Shelley Peterson

Shelley Peterson was born in 1952 in London, Ontario. She trained in Theatre Arts and has worked as a professional actress, on stage, film and television. Her young adult horse novels, which from two linked series about three horse-loving girls, have been highly acclaimed.

Ms. Peterson loves animals, particularly horses and has ridden since she was a girl. She divides her time between Toronto and Fox Ridge, a horse farm in the Caledon hills, where she lives with her family and pets.

Mousie & Abby Series:
Acclaimed teen pony series with a little bit of romance, supernatural and mystery thrown in! The first book is about a girl called Mousie, the second about a different girl called Abby, however the two characters meet in the third book. It is therefore not a true sequential series and all the books can be read as stand-alones, although reading it as a series will probably be more rewarding.

1) DANCER
(PORCUPINE'S QUILL PB [CAN] 1996)
Reprinted in paperback. Still in print.
SUMMARY: Teen pony story set in Canada and England. Sixteen year old Mousie achieves jumping success with her horse Dancer and is invited to England to perform in front of the Queen, but the evil Samuel Owens is willing to go to any lengths to get his hands on the talented jumper. Can Mousie's mysterious dreams save her horse?

2) ABBY MALONE
(PORCUPINE'S QUILL PB [CAN] 1999)
Still in print
SUMMARY: Teenage Abby does not have an easy lfe, with an alcoholic mother and a father in jail for a crime she hopes he did not commit. To escape from her problems she dreams of riding the beautiful quarter horse mare Moonlight Sonata. Will her dream ever come true?

3) STAGESTRUCK
(KEY PORTER [CAN] 2002)
Still in print
SUMMARY: Abby has been loaned Dancer by Mousie whilst the other girl is at university. She is thrilled at the chance to train the top show jumper for a prestigious event. At the same time she also becomes involved with a production of Pinnochio which is being staged at a mysterious old theatre. When strange things start happening, Abby wonders if it could be Samuel Owens once more up to his old tricks, or is it something far less down-to-earth?

Collector's Info:
The books are easy to find, even in the UK. The books are still in print and can be ordered new from Amazon, etc.

Bird Series:
A new series about a troubled teenager called Bird. It is loosely linked to the Abby and Mousie books in that it shares some characters from them.

1) SUNDANCER
(KEY PORTER [CAN] 2006)
Still in print
SUMMARY: Thirteen year old Bird is a strange young girl, she hasn't spoken since she was six, and somehow seems to understand the thoughts of animals. Her mother has left her to be looked after by her aunt at Saddle Creek Farm. When a troubled horse called Sundancer arrives at the farm, Bird forms an immediate bond with him. Can her strange affinity with animals help the horse? And can he in turn help her?

2) MYSTERY AT SADDLE CREEK
(KEY PORTER [CAN] 2010)
Still in print
SUMMARY: Bird is now much happier with her life at Saddle Creek Farm. But the peace is suddenly disrupted when a woman is attacked nearby and the neighbourhood erupts in a frenzy of vigilantism. Bird becomes embroiled in the mystery and finds out secrets about her community and her own past.

Collector's Info:
The books are easy to find, even in the UK. Both are in print and can be ordered new from Amazon, etc.