Love and Muddy Puddles

Book excerpt: Thirteen year old fashionista Coco Franks has finally made it into the popular group when her dad decides to move the whole family to the country so they can 'bond'. Social death is looming, her shoes are covered in mud and all Coco wants to do is get herself back to her city friends. After all, things can't get any worse, right? It'll take a boy with no dress sense and totally hick boots, and a contrary horse called Cupcake to bring Coco to her senses. But it might just be too little, too late. Love and Muddy Puddles is humorous realistic fiction aimed at children aged 10-14 and horse lovers everywhere. Set in Australia, this clean teen romance is a funny and inspiring story of how a horse - and a change of perspective and heart - can change a young person's life. Love and Muddy Puddles is the third novel by Australian writer Cecily Anne Paterson. Her first novel, Invisible, also a clean, realistic story for girls and teenagers, was called an 'exquisitely written story' by Publisher's Weekly reviewer of teenage fiction, and was a semifinalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards in 2014.