ESME’s GIFT by Elizabeth FosterPaperback, 266 pages
Published November 30th 2019 by Odyssey Books
ISBN: 1925652831 (ISBN13: 9781925652833)
BOOK BLURB:
        Terror was within. Terror was without.
         Like her mother, she was at the water’s mercy.
   In the enchanted world of Aeolia, fifteen-year-old Esme Silver faces her hardest task yet. She must master her unruly Gift—the power to observe the past—and uncover the secrets she needs to save her mother, Ariane.
       In between attending school in the beguiling canal city of Esperance, Esme and her friends—old and new—travel far and wide across Aeolia, gathering the ingredients for a potent magical elixir.
        Their journey takes them to volcanic isles, sunken ruins and snowy eyries, spectacular places fraught with danger, where they must face their deepest fears and find hope in the darkest of places.
        Esme’s Gift, the second instalment in the Esme trilogy, is a gripping fantasy adventure for readers 12 years and over.

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​ESME’S WISH by Eliabeth Foster
Paperback, 252 pages
Published October 30th 2017 by Odyssey Books
ISBN: 1925652246 (ISBN13: 9781925652246)
BOOK BLURB:
        This was her last chance.
        Her hand twisted high in the air.
    When fifteen-year-old Esme Silver objects at her father's wedding, her protest is dismissed as the action of a stubborn, selfish teenager. Everyone else has accepted the loss of Esme's mother, Ariane--so why can't she?
    But Esme is suspicious. She is sure that others are covering up the real reason for her mother's disappearance--that 'lost at sea' is code for something more terrible, something she has a right to know.
     After Esme is accidentally swept into the enchanted world of Aeolia, the truth begins to unfold. With her newfound friends, Daniel and Lillian, Esme retraces her mother's steps in the glittering canal city of Esperance, untangling the threads of Ariane's double life. But the more Esme discovers about her mother, the more she questions whether she really knew her at all.
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Book Details:
FINDING HOME by Corinne Joy Brown
and Ginny McDonald
Category:  Middle-Grade Fiction (Ages 8-12), 
130 pages | Genre: General Fiction |  Publisher:  Loose Cayuse Productions
Release date:   June 2019 |  
Tour dates: August 3 to 21, 2020
Content Rating:  G. There are no expletives,
sex scenes or bad language anywhere.
Book Description:
     For every girl or boy who owns a horse, or wished they did, “Finding Home” brings all the drama and beauty of America’s wild horses to the middle-grade reader.
    A coming-of-age story and a tale about friendship, trust and understanding, both horse and owner have powerful lessons to learn. Together, young Jesse Nolan from Colorado and her wild mustang, Curly Girl, rounded up in Wyoming, discover what it means to rely on oneself, as well as those who love you most.

Buy the Book: Finding Home ~ Amazon ~ B&N

REVIEW by LAWonder10:
    Written as viewed by the young girl, Jesse, and also through he thoughts of Curly Girl, it offers a doubly entertaining reading experience. 
     Jesse always loved horses. Her love of horses increased as she was able to live two Summers with her aunt and uncle in Wyoming.  It increased more, when she was able to get a Summer job, when only 13-years-of-age, with her uncle! Her home life was very unpleasant. Her parents' quarrels ended with their separation two years ago. She wished her dad was more like his brother.
    Jessie couldn't believe her parents actually agreed to her getting her own horse from the BLM auction! 
    Curly Girl was two years old when she was terrified by a loud, noisy object and taken away from her mother and the other Mustangs which were able to escape. She was depressed and determined to, somehow, escape. She discovered there were some cruel and others kind nature in the human bodies.
     This is a wonderful, uplifting tale of the two "broken youth" and the discoveries they made. It is a story about sorrow and healing in both, human and beast.
     I especially was drawn to this book because te early setting began in Rock Springs, Wyoming, where my mother was raised and because of my father's experiences with and love of horses, which was passed onto me.
        This book portrayed the characters and scenes so well, it was easy for one to visualize being there. 
       Illustrator, Ginny McDonald, did an outstanding job in creating colorful illustrations which aided the visualization process.
         This earns a Five Stars rating.
        This book was gifted me with no pressure for a positive review. This is my honest review.
  

​Horses Are My Teachers
   I'm a writer of many kinds of stories; fiction, non-fiction, historical novels, children's books and more. In my varied careers, I've been a teacher, businesswoman, freelance journalist, magazine editor, wife and mother. More important, I've loved horses all my life.
   So why a Middle Grade story now? I was a kid once. I remember the magic, the thrill and even the heartbreak of wanting a horse, owning one, and eventually, losing one as well. I got my first horse when I was 8 years old and my second horse at 40. I had that second horse for 23 years. He died in 2014. He taught me respect, patience and acceptance and how to think like a horse. At least, I like to think so.
    Writing the book "Finding Home" was a test of everything I've ever learned from every horse I've ever known. This isn't my first horse book, but my most defining one. The real inspiration for this special story came from Ginny McDonald, the illustrator of "Finding Home", and the mustang she adopted and gave a home to, "Curly Sue", an American Curly , a specific breed, palomino in color, with a coat like a poodle in the winter time. The mare has been in Ginny's care since she was rounded up in Southern Wyoming almost a decade ago and taken to the Cañon City, Colorado prison facility for training. Many prisons around the country have wild horse training programs. It's good for the inmates and usually, good for the horses too. Here's what the Bureau of Land Management has to say about this program.

   "American mustangs played a vital role in the settling of the American West. Today these mustangs are helping troubled men make a new beginning with old-style horse training. Born and bred in the wild, mustangs must be intelligent, hardy, sure-footed, and healthy to survive the rigors of the open range. It is these traits, combined with their loyalty, that make them such versatile horses. In 1986, the Colorado Correctional Industries and the BLM initiated a program in where mustangs are trained and offered for adoption to qualified applicants. They operate a state-of-the-art facility and employ a staff of professional horse trainers who provide horsemanship, animal husbandry and farrier skills. Since its inception, more than 5,000 mustangs have been trained. These horses have found homes and lead productive lives with youth riding clubs, handicap and therapeutic riding organizations, riding stables, and government agencies."
     Curly Sue didn't stay in Canon City very long. Luck and timing were on her side. Within two days after her arrival, Ginny McDonald showed up with friends wanting to adopt mustangs. Ginny spotted Curly and knew she couldn't leave her there. The rest is history. I am now a huge advocate of both saving horses in the wild and finding the captured ones new homes. And understandably, the mustang now called "Curly Girl" in our book has stolen my heart!

ABOUT the AUTHOR:

    Denver native Corinne Joy Brown is a multi-published, award-winning Colorado author, magazine editor and freelance writer focused on the West ." Recent publications include "Young Rider", "Cowboys & Indians," and "Working Ranch." She's also been a horse owner most of her life. Corinne is committed to teaching the next generation about the power of horses to teach and heal. "Finding Home" is her eighth book.

Connect with the author: Website ~ Facebook ​

ABOUT the ILLUSTRATOR & CONTRIBUTING AUTHOR:

​   Ginny McDonald is an award-winning, professional Colorado illustrator and a longtime advocate for wild horses. She is the adopter of an American Curly mare, and more recently, a second mustang named "Lil Bit". Ginny's skill in the use of Prismacolor pencils brings this story to life with rich detail and heartfelt emotion.Ginny McDonald is an award-winning, professional Colorado illustrator and a longtime advocate for wild horses. She is the adopter of an American Curly mare, and more recently, a second mustang named "Lil Bit". Ginny's skill in the use of Prismacolor pencils brings this story to life with rich detail and heartfelt emotion.Ginny McDonald is an award-winning, professional Colorado illustrator and a longtime advocate for wild horses. She is the adopter of an American Curly mare, and more recently, a second mustang named "Lil Bit". Ginny's skill in the use of Prismacolor pencils brings this story to life with rich detail and heartfelt emotion.

Here is the tour schedule.

Giveaway Details:​
$15 Amazon Gift Card courtesy of the
authors of FINDING HOME (1 winner) (ends Aug 28)

TO ENTER the GIVEAWAY, Fill out the Rafflecopter Below!