Pia is feeling down about having to adjust to a new home for herself and a new stable for her horse, Drummer, after her parents get divorced. She’s worried about making new friends with the other kids who ride, and she hopes Drummer gets along with the new horses too. When she takes a tumble on her first ride on the new trails, she finds she can tell just what Drummer thinks of his situation. She can actually hear him speak. She quickly realizes that her new powers are tied to the small figure of a woman riding a horse she found in the grass when she fell.

Her new power helps her make friends when she solves problems for the other horses in the stable. But when word spreads and TV and news reporters start showing up to interview this new horse whisperer, Pia isn’t sure she’s ready for the spotlight. Plus, some people don’t seem to want her advice. Can she find a way to help the horses without getting in trouble with her parents and being exposed as a fake?

The Pony Whisperer: The Word on the Yard by Janet Rising is a new series that plays to every horse lover’s dream: being able to communicate with horses. There’s a little bit of magic and a lot of everyday worries for tweens and young teens. Issues to discuss in a mother-daughter book club with girls aged 9 to 12 include friendships, making judgments about people, parents dating after divorce, and more.