Willow King
Chris Platt
Hardcover
(Random House Books for Young Readers, March 17, 1998)
Inspired by the true experiences of a real championship race horse, this beautiful tale is a moving celebration of the power of caring. When thirteen-year-old Katie Durham learns that the owner of a neighboring Thoroughbred farm is going to destroy a newborn colt, she rushes to save him. Although Willow King's legs are badly twisted, Katie fights for his life, begging for the chance to raise and train him. Because one of Katie's own legs is nearly an inch shorter than the other, she feels an immediate kinship with Willow King. Together, Katie and King embark on a painstaking journey of training that becomes more harrowing than Katie ever expected. Yet through it all, she remains determined to see this brave little colt grow into the beautiful Thoroughbred champion she knows he's meant to be.
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