In World War II England, a fierce, imaginative girl named Emmaline lives in a children's hospital, a converted country mansion run by the Sisters of Mercy. Emmaline has a lung disease she calls the "stillwaters," or tuberculosis, as do the other boys and girls whose doors are color-coded from blue (well enough to go outside) to red (dire indeed). Emmaline starts out blue, but her bedridden best friend Anna is red. She hopes Anna will one day see what she sees: winged horses in the old mansion's elegant mirrors.
Emmaline used to think the winged horses she likes to sketch lived only in the mirror-world, but she discovers a real one beyond the ivy-covered garden wall. A mysterious note from "The Horse Lord" left under the garden sundial's arm tells her the horse's name is Foxfire and that Foxfire is being hunted by the Black Horse. Emmaline risks everything to help protect the imperiled horse. Megan Shepherd (The Madman's Daughter; The Cage) keeps readers vacillating on what's real and what's imagined as Emmaline tries to sort it out herself. The Secret Horses of Briar Hill--exquisitely illustrated and clearly, flawlessly spun--explodes with raw anguish, magic and hope. It deserves a spot on the shelf next to the most beloved children's classics--yes, even The Secret Garden. --Karin Snelson, children's & YA editor, Shelf Awareness