Synopsis
From the land of the racehorse, an international bestselling author writes a horse story for children.Ger Kelly, a tough twelve-year-old, at the centre of whatever mischief takes place in his Dublin neighbourhood, sneaks into the Dublin Horse Show. This is a very posh event and he and his friends are there to cause trouble. Then Ger sees a vision of beauty.
She is Suzanne O'Carroll on her horse Star Dancer. They are dancing! Ger never imagined that a horse could float sideways, pirouette, or skip like a child. He is captivated. He hangs around and eventually manages to strike up a conversation with Suzanne. She is learning dressage and dreams of riding her horse in the Olympic Games. Ger longs with all his heart to ride a horse like Star Dancer.
Suzanne arranges that Ger can groom her horse at the show grounds every day, and so Ger begins the first job he has ever had. He has entered a magical new world. His pals make fun of him, but for the first time in his life Ger does not care what they think.
Suzanne and Ger follow the horse events of the season, to gymkhanas, point-to-points and local and major shows. Ger makes many mistakes and his friends cause problems and difficulties, but Suzanne sticks by him and they become firm friends. The two help each other.
It will take years of hard work for Suzanne to achieve her dream, but Ger's dream is even more demanding. He must shrug off his old way of life and become caring and disciplined if he is to be good with horses.
Star Dancer is a story about growing up. It is also an adventure story, filled with thrills and excitement, and a tingle of danger. It is full of the unique atmosphere of the horse world.
Author
New York-born author Morgan Llywelyn is one of the world's leading popular chroniclers of Celtic culture and history. A prolific storyteller, she has written more than twenty books over the past two decades. Her fiction has received several awards and has sold more than 40 million copies, and she herself is recipient of the 1999 Exceptional Celtic Woman of the Year Award from Celtic Women International.
In the words of Judith A. Gifford of the reference publication Twentieth-Century Romance and Historical Writers, "Drawing on the history and lore that are part of her own heritage, the works of Morgan Llywelyn concern themselves with Celtic heroes and heroines, both real and mythical, bringing them and the times they inhabited to life with stunning clarity." Pauline Morgan, writing in the St. James Guide to Fantasy Writers, has explained, "[t]he majority of Morgan Llywelyn's books may be regarded as fictional biographies. Each book takes a person, often historical or legendary, and relates the story of their life. Most of the novels with a fantasy connection rely heavily on Celtic mythology, particularly that of the Irish.
Morgan Llywelyn now lives outside of Dublin, Ireland, and has become an Irish citizen.
