The Princess and the Foal

by Stacy Gregg

Overview

The inspiring novel about real life princess and equestrienne Haya of Jordan.

Princess Haya loves her family more than anything—especially her mother who brings light and happiness into King Hussein's house. So when Queen Alia is killed in a tragic accident, Princess Haya is devastated. Knowing how unhappy she is and how much she loves horses, Haya’s father, King Hussein, gives her a special present: a foal of her very own. And this foal changes Princess Haya’s world completely.

Set in an exotic locale where royalty is real, this story of a determined modern-day princess is both beautiful and awe-inspiring. Perfect for fans of Black Beauty, Misty of Chincoteague and anyone who wonders what it's like to be a real princess.
  
  
Praise for THE PRINCESS AND THE FOAL:

"Empowering and vigorous, this is a story sure to please princess fans, horse fans and, yes, even tomboys."—Kirkus Reviews

"This real princess’s story is great and this book provides a positive and powerful story, especially for adolescent girl readers who choose to saddle up for the ride."—VOYA Magazine

"Horse enthusiasts will devour Gregg’s engaging novel about Jordanian Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, inspired by the real-life princess who became an Olympic equestrian....Gregg’s greatest strength is in detailing the deep, sensual bond that can form between a human and a horse, but the sympathetic protagonist and a setting rarely seen in middle-grade fiction make this an inspiring read for any reader."—Publishers Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780147512420
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	09/01/2015
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	1,124,327
Product dimensions:	7.70(w) x 5.00(h) x 0.80(d)
Lexile:	890L (what's this?)
Age Range:	10 - 12 Years

About the Author

Stacy Gregg is the author of the Pony Club Secrets series and the Pony Club Rivals series. She is an accomplished equestrienne who spent time riding Arabian horses in the hills around the royal stables of Jordan while researching this book. Stacy lives in New Zealand, and you can visit her online at www.stacygregg.co.uk.

Read an Excerpt

Midnight, August 23, 1986
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "The Princess and the Foal"
by .
Copyright © 2015 Stacy Gregg.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Young Readers Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for THE PRINCESS AND THE FOAL:

"Empowering and vigorous, this is a story sure to please princess fans, horse fans and, yes, even tomboys."—Kirkus Reviews

"This real princess’s story is great and this book provides a positive and powerful story, especially for adolescent girl readers who choose to saddle up for the ride."—VOYA Magazine

"Horse enthusiasts will devour Gregg’s engaging novel about Jordanian Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, inspired by the real-life princess who became an Olympic equestrian....Gregg’s greatest strength is in detailing the deep, sensual bond that can form between a human and a horse, but the sympathetic protagonist and a setting rarely seen in middle-grade fiction make this an inspiring read for any reader."—Publishers Weekly

Editorial Reviews

Praise for THE PRINCESS AND THE FOAL:

"Empowering and vigorous, this is a story sure to please princess fans, horse fans and, yes, even tomboys."—Kirkus Reviews

"This real princess’s story is great and this book provides a positive and powerful story, especially for adolescent girl readers who choose to saddle up for the ride."—VOYA Magazine

"Horse enthusiasts will devour Gregg’s engaging novel about Jordanian Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, inspired by the real-life princess who became an Olympic equestrian....Gregg’s greatest strength is in detailing the deep, sensual bond that can form between a human and a horse, but the sympathetic protagonist and a setting rarely seen in middle-grade fiction make this an inspiring read for any reader."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

08/04/2014
Horse enthusiasts will devour Gregg’s engaging novel about Jordanian Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, inspired by the real-life princess who became an Olympic equestrian. The book offers a peek into the everyday life of contemporary royalty—playing in the palace, omnipresent bodyguards, and birthday gifts (for a six-year-old) that include two camels and a motherless Arabian foal—while presenting vivid glimpses of Bedouin culture. Horse-lover Princess Haya lost her mother to a helicopter crash when she was three; caring for the foal brought joy and meaning back into her life, and she went on to become an extraordinary horsewoman at a young age. Gregg (the Pony Club Secrets series) tells her story in simple yet moving language, creating a strong portrait of Princess Haya, who faces challenges both ordinary (making friends at boarding school) and unusual (learning to train a falcon). Gregg’s greatest strength is in detailing the deep, sensual bond that can form between a human and a horse, but the sympathetic protagonist and a setting rarely seen in middle-grade fiction make this an inspiring read for any reader. Ages 10–up. Agent: Nancy Miles, Miles Stott Literary Agency. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

06/01/2014
Gr 4–6—A tale based on the real experiences of a Jordanian princess, this girl and horse story has all the classic elements. Seven-year-old Haya loses her mother to a helicopter accident; her father gives her an orphan foal to raise. The foal grows into a talented mare; the girl grows into a feisty horsewoman even in the face of her severe governess, who thinks girls should only be ladylike. At 12, Haya is sent to a British boarding school, where she thrives—until images of the events of 9/11 on TV throw her into a breakdown. A page later she wakes up back home in Jordan, weak but thrilled to be reunited with her horse. Almost immediately, she determines to join the stable team in a traditional and very high stakes competition involving horses; her training for this event is much condensed as she works hard to develop her raw talent quickly. Of course, this being a fairy tale, she leads her team to victory. Much of the story reads like Walter Farley's The Black Stallion—but her breakdown is jarring, unexplained, and confusing. Told in third person until the crisis of the competition day, the book's format then changes to a letter to her mother, italicized and in first person, a disruption in perspective. The connection to the true story of the real but unfamiliar princess the protagonist is based on doesn't give it more substance.—Dorcas Hand, Annunciation Orthodox School, Houston, TX

School Library Journal

2014-07-16
An energizing middle-grade tale inspired by true events. Real-life princess Haya Bint Al Hussein is only 3 when her mother, Queen Alia of Jordan, is killed in a helicopter crash. Grief and a nasty governess (who adds fabulous tension to the story) subsume the princess until her father, King Hussein, gives her a 3-day-old orphaned foal from his stables for her sixth birthday. Haya and the foal, whom she names Bree—short for Bint Al-Reeh, or "Daughter of the Wind"—go on to compete, six years later, in Jordan's prestigious King's Cup. The present-tense, third-person narrative (except for two first-person epistolary segments) rivets readers as they learn about the inside world of a 12-year-old-to-be Jordanian princess—that and the horsey element would, by themselves, guarantee an audience. But Gregg goes much further, showing readers a strong-willed but compassionate girl who understands that her royal blood is not about privilege but about caring for others and who discovers her own inner strength in her determination to follow her dream of competing (lessons that stretch far beyond the royal set). It's also a refreshingly active story—Haya is riding and leaping and playing outdoors (when she's not grounded) on nearly every page. Empowering and vigorous, this is a story sure to please princess fans, horse fans and, yes, even tomboys. (Fiction. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews