Hopes

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.

Linda Chapman grew up dreaming of being a writer and riding in the Olympics.

At least one of those came true. She has now written more than two hundred books including three very popular series: My Secret Unicorn, Stardust, and Not Quite a Mermaid.

Although Chapman's dreams of riding in the Olympics have been shelved (for now), she gives free rein to her horsey obsession by writing about horses whenever she is not writing about mermaids, fairies, or other magical creatures.

She lives in Leicestershire, England, with her husband, three children, two dogs, and two ponies.