With the help of Rico, an immigrant boy who rides horses in the nearby historic theatre, Maxzyne tries to save a runaway horse and carriage before Chicago's Festival of Lights Parade.
Fed up with polygraphs, security clearances and a daily commute, Caroline Lee fled a career writing classified reports for the Dept. of Defense to become a full-time storyteller and daydreamer-in-chief. Often inspired by her surroundings, Caroline's first book, "Maxzyne Meets the Mannequins," features America's most impulsive heroine, 10-year-old Maxzyne Merriweather, whose madcap adventures take place in the magical and historic city of Chicago. Caroline currently resides in Delray Beach, Florida where the weather is much warmer than Chicago. She is a member of the Society of Childrens Bookwriters & Illustrators (SCBWI) and is thrilled that her first book "Maxzyne Meets the Mannequins" won the 2020 Independent Press Award for Children's Fiction. The second adventure in the series, "Maxzyne and the Old Horse Theatre" is now also available on Amazon and recently won two Story Monsters Dragonfly awards! And just released: MAXZYNE GOES AQUAMARINE in ebook and soft cover. Learn more at www.maxzyne.com
I know someone who has an amazing profession - she is an Animal Communicator. My friend, Laura, has a deep affinity and compassion for Mother Nature's creatures that truly comes from the heart. She is able to understand, reconcile and unite animals with their human owners, which is no small feat. Laura and I had a conversation about this recently and we both marveled at the way children see nothing unusual about being able to converse with other species on our planet. I thought about this as I polished and set up the tiny silver creche manger scene yesterday for Christmas. I placed some of the animals around the baby Jesus and wondered if they might have been talking to the newborn Son. I like to think they were! Laura and I will be talking a bit about her work and my book next week on IG Live (Wed., 12/9,1:30 EST) Join us! @maxzyne2014 and @obestbelovedac.
Book Excerpt
Maxzyne and the Old Horse Theatre
Wait. Did I just hear Caesar talking? Oh yes, I did! Wow, this hat is the real deal. She pushes a stray braid back under the brim, her mind racing. Ever since trying it on, she felt she could understand this animal. And Rico thinks he knows so much about horses! She waits, curious to hear more. Caesar snuffles and moves restlessly around the stall, continuing to tell Lady Pearl about his past. Maxzyne has an impression of the horse performing on a stage, but she loses the image when her backpack bumps the stall door and gives her away. Both horses turn in unison to look at her through the door slats. They stamp their hooves and whinny with annoyance at the interruption.
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