THE HORN BOOK GUIDE July–December 2011 OLDER • 89
older FicTioN band, Paisley falls hard for him. The story takes a devastat-
ing turn for the couple; romance-minded readers will likely
need a few hankies on hand. amm
Abbott, Ellen Jensen The Centaur’s Daughter
320 pp. Cavendish isbn 978-0-7614-5978-1 $17.99
Allen, Elise Populazzi
(4) Exiled from Watersmeet by its xenophobic leader, Abi- 394 pp. Harcourt isbn 978-0-547-48153-1 $16.99
sina travels south with her loyal centaur, faun, dwarf, and
(4) Starting at a new school gives Cara a chance to reinvent
human companions to try to build a more inclusive home in
herself. Determined to date her way up the popularity lad-
once-repressive Vranlyn. Along the way she discovers she
der, she accidentally falls for her first target, Archer. How-
herself is a centaur shape-shifter. The messages of tolerance
ever, she ditches him to date “better” boys, including a self-
are heavy-handed, but readers invested in the Watersmeet
absorbed druggie and a closeted gay guy. Cara’s inevitable
characters will enjoy their progress. alb