Princess, born a champion Connemara pony at Highover Farm, has all the best care from her doting, elderly owner Roland. In a separate but linked narrative, Rae, a scrappy eight-year-old with the love of horses "printed on her heart," sees Princess at a horse show and is immediately smitten -- but any kind of horse or pony is out of her family's reach, let alone a champion like Princess. Some years pass, and Princess racks up ribbons while Rae's grandmother, Gammer, teaches Rae how to work for her dreams: saving, seizing opportunities to learn, never giving up. Dark clouds loom for Princess, though, when Roland has a stroke and his unscrupulous employees steal everything of value and put Princess out to pasture with a herd of rough-and-tumble ponies. With no one feeding them and winter approaching, the ponies eat the grass in their enclosure down to the dirt. Tender-hearted readers (that is, all horse-loving readers) will weep at Princess's peril and, even more, her loneliness, told from a pony's-eye view. In Rae's part of the story, they'll cheer Gammer's wisdom, compassion, and good advice; friends Sam and Tully's emotional and practical support; and Rae's persistence and faith in her dream. Readers' sympathetic agony is eventually replaced with tears of happiness as Haas brings the story around to a rousing happily-ever-after ending. Anita L. Burkam

A pampered, then abused, pony finds her horse-crazy girl.The novel starts from the tightly focused third-person point of view of a filly being born. Soon named Princess, she's the last foal out of breeder Roland's favorite Connemara mare. The perspective then shifts to Rae, a horse-obsessed almost-8-year-old who lives nearby. Rae's mom is dead; though they live on a small farm, her father can't afford a pony. Her grandmother, however, encourages her to keep working toward her goal, so, as a few years pass, Rae goes to horse shows, watches frenemy Eden's riding lessons, and practices on a horse statue her dad makes from scrap metal. Meanwhile, chapters from Princess' point of view detail how her pampered life amounts to neglect. When Roland suffers a stroke, his cartoon-villain employees abscond with his riches, leaving a field of ponies, including Princess, to starve. Eventually Princess is rescued by Tish, a character familiar from some of Haas' other horse books (Jigsaw Pony, illustrated by Ying-Hwa Hu, 2005, etc.), and ridden by Rae, who's saved up for Tish's riding camp. Love ensues, as does a patented happy ending. Clumsy characterization and a predictable plot make for dull reading despite a fair amount of melodrama. Roland is strangely unlikable, and Rae feels one-dimensional. All the human characters are White.Haas has done much better-a disappointment. (Fiction. 8-12)

Gr 3-5 Roland, the proprietor of Highover Farm, has bred some fine Connemara ponies over his long career, but Princess may be the finest yet. Pampered and expertly trained, Princess is a champion pony. That is not the type of pony that Rae, who has dreamed of owning a pony her whole life, wants. In part because she cannot afford a champion pony, but also because Rae wants one who is spunky like Radishthe pony she hopes to ride at the horsemanship camp she has been saving for. Princess and Rae seem worlds apart until circumstances bring them together. When Roland is taken from Highover in an ambulance, Princess is left out in a field with other ponies to fend for herself. Rescued, injured, and starving, Princess finds herself a camp pony paired up with Rae. Despite initial trepidation on both sides, Rae and Princess bond deeply. Could Princess be the pony Rae was meant to have all along? Roland, now recovering from his stroke, trusts that Rae and Princess are right for each other. Deep inside, people are hungry for a place of refuge that will help to make them feel complete; for Rae and Princess that place is filled by their love for each other. VERDICT A sweet story of longing, determination, and healing that will appeal to readers who enjoy tales of friendship and horses. Jessica Caron, Bancroft Sch., MA