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Originally published by HarperCollins and now republished in a new edition from Brocker Books, Restless Spirit is suited to a wide age range (eight- to fourteen-year-olds) and will appeal equally to boys and girls.
Reviews
“An amazing book about the annual horse cull in Kaimanawa Ranges. So far, one of my favourite books. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is into horses or even New Zealand made novels.” ~ Goodreads reviewer
“I thought this book was well written and offered the reader a truly New Zealand story featuring descriptions of geography and culture unique to this country. The characters are likeable, and readers will be able to connect easily with them. The plot is exciting and offers a good mix of adventure and drama.” ~ flickoncereadtwice
About Restless Spirit
Restless Spirit was Susan Brocker’s first New Zealand novel after many years writing children’s stories for educational publishers. Susan demonstrates her ability to captivate and charm young readers with a moving and compelling adventure story built around the legendary Kaimanawa horses on the volcanic plateau of New Zealand.
A young colt flees to safety after helicopter hunters brutally kill his family. We learn that his great-grandfather galloped across the burning deserts of Egypt and his mother’s ancestors once roamed the windswept hills of Wales. This young colt is a survivor, the restless spirit who will soon grow into a magnificent wild white stallion.
The story brings together two teenagers: Lara, an Auckland girl, who is finding it hard to make friends at school and loathes living in the Desert Road area, and Kahu, who hides his intelligence at school behind a cocky attitude. Through Kahu, Lara learns that the Kaimanawa wild horses descended from horses that escaped from farms in the area over 140 years ago. Kahu and Lara take part in the annual DOC muster designed to keep the population at 500 horses. The mission they take on is to try to find and then protect the white stallion from Tusker, the brutal hunter who killed the stallion’s family and later wounded the stallion when he tried to protect his new mare and foal – the two horses that Kahu loves and trains.
Restless Spirit is not just an adventure story. It explores themes of digging deep to stand up for what’s right, reaching out to others for help, animal cruelty, and conservation.
Meet the Kiwi author
Find out more about Tauranga author Susan Brocker on her author page.
