After a daring escape, Lina and her best friend Bogdan find themselves on a quest to reach Moscow and find Lina’s grandmother. Charlie Longsdon said of this mare prior to her run in the 2022 Grand National, where she was pulled up: “If you give Snow Leopardess a day off, she’s pretty lethal – she can give some buck.

Snow Leopardess aiming for Grand National win like a film Snow Leopardess aiming for Grand National win like a film

He added: “The difference is last season we were on the back of having two leg problems and we probably trained her slightly with the handbrake on. He added: “When she was hurdling we said we couldn’t wait to go chasing, which was delayed by a couple of years because of injuries. It was such a pleasure to meet you both, and I really appreciated how smoothly and professionally you ran everything. Her debut novel, Snow Foal was longlisted for the key Blue Peter Best Stories Award, and nominated for the Lancashire Libraries Fantastic Fiction Award 2021. Susanna wrote Snow Foal during her time at the same university where she drew much inspiration from her tutor, award-winning David Almond.

I know this wasn't a primary focus of the book but it still annoyed me as this kind of idea about bullies actually being victims themselves always really gets under my skin, as if it's normal for them to take their problems out on you that have nothing to do with you. Prior to publication, Snow Foal was shortlisted for the 2017 Joan Aiken Future Classics Prize and given ‘Honorary Mention’ in the Bath Spa/United Agents Prize of that year. She’s a Lecturer in Creative Writing at the university and prior to this had a career in social work. The foal is as lost and alone as she feels, and together they make a journey of discovery and acceptance that'll move you to tears. The book is solidly written although a bit repetitive in the frequent mentions of how much Addie misses Mam, which, juxtaposed against the backstory of her neglect of Addie, may need further explanation for some readers.

Snow Foal by Susanna Bailey | Goodreads

I mean a lot of people complain that this is not appropriate for kids to include such concepts and issues as alcoholism, mental illness or whatever, but I agree that it's important to show them the reality of life to strengthen them rather than to coddle. We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and improve our understanding of you. We expected her to love them – we couldn’t wait to go over the big fences – but until you jump them you never quite know.

This turns out to be a good thing, because when she takes the animal back into the wild in the middle of the night, she becomes lost in the mist, but since Jude told Sunni, help is soon on its way.

Raven Winter by Susanna Bailey | Waterstones Raven Winter by Susanna Bailey | Waterstones

Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. This incredibly powerful novel, written entirely in free verse and accompanied by thoughtful illustrations, is an emotional read.I have no idea who this book would be good for, but I know of no middle grader who would enjoy this. When eleven-year-old Addie goes to stay with a foster-care family on a remote Exmoor farm in the midst of a very cold winter, she is full of hurt, anger and a deep mistrust of everyone around her. I think there is room for much improvement in parental guidance in repudiating this kind of behaviour.

Snow Leopardess is the grey working mum chasing Aintree glory Snow Leopardess is the grey working mum chasing Aintree glory

As Longsdon puts it, in half a dozen years’ time there could be Leopardess champions in the showjumping world. Despite the challenging subject matter, this is a positive tale, full of hope for a brighter future.What they haven’t done in the equestrian world isn’t worth doing, and their horses seem to follow suit. Snow Leopardess en-route to winning the Unibet Becher Chase over the Grand National fences at Aintree. No mare has won the race since Nickel Coin in 1951 and only three greys have been victorious, most recently Neptune Collonges. Ro’s father, a fellow space buff, was killed by a drunk driver; the rocket they were working on together lies unfinished in her closet. Sometimes, she became small again, curled next to Mam, following her finger across the strange black shapes that held the stories.