The Shadow Pony

About this book

Eleven-year-old Evan and his mum have moved to Wales, and Grandad is staying with them after a fall. After an eventful school trip to the old mine where Grandad used to work, Evan's life begins to go wrong. Mum's boyfriend and his daughter move in - with a cat who hates Okie Dokie, Evan's beloved dog. Kai, the school bully, is still picking on Evan. But worst of all, Grandad is starting to behave strangely. He won't talk about his past, and the pit ponies he worked with. Can Evan find a way to make everything OK again?

Olivia Wakeford is incredibly good at weaving emotional layers into stories of ordinary life. Readers may recognise many elements in this story, such as coping with change, being afraid of the dark, worrying about ill family members. There is also a blended family, reference to mental illness, and of course Grandad's confusion, which is never named but dealt with in a sensitive manner. Alongside this runs the story of Wales' poor pit ponies, forced to work in coal mines and rarely seeing daylight. A powerful and moving story, written with real heart.

 

About the illustrator