems, and discusses the evolution of the novel and the practice of novel-writing.

Ellen's family has moved to a new town, but some things, like her love for horses, remain the same. She's learning new skills and challenging herself as a rider, but she still can't stop thinking about Ned, the feisty former racehorse she sees on the ranch during her lessons. In the meantime, Ellen's making new friends and encountering old ones. Most exciting of all is DA, a boy from a riding family who has a spirit of mischief and daring and knows...