Loving Spirit

A young girl begins a new life in the English countryside and discovers a remarkable horse After her parents are killed in a car accident, Ellie leaves the rolling hills of New Zealand behind to live in England with her uncle, who is as cold and gray as the country she now must call home. A hard-eyed horse breeder, he hates weakness in all animals, whether they have four legs or two. Although Ellie loves horses, she can't stand being ordered around by her uncle and the coldhearted Luke. Even the kind words of her cousin Joe aren't enough to make her feel at home-until she meets a horse named Spirit.   Ellie sees the skinny gray gelding at a sale, and spends the last of her insurance money to save his life. She can tell Spirit is special, but she has no idea that this horse will unlock a marvelous power in her. The two soon form a friendship the likes of which the world has never seen.     Winner of the 2012 Lincolnshire Young People's Book Award.

When a new horse has trouble adjusting, Ellie uses her power to help him After a few months in England, Ellie still misses the life she left behind when her parents died, but there is one thing in this strange new country that helps her forget her pain: Spirit, a skinny gray horse whom she loves more than life itself. With him, she discovered a secret talent-the ability to communicate with horses without speaking, and to hear their thoughts in return. But there is one horse in her uncle's stables who will not open up: a jet-black show hack named Lucifer.   Ellie can tell that something is troubling this valuable new arrival, but unless he will speak to her, she doesn't know how to help. As the horse's silence continues, Ellie and Spirit must work together to save Lucifer's life.

When fate threatens to take Spirit away from her, Ellie fights to save her horse When she moved to England after her parents' death, Ellie felt alone until the day she met Spirit, the skinny gray horse who seemed to see directly into her soul. At first, she simply loved him, but soon she learned of their secret connection-and her incredible ability to speak to horses without opening her mouth. This gift has helped her feel at home on her cruel uncle's horse ranch, but when Spirit is threatened, her power may not be enough to save him.   Ellie gets worried when Spirit stops eating. He tells her that he's happy, but how can she be sure? With her relationship with her horse and her cousin Joe both in danger, Ellie learns a hard lesson about love. But nothing can break the special bond that she and Spirit share.

With her beloved horse gone, Ellie forms a bond with a new arrival Spirit, the skinny gray horse whom Ellie loved so well, has passed away. But the special mental bond they shared has not weakened, and she can still communicate with him clearly. Spirit helped her discover that she could communicate with horses and heal them with her hands, and now she must use that power to help other horses.   While at a horse show, she hears a mare crying out for help. When the horse throws her rider, she seems destined for the slaughterhouse, but Ellie convinces her uncle to buy the troubled animal. Ellie will give her all to heal this horse who needs her-and Spirit will be there by her side.