Friday, February 3, 2012

Heroes and Hounds by Bill Miller Tour with #Giveaway



Heroes and Hounds
Author: Bill Miller
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781456310363
Genre: Young Adult, Adventure

About the Book:
Heroes and Hounds is a wonderfully charming story about a young girl’s adventures with her pony and her friend as she seeks to fulfill her dream of riding “to the hounds” with the hunt. Although the story is written for young audiences, it has multi-generational appeal as it touches on such issues as the plight of families with parents in military service and the welfare of veterans. Anyone who loves horses, dogs and other animals will enjoy this book. The illustrations are beautiful and create a nostalgia of their own in their old-style look reminiscent of children’s books decades ago.
Carly is 11 years old and lives with her grandfather on a 200-acre Virginia farm while both parents serve in the military overseas. She loves the farm, and befriends all of the animals including a sneaky red fox that stalks her grandfather’s prize chickens. Her best friend is her pony, Monroe, who shares her enthusiasm for adventure. Carly’s constant dream is to ride with the Riverdale Hunt Club that passes through her grandfather’s property.
On one particularly rainy Saturday, Carly watches from her front porch as the finely dressed ladies and gentlemen ride to the hounds. Later in the day, Carly finds out that a young hound named Hampton has become lost and Carly is determined to find him and by so doing endear herself to the hunt’s Master; perhaps to be asked to ride Monroe in an upcoming meet. Carly enlists the help of her friend, Freddie, but the adventure is just beginning. Carly, Monroe, Hampton and the red fox have no idea what’s dangers await them.

My Thoughts:

Carly is an eleven year old girl who loves horses and dreams of one day riding with the local hunt club. When one of the hounds wanders from the pack, Carly sets out on an adventure to look for him. This adventure goes well above and beyond what she bargained for.

Mr. Miller pens a delightful tale that can only come from one who loves and understands horses. He utilizes that understanding throughout his whole book, creating a character that loves her horse, Monroe, like a best friend. This creates a realistic character and one that anyone who loves horses (or animals) can identify with.

This heartwarming and beautifully illustrated story is not only entertaining, but contains some very good lessons about obedience, truthfulness, friendship, and misconceptions. Although it is marketed to the young adult audience, this is one book that can span many age groups.

This is a captivating read that is perfect for any family library. I look forward to seeing more books from Mr. Miller!

About the Author:

Bill Miller has been riding to the hounds for the over 40 years. For nearly 20 years he has been an honorary whipper-in for the Norfolk Hunt Club. Bill is also actively involved in Team Penning during the summer months. He lives on a small farm in Sherborn, Massachusetts with his wife, three horses and dog. When not working with horses, Bill is an independent film director and cinematogrpaher. His TV shows and commercials have been viewed by millions worldwide and he has won three Emmys and numerous other industry awards. He has also been widely published in trade magazines. Bill is also creative director for Spirit of the American Cowboy Foundation, a non-profit organization which raises money for pediatric cancer research.

If you would like to learn more about Mr. Miller or his work, you can visit him at:
Book website
Personal website
Facebook
Twitter
GoodReads

To see what others have to say about Mr. Miller's book, a video trailer or read an excerpt from the book, please visit the tour page.

Giveaway

Mr. Miller is offering one e-copy of his book to one lucky reader of this blog. Just fill out the form below and come back to tweet daily for more chances to win this delightful book! This contest is global.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


I received a copy of this book to read and honestly review for this tour.

1 comment: