Dirt

Book #18 Read in 2018
Dirt by Denise Gosliner Orenstein

Yonder is a young girl with not a lot to say....though there is a lot going on in her head.  She does not talk and does not tell her father about being the victim of bullying at school and does not tell her teachers how much her father drinks.  Then she finds Dirt, a scruffy Shetland pony that her neighbor plans of selling for horse meat, and she knows he is meant to be her pony.  She hides Dirt in her room until the social worker finds out.  Yonder is placed in foster care so she sets Dirt free but he is taken to a local petting zoo that does not treat its animal well.  Will Yonder be able to save Dirt in time?  This was a book that will tug at the heart strings of readers.  I recommend it for middle school readers.  I received a copy of this book from Amazon Vine in exchange for a honest review.