National Velvet

Velvet alone saw the new moon. She bowed three times, glanced round to see that no one saw, then standing in the shadow of the stable door she put her hands, like thin white arrows, together and prayed to the moon-"Oh God, give me horses, give me horses! Let me be the best rider in England!" Fourteen-year-old Velvet Brown is determined to turn Pie, the unruly horse she won in a raffle, into a champion and personally ride him to victory in the world's greatest steeplechase, the Grand National. Velvet soon learns that it will take more than hard work and dedication to achieve her goal-she will also need love, courage, and the magical power of childhood dreams.Bagnold, Enid is the author of 'National Velvet' with ISBN 9780694015795 and ISBN 0694015792.