I was so pleased to receive a copy of thos gorgeous book, The Starlight Stables Gang and a spot on the blogtour. Many thanks to the authors, Puffin Books and Kaleidoscopic Tours for including me and huge apologies for missing my spot on Saturday – I do feel terrible!!
I loved horse riding as a child and would spend hours at my local stables mucking out, grooming and cleaning tack in return for a free ride. My youngest daughter is obsessed with horses and even though she is only 5 she wanted me to read the book to her.
Information About the Book
Title: The Starlight Stables Gang (The Starlight Stables Gang #1)
Author: Esme Higgs
Author: Jo Cotterill
Illustrator: Hannah George
Release Date: 30th March 2023
Publisher: Puffin Books UK
Genre: MG (8 – 12 year olds)
My thoughts so far…
The Starlight Stables Gang is written from the point of view of Summer, a young girl who lives in a flat with her dad. She has Dyslexia so struggles with reading and we know that her mum isn’t around but don’t know why. When Summer meets Jessie and starts going to Starlight Stables her life takes an upturn. The characters are really well written with sensitivity and understanding. Summer reminds me a bit of me. I love how kind all the adults are in the book. I can’t wait to find out more about Daniel as I think he may have hidden depths!
The book tackles a range of issues including mental health, estranged parents and Dyslexia, in a straightforward and non-intimidating way. The chapters are short and sometimes broken up by text message exchanges and illustrations. The illustrations are gorgeous, Hannah George has done a fabulous job and I love the cover.
My daughter is only 5 and we are reading a chapter or two a night so I will add to my review when we finish. For now though, we are both loving the story and although some of it’s a bit grown up for my little one it’s accessible and engaging. I genuinely look forward to story time and will want to read the next instalment. Watch this space for my full review.
Summer has always loved horses but she never thought she’d be able to learn how to ride them – not with money being so tight at home. Then she discovers the Starlight Stables where she meets a new gang of friends and learns how to ride in return for helping-out with the horses. It’s a dream come true! Summer falls in love with life at the stables and especially with Luna, a beautiful dapple-grey pony. But one day, Summer arrives at the stables to find that Luna has been stolen in the night. It’s up to the Starlight Stables Gang to follow the clues and rescue Luna before it’s too late!
Full of fun, friendship and and mystery, this is the first book in the brand-new Starlight Stables Gang series. Beautifully illustrated by Hannah George.
About the authors
Esme Higgs
Esme Higgs is one of the biggest social-media content creators in the equestrian world with over 1.5 million followers. She’s a writer, presenter, video producer – and a horse-mad ordinary girl.
Her online videos are a mix of tutorials, horse-care videos, and vlogs about her horses (Mickey, Joey and Casper) and her life. She is also a proud ambassador for the Brooke charity and a patron to her local charity riding stables – Team Tutsham.
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/thisesme
Instagram: http://instagram.com/this_esme
Tiktok: http://tiktok.com/this_esme
Facebook: http://facebook.com/thisesme
Jo Cotterill
Jo Cotterill is a multi-award-winning author with over forty books for children and young people. Her novel A Library of Lemons has sold into twelve countries and her superhero-comic strip series Electrigirl has encouraged many reluctant readers to enjoy reading. She has written stories for Disney and Doctor Who, and her background in acting and teaching makes her a hit on school visits. Jo lives in Oxfordshire with her daughters, one of whom is a massive Esme fan!
Instagram: http://instagram.com/jocotterillbooks
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jocotterillbook
Hannah George, Illustrator
Hannah is a freelance illustrator living and working on the south coast of England. With a fluid and versatile approach she creates her illustrations using a combination of watercolour, pencil, ink and digital process.
Hannah works regularly with a variety of publishers and has illustrated several children’s picture books. Thriving from the challenge of a new brief, Hannah also provides artwork for a diverse range of clients and markets both in the UK and internationally.
http://www.hannahgeorge.co.uk/
Green Reads Books 
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