Silver Spurs

I didn't like Kate during the first half of the book. IN the first book of the series she was a very nice, thoughful and kind kid. In the first half of the book she acted so selfishly. Instead of being grateful that her wish of having a horse was fulfilled, she constantly complained about how things were not fair. In each situtation she felt remorse, but she didn't seem to learn too much about her behavior or take into consideration her parents' and brother's situation.

Thankfully, that ended, and then I liked the book a lot better again. I really like the message these books send and applaud the author.

I think this book will appeal to a certain audience, mainly young middle school girls who love horses. At times the dialogue and situations in the book didn't ring true to me for the age group of the characters in the book. Other times it all felt spot on.

My 6 year old daughter's review: I liked this book because of Kate's brother, Pete. He allowed Melissa to take him to get things and was getting a little better with others. That made me feel happy. I didn't like the part about Melissa's mother and how she acted with Melissa. That made me feel scared.

My review: I loved reading this book with my daughters. We had the opportunity to read the first book together and jumped at the chance to read this one together too. This is another exceptional book filled with excellent Christian morals and lessons for young girls and for everyone really. I enjoyed watching the characters develop, learn, grow, and see Kate's and her friends' dreams realized and come true. I would highly recommend this read for anyone with girls, and I think it's a wonderful book to read as a family and to spend time together.

"Silver Spurs" by Miralee Ferrell is the 2nd in the Horses and Friends series. While it would be possible to start with Silver Spurs, I would recommend starting at the beginning of the series with "A Horse for Kate" so you can get to know the characters better.

Kate Ferris has gotten her greatest wish, to have her own horse. But she wants to be able to take in boarders to raise more money to be able to get a lesson horse for her best friend Tori to learn on. When Melissa Tolbert brings her horse to board at their barn, Tori and Kate are upset because Melissa is mean to them at school. How will they be able to enjoy hanging out at the barn if Melissa is there, too?

I read "Silver Spurs" with my daughter (her review is below). She is in the "target age" of the book, but I still enjoyed reading the book. I liked how Kate is a realistic kid with fears and frustrations that she has to deal with. Miralee does a good job of incorporating life lessons into the story in a way that is not heavy or overpowering.

This is a great book for girls, horse lovers, and mothers of girls/horse lovers ☺

My 9 year old daughter's review (Spoilers)

Silver Spurs is a very detailed book. For example, the book is called and talks about silver spurs, I mean, they could have just said spurs. My favorite part of the book is when Melissa won the silver spurs. I think that it was very generous of Kate to offer Capri to Melissa. If I were Kate, I would have begged Mrs. Jamison to let me take lessons on jumping so that I could compete for the silver spurs. I would be thrilled if I won the silver spurs!

-Emily Dempsey, Becky Dempsey's daughter

I received a digital ARC through Netgalley in order for me to give my honest review. I did not receive any other form of compensation and all opinions are my own (except for those of my daughter ☺)

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After reading the first book in the series, I wanted to continue along with the author and see what new adventures Kate would experience. A lot of the same story continues through this book, so it may be somewhat challenging to find new insights in this review, but I did enjoy this story as well and it will appeal to those who enjoyed the first book in the series.

Once again, the story is told from Kate’s perspective and she is a typical young teenager; the prose and dialogue fit well with her as our protagonist, even as the story is told in third person. Tori and Colt are both present in this new installment, as well as another girl from school, Melissa. She is largely the book’s antagonist, but the mystery of why is solved in this novel.

We do learn more about riding in this book, as well as the many details involved in running a barn and putting on a horse show. While the particulars may be too in depth for some kids, my guess is that the young readers picking up this book will devour any horse-related information they can garner; the relatable plot of the novel is just icing on the cake.

Topics covered relate to spiritual matters including prayer, but there are also instances of just moral and neighborly behavior, too. Not everyone is a Christian, and at one point in particular, Kate tells someone her Christian faith is what motivates her behavior. All Christians in the book would be unrealistic, and giving a good example of sharing our faith is important for young people, even if the Gospel is not presented in the exact moment we read.

At the same time, Kate is not perfect and sometimes her attitude and jealousy get the best of her. When that happens, sometimes her mother corrects her, and sometimes she senses the conviction of the Holy Spirit, confesses and changes her behavior without further prompting, even when it’s difficult or her friends think she’s trying too hard to do the right thing. Her resistance to peer pressure is another positive pattern for the readers to emulate.

Some of the story lags a bit toward the middle, but pacing probably needs to be a bit different for kids than adults. And I did enjoy the nice buildup of tension between Melissa and the other kids before we learn why she is mean despite the kindness that she occasionally exhibits toward Pete, Kate’s autistic younger brother.

Parents will again be pleased to learn there is still no romance per se, though at one point, Tori asks Colt if he is “crushing on” Melissa. For the age, this seems appropriate to me, especially as it goes no further and he affirms he is not. I liked that Colt could be nice to a girl and defend her to others without there being a romance involved—he is just doing the right thing.

The tale is fairly predictable, as was the first book, but there were some surprises thrown in as well, which kept the book feeling exciting, especially toward the end with a nice twist of a heartwarming variety. I believe kids in the intended age range of 8-12 will enjoy it, especially as it’s probably the fantasy of most of the kids who would pick it up—who wouldn’t want to be surrounded by horses all day, even despite the hard work? Parents will appreciate the clean subject matter and the good role model Kate is, despite her faults that will make her likable and relatable to the kids who are reading her story.

This book is perfect for 8-12 year old horse lovers.

I loved spending more time with Kate, her family, and her friends. This book is a wonderful continuation of their lives. Kate, Tori, and Colt are very realistic middle school age kids. They are very focused on what they want. Kate especially is open with her frustration whenever it looks like things aren’t going to go the way she wants them to. As she faces obstacles she is learning to take things to God in prayer. This is helping her learn to trust Him with her dreams and to help her overcome her fears.

The descriptions of the horse show itself and the care of the horses were wonderfully written. I could picture what was taking place in my mind. This made the story very entertaining to read.

I received a free eBook copy from the author in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a great book for young readers this one is! Kate is thrilled to have her own horse and now she plans to teach her best friend, Tori, to ride as well. She has a plan to fund this dream as well. She just needs to convince her parents to board horses at their barn. But is it worth having to put up with a snotty girl like Melissa, one who ignores them at school and makes them feel like they're worthless? Kate, Tori, and Colt will even clean the stalls and care for the horses to have their dreams come true. This is a delightful read and as a former middle school language arts teacher, I know that many young people love horses and would be motivated to read with this wonderful series. This book also addresses some of the issues with other young people that tweens and teens experience. I appreciate the way that Kate is willing to be respectful of her parents and to listen with her heart. We can all take a lesson from her. Though this book is written for young readers, it is very enjoyable for adults as well, and would make a great read-aloud book for younger readers. My own granddaughter loves horses and I'm planning to get this series of books for her. She does have her own horse at her other grandmother's home so she is already living her dream. We give her a subscription to Young Rider magazine and she wallpapers her room with the foldout posters that come in each issue. I am really excited to hear what she thinks of Kate's adventures with her horse. I rate this book 5 stars and recommend it to young readers and adults.
I was given a free kindle version of this book from netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own. Reviews are also posted on my blog, amazon, barnes and noble, christianbook, booksamillion, deepershopping, goodreads and shelfari.

My daughter and I read A Horse for Kate and was excited to see that there was a sequel to it. I enjoyed the first book due to its accurate, fun and detailed view of what it takes to own and ride horses. I also thought the author sensitively talked about class and race and disability which can be unusual in books about the horse world. I was happy to see that the same holds true for Silver Spurs where complex family dynamics, cultural difference and atypical development was exquisitely handled. Since we are a Jewish family we also had the opportunity to learn more about how Kate's Christian beliefs are interwoven into the fabric of her everyday life and that was a pleasure. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to review this book for an honest opinion.

Silver Spurs***** book 2 Horses and Friends series, e-book by Miralee Ferrell

Although this book is written for young readers, adults will enjoy it as well. We follow Kate, Tori and Colt (from book 1) as they continue to pursue their love of horses. They continue to learn about the care of horses and improving their riding skills. I like the way each character has developed from the first book and we see their growing attachment to each other. They face challenges along the way when things don't go as planned and when a fellow classmate becomes difficult. I liked seeing how they each handled each of these challenges in their own way and how they worked through their problems. Kate's faith has grown and it shows in how she seeks God's help more than before. I like how the story shows the importance of families: the love and respect Kate has for her family and they for her.

~I received an e-book copy from the author via Netgalley for my honest review~

In Silver Spurs, book two of the “Horses and Friends” series, Kate Ferris finds herself busy taking care of the horse barn, which her family has opened to boarders. They also plan to host a horse show. This gives her a chance to practice riding with a trainer, but it brings along its share of problems, too. One of the boarders is an unfriendly, spiteful girl from school, and Kate struggles to deal with her while also combatting her own feelings of jealousy. Furthermore, opening the barn proves to be more challenging than she expected, and she has to learn to trust God in the face of obstacles.

This continuation of Kate’s story provides adolescent girls (and older readers as well) with food for thought when tackling their own problems. Kate and the issues that she is faced with are very prevalent to today’s youth, and the story also contains fun and a hint of mystery, making this series well-suited to a wide variety of young readers. The strong thread of Christian faith that hallmarks the books results in an inspirational storyline that gives today’s young women the motivation to follow their dreams with God’s help. Be sure to check out notes by Kate and by the author at the end, too.