The Horse Dancer

In THE HORSE DANCER, Samantha "Sam" Wick (Sophie Bolen) is shattered when she first learns that she didn't make the Olympic Gymnastics team, for which she's been training forever. Sharing the news with her devoted grandmother, Sam realizes that perhaps she's a little relieved, since gymnastics isn't the great love of her life. Her real passion is for horses. So, she's really grateful when her grandmother decides to cheer her up by sending Sam to a horse camp for the whole summer. Problem is, while Sam is a sweet, caring family member, she also has major attitude problems and, because of that, no friends. She brings her unpleasant demeanor with her to Black River Horse Camp, where she instantly alienates just about everyone. And, it turns out, though she loves the majestic animals, she's never been near or touched a horse in her whole life. Samantha's road to redemption finds her at odds with a rich girl who's trying to be nice, the camp director, and all the girls in her unit. It's only when the camp itself runs into financial troubles and she makes her first tentative steps toward riding that Sam begins to figure out that life will be a lot better if she's willing to make good friends, join the team, and work toward a happy ending.