No Small Thing by Natale Ghent

This is a great book! I love the beginning, "Sometimes, something as small as an ad in the daily newspaper can change your whole life." The ad Nat is talking about reads, "Pony to give away to good home. Call before 4 p.m." Back when their father lived with them, they had their own ponies. They also had enough to eat, their mother didn't have to work so much and they lived in a nice house. The idea of having their own horse just seems to make up for a lot, so Nat and his two sisters, Cid and Queenie, decide to answer the ad without telling their mother. The book is told from Nat's point of view and since he is a kid who spends a lot of time thinking about things, you feel a lot of empathy for him. Don't get me wrong, plenty happens in the book: broken bones, barn fires and rescued horses, and an attempt to run away from home on horseback. Even if you're not a horse lover, this is a great story of a boy trying to make the best of a pretty sad situation. Review by Stacy Church