FROM AMAZON: A tender and gripping novel about family, identity, and loss.

Fourteen-year-old Tess is having a hard enough time understanding what it means to be part white and part Navajo, but now she's coping with her sister Gaby's announcement that she's going to enlist and fight in the Iraq war. Gaby's decision comes just weeks after the news that Lori Piestewa, a member of their community, is the first Native American woman in US history to die in combat, adding to Tess's stress and emotions. While Gaby is away, Tess reluctantly cares for her sister's semi-wild stallion, Blue, who will teach Tess how to deal with tragic loss and guide her own journey of self-discovery.

Lori Piestewa was a real-life soldier who was killed in Iraq and was a member of the Hopi tribe. Back matter includes further information about Piestewa as well as a note by author Nancy Bo Flood detailing her experiences living on the Navajo reservation. A pronunciation guide to all Navajo vocabulary used within the text is also included.

This is the story about Tess, a half white, half Native American middle school student who lives on with her Native American relatives and goes to school with white students. Her sister, Gaby, was always there for her to help her with her problems. Gaby enlisted in the military and was sent overseas. Tess has to learn to get by without her sister and take care of her sister's horse whom Gaby does not trust. This is a good story, but a little predictable. ( )