Flip lives in Amsterdam with his father. Some years ago, his mother left the family because Flip's father refused to give up his thieving. One evening the police arrive at their door and Flip is told his father has died. Shortly afterwards his taciturn uncle arrives, Flip has never met this man before but within hours he is taken to live with his uncle, aunt and young cousin on a remote island.
Not long after his arrival on the island there is a wild storm and the men of the town race to man the lifeboats. Sadly, they are not able to save this farmer who was taking his horses to a different island, but one horse does manage to swim close to the shore. It is Flip who finds this horse that has become badly tangled in ropes. Flip is terrified and he cannot swim but he somehow manages to rescue the horse and from that moment a special bond is formed between this pair. But there are many more things that threaten this relationship including three boys who are determined to torment young Flip. Luckily there are a couple of wonderful adults in this story - Mr Bouten who is a farm hand and his wonderful Aunt. Flip also makes two wonderful young friends - his cousin little Renske and the Ghost Girl. The Ghost Girl is not a ghost - she is a young girl named Sophie so is deeply mourning her own loss - the death of her father. Her grief means she has become a selective mute.
If you can find this book and you want to share it with a horse loving reader or a group of students, I suggest you could read Chapter 37 as a part of your book talk. The rescue by Storm of the lifeboat horses is a gripping and wild scene.
Sadly, this book is out of print, but I was able to borrow a copy from a library where I work as a volunteer at The Children's Hospital Westmead. I began reading this book on the train this morning and devoured the first 63 pages, then on the train and bus coming home I finished off the last pages - 220 in total. This story consumed me today and I could hardly wait for my trip home so I could rejoin Flip and his beautiful horse Storm. One way I search for books in this library is by publisher. They often add books published by Chicken House and they never disappoint. While the print version of this book is out of print the ebook is available. Barry Cunningham from Chicken House often writes a short message at the beginning of his books. In this one he said "I love wild places and animal stories so when I read this exciting tale of a boy, horse, remote island and unexpected friends, I was nearly carried away into the surf and dangerous seas myself. But I had no worries because Nick Garlick is a clever and compassionate storyteller - although watch out he's got a wild side too."
Overall, a solid horse book with the bonus of a male protagonist. Kirkus
Listen to an audio sample here of chapter one. There are some really useful extra details on the author webpage including videos of lifeboat horses and a short but terrific trailer. Nick Garlick was born in the UK but now lives in the Netherlands. Here is the Dutch cover:
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