Beauty & A Dog Called Kitty by Bill Wallace

A Horse Named Beauty

She was an old horse, but she still had a lot of life in her. And she was the best friend Luke needed after the pain of his parents' divorce and the move to Oklahoma to live with his difficult grandfather. Luke could have had a younger horse, one better able to keep up with a boy's adventures. But it was Beauty that Luke loved. He found himself sharing his hopes, dreams, and fears with the old horse. With Beauty, Luke was finally able to enjoy life again.

Until one night, in a wild storm, Beauty escapes from the corral into a terrible trap, and Luke is faced with the most difficult decision he's ever had to make.

Stichley's Rating:
This was one of my favorite books as a kid. I think I read it a half a dozen of times at least.  Every time I read it I cried too.  I still cry when I read it. It is a great book about a boy and his horse.  I chose to post it with A Dog Called Kitty because to me these books are linked.  I think that any of Bill Wallace's books would be great for teens and read most of them when I was a teen.  I don't remember any swearing in this book.

The puppy was small and fuzzy, with a friendly, wagging tail -- and Ricky was afraid of him!
No wonder, since he was attacked by a dog when he was just a baby. So when a stray puppy comes sniffling around the farm, Ricky tells it to get lost.
But the puppy keeps trying to play with Ricky. And every time Ricky's Mom feeds the cats, the little dog comes running. The cats aren't sharing their food, however, and the poor pup is slowly starving.
If Ricky doesn't overcome his fear, the little puppy may die -- but if he lets himself get close enough to feed it, he may find the best friend he's ever had!

Stichley's Rating:

I was never a kid to fear any animal so I read this book and was shocked to imagine anyone could possibly be afraid of a little dog--My Dog was probably 30 kg when I was 10 so how could a small puppy be scary?  I read the book and loved it from beginning to end.  It was probably my first book I read of Bill Wallace and one of the first books that I read and actually really enjoyed. I had a hard time finding books that I liked as a kid and teenager and this was one that first got me interested in reading. Once again, I don't recall any swearing in this book.