A Message from Debi Metcalfe,
Stolen Horse International/NetPosse.com
I was honored to be asked to review, Mystery at Silver Key Stables, a chapter book written by Alexandra Joy Gritta. At only twelve years of age, this young girl’s imagination reached into the world in which I have lived since my family became victims of horse theft in 1997 when our horse Idaho was stolen from our North Carolina pasture. It was an event that changed my life, as it does for all the real victims of theft -- just like the characters in Alexandra's book.
This book is well written, easy to read and intriguing to the end. Mystery at Silver Key Stables is an eye opener that challenges you, the reader, to be moved by what goes on throughout the world regarding the little known crime of horse theft. This is not a crime which went out with the Old West days. Horse theft is, in fact, alive and flourishing in the 21st century.
The descriptive profiles of the horses in the book brought tears to my eyes as I read them. I deal with similar stories daily and was touched by the way Alexandra made them seem so real. This young author's goal was to tell a story that brought the very tragic issue of horse theft to life. Stepping into the shoes of the victims on both sides of this type of theft, she was able to successfully accomplish that.
I can only hope that the readers of this book understand that, although these characters are fictional, the victims and criminals are very real. With that knowledge comes responsibility, and I hope readers then choose to act upon this knowledge to not only protect themselves but also to help others. Alexandra absolutely personifies this objective, not just by the story she has written, but by donating the proceeds of this book and future books in her Charity Book Series® to charitable horse organizations like ours. This child gets it. I hope her readers do as well.
Sincerely,
Debi Metcalfe, Founder
Stolen Horse International/NetPosse.com
501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
PO Box 1341
Shelby, NC 28151