Horses, adventure, and the old West — mixed with a solid message for today’s girls — make this an outstanding read for girls 8-13. Twelve-year-old Andrea (“Andi”) Carter attracts trouble the way her palomino horse, Taffy, attracts flies on a hot summer day! Andi’s entire family and the staff at the Circle C Ranch treat her like such a pesky kid, she sometimes wonders if they would all be better off without her.

After a particularly scary incident where Andi gets in trouble once again, she saddles up Taffy and runs away from home. But her escape quickly leads to frightening encounters with a horse thief and a vicious young lady. All of which makes Andi realize that there really is no place like home.