Out of the Valley of Horses

Honey and her family pack into an ice cream truck turned camper van and leave their lives behind, following recent tragedies and encroaching illness, and they wind up at a mysterious secret valley with a herd of enchanted horses. For seven years, they're stuck but live there happily, living off the land and recycling all of their things as well as they can. But one day, Papa becomes sick, and Honey finds clues that might get her out of the valley for the first time. While the setting here isn't explicitly expressed as a worldwide pandemic, it will likely remind readers of recent circumstances, and the magical serenity of the valley gives way to compelling tension once Papa's illness becomes serious. The poetic, dreamy writing tells the story in third person, but the narrative generally sticks to the perspectives of the children as they notice the little changes and yearn to leave the place that has kept them safe for most of their lives. A moody and atmospheric adventure ideal for horse fans.

An Australian family sets off on an adventure and gets stranded in an enchanted valley for seven years. Honey lives with her Nanna, Momma, Papa, and younger brother, Rumi, in the valley of the horses. They arrived on Honey's fourth birthday, and now her eleventh is approaching, and her father is sick. Honey decides she'll be the one to find an ambulance for Papa, even if it means heading back to "the wide world," which they originally left because of a "terrible sickness." Nanna's grandfather said that he lived in a valley of magical horses for seven years when he was a child. Now Moongold, one of the special horse protectors of the valley, helps Honey find her way across the bridge the family originally used when they arrived (though Honey worries it might disappear, separating her from them forever). Each chapter ends with a text message from the family members left behind, enabling readers to piece together the situation and understand more than Honey does. Once Honey leaves the valley, the perspective shifts between her and Rumi as their storylines converge. Reminiscent of fairy tales and fish-out-of-water tales such as Brigadoon and Margaret Peterson Haddix's Running Out of Time, this speculative story has a just-right mix of fantasy and reality, excellent descriptions of the settings (both enchanted and realistic), and a strong main character with an important quest. Honey and her family read white. A beautifully executed, fantastical what-if tale for right now. (Q & A with the author) (Fiction. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.