The Princess and the Foal

August 4, 2014
Horse enthusiasts will devour Gregg’s engaging novel about Jordanian Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, inspired by the real-life princess who became an Olympic equestrian. The book offers a peek into the everyday life of contemporary royalty—playing in the palace, omnipresent bodyguards, and birthday gifts (for a six-year-old) that include two camels and a motherless Arabian foal—while presenting vivid glimpses of Bedouin culture. Horse-lover Princess Haya lost her mother to a helicopter crash when she was three; caring for the foal brought joy and meaning back into her life, and she went on to become an extraordinary horsewoman at a young age. Gregg (the Pony Club Secrets series) tells her story in simple yet moving language, creating a strong portrait of Princess Haya, who faces challenges both ordinary (making friends at boarding school) and unusual (learning to train a falcon). Gregg’s greatest strength is in detailing the deep, sensual bond that can form between a human and a horse, but the sympathetic protagonist and a setting rarely seen in middle-grade fiction make this an inspiring read for any reader. Ages 10–up. Agent: Nancy Miles, Miles Stott Literary Agency.

August 1, 2014
An energizing middle-grade tale inspired by true events. Real-life princess Haya Bint Al Hussein is only 3 when her mother, Queen Alia of Jordan, is killed in a helicopter crash. Grief and a nasty governess (who adds fabulous tension to the story) subsume the princess until her father, King Hussein, gives her a 3-day-old orphaned foal from his stables for her sixth birthday. Haya and the foal, whom she names Bree-short for Bint Al-Reeh, or "Daughter of the Wind"-go on to compete, six years later, in Jordan's prestigious King's Cup. The present-tense, third-person narrative (except for two first-person epistolary segments) rivets readers as they learn about the inside world of a 12-year-old-to-be Jordanian princess-that and the horsey element would, by themselves, guarantee an audience. But Gregg goes much further, showing readers a strong-willed but compassionate girl who understands that her royal blood is not about privilege but about caring for others and who discovers her own inner strength in her determination to follow her dream of competing (lessons that stretch far beyond the royal set). It's also a refreshingly active story-Haya is riding and leaping and playing outdoors (when she's not grounded) on nearly every page. Empowering and vigorous, this is a story sure to please princess fans, horse fans and, yes, even tomboys. (Fiction. 9-13)

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June 1, 2014

Gr 4-6-A tale based on the real experiences of a Jordanian princess, this girl and horse story has all the classic elements. Seven-year-old Haya loses her mother to a helicopter accident; her father gives her an orphan foal to raise. The foal grows into a talented mare; the girl grows into a feisty horsewoman even in the face of her severe governess, who thinks girls should only be ladylike. At 12, Haya is sent to a British boarding school, where she thrives-until images of the events of 9/11 on TV throw her into a breakdown. A page later she wakes up back home in Jordan, weak but thrilled to be reunited with her horse. Almost immediately, she determines to join the stable team in a traditional and very high stakes competition involving horses; her training for this event is much condensed as she works hard to develop her raw talent quickly. Of course, this being a fairy tale, she leads her team to victory. Much of the story reads like Walter Farley's The Black Stallion-but her breakdown is jarring, unexplained, and confusing. Told in third person until the crisis of the competition day, the book's format then changes to a letter to her mother, italicized and in first person, a disruption in perspective. The connection to the true story of the real but unfamiliar princess the protagonist is based on doesn't give it more substance.-Dorcas Hand, Annunciation Orthodox School, Houston, TX

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