THE SECRET HORSES OF BRIAR HILL, by Megan Shepherd

The story: Emmeline is the only person in the place who can see the winged horses in the mirrors. It's World War 2, and she's been sent to a hospital for children with tuberculosis. When an injured horse mysteriously appears, in need of her care, Emmeline must complete a series of tasks to make sure Foxfire is safe. But will Emmeline be able to complete the ward against evil before the full moon, when the dark horse Volkrig will come to the height of his powers? Or will Emmeline's frail body lose the fight before then abandoning the horse to her doom?

June Cleaver's ratings: Language G; Violence PG; Sexual content G; Nudity G; Substance abuse PG; Magic & the occult PG; GLBT content G; adult themes (war, children with terminal illness, death of a friend) PG; overall rating PG.

Liz's comments: Not for everyone--but for readers who are fans of classic fantasy like C.S. Lewis's Narnia books or Burnett's "The Secret Garden", this one is just right. Emmeline seems to be about 11 years old, but since there's a wartime setting that adds a bit of age, MS girls might be enticed to read this one. (ES girls who like horse stories will also be a good audience.)