The Galty Prize was simply an impossibly grueling cross-country horse race that would challenge the finest horseman and well-bred steed. This was no place for a girl and her unproven horse.

But, Maggie Shannon had to win The Galty Prize. She knew it from the first moment her grandfather entrusted her with the legacy of her family's prosperous history before the Famine, and before the brutal British rule.

To Maggie, winning the Galty Prize was as much, if not more, about Shannon pride and legacy as it was about the prize of gold. British rule allowed the English landlord, Sir Henry Fitzhenry to seize control of the Shannon family's ancestral farm in County Tipperary. Winning The Galty Prize could be her family's only chance to reclaim their home and restore their battered pride. At the same time, young Maggie was on her way to womanhood, and she had a lot to prove.

Jean Tolle, author of the middle-grade novel, The Great Pete Penney, brings to life a time and place of struggle and rising expectations. Experience the desperation of her grandfather and her brother Joe. Meet her good friends Brendon and Patrick Connory, as well as the Irish patriots, Lady Edwina Darcy and the poet, Finnegan. Feel the magic of the extraordinary mare, Pegasus, as she and Maggie ride bravely into glory and danger.

For a peek into the book, including the first chapter, click on The Galty Prize. Read about the author, order the book, and send your questions and comments to her.