It is the 1890s and 12-year-old Casey has just moved to Australia. He misses his home in Montana and his friends, but most of all he misses the
wild mustangs. When Casey discovers a herd of wild brumbies he develops a bond with a stallion,
Moonrunner, that changes his life.



For a full minute, the brumby sniffed the air and looked directly at me. He didn’t move; I didn’t move.



The stallion’s powerful muscles quivered as he remained perfectly still, staring at the rocks where I was carefully hidden. As though anticipating danger, the stallion suddenly spun and followed the other horses upriver.



"Moonrunner!" I whispered. "That’s what I’ll call you. Moonrunner."It’s the 1890s, and Casey and his family have just moved to the Australian outback from Montana. Casey’s had to leave his horse and his friends behind, and now he has to ride an old mule to school, where he is teased mercilessly. Casey and his parent clones of Ma and Pa Ingalls¬strive to make their way in their new country, and it’s the wild brumbies (Australian mustangs) that help him most. Casey’s kind of a finagler: He drives a bargain with a wealthy rancher, acquiring a beautiful mare when she loses a race, makes a bet with the school kids around baseball (a new sport to them) and ultimately and hugely implausibly” negotiates” with the wild stallion he’s named Moonrunner for the care of his mare and her colt. This portrait of Down Under pioneer life is built around a love of horses. There is almost enough hardship to give a sense of reality, but often Casey’s peculiar brand of salesmanship works a little too miraculously. Horse lovers will gulp this down, but for most the ride will be a walk instead of a gallop. Kirkus Reviews


“In the 1890s, Casey and his parents immigrate to Australia, to a homestead that they inherited from his grandfather. The 12-year-old finds the change difficult. He is bullied at school, and he misses his baseball team in Montana and his horse. Then he happens upon a magnificent wild stallion, and he is determined to befriend the brumby, whom he names Moonrunner. When the stallion is captured and resists all attempts to tame him, Casey knows that he has to save the horse and return him to the wild. This well-paced story effectively portrays the family’s struggles. Casey is a strong, engaging protagonist whose interactions with the other characters are believable and interesting. His determination to defend both Moonrunner and another horse from an abusive owner will resonate with readers.” School Library Journal, June, 2009