Meet Lila Monetti!
From the high beam to the bars, there’s never been a landing Lila couldn’t stick in gymnastics. But when she suddenly falls head over heels for horse camp, she must figure out how to balance both.
Jack Monetti
Lila’s 8-year-old brother who attends horseback riding camp with her. He loves knock knock jokes and always has a new one for Lila.
Christine Monetti
Lila’s mom is a nurse at the children’s hospital. She taught Lila everything she knows about fancy hairstyles.
Matt Monetti
Lila’s dad is a counselor at a clinic in Minneapolis. Dad made up the word “ner-cited,” to describe the way you can feel nervous and excited all at once.
Katie Gundersen
Lila’s best friend who lives a few houses away. The girls have known each other their whole lives. Katie loves animals, and she’s big on traditions, like French-braid Friday.
McKenna Brooks
Lila’s former babysitter who became her gymnastics coach. McKenna grew up in Seattle and moved to the Twin Cities to attend college, where she’s earning her degree in elementary education.
Hollyhock
A Palomino horse who becomes Lila’s best friend at horse camp. Hollyhock recently arrived at Honeycrisp Hill and hasn’t been accepted by the rest of the herd yet.
Avery
A teammate at Aberg’s Gymnastics who is very focused. Avery has been on the Gold team for a year.
Emilia
Emilia broke her ankle at gymnastics, so she gets worried when she (or someone else) is attempting a new skill. Emilia and Lila attend the same camp session at Honeycrisp Hill.
Jade
A friend of Emilia’s who also goes to Honeycrisp Hill Horse Camp. Like Emilia, Jade has been to camp before and is comfortable around horses.
Mighty Mae
An energetic corgi that lives at Honeycrisp Hill. Mighty Mae loves playing tug of war and “herding” campers.
Freya
A counselor at Honeycrisp Hill who teaches the campers about each horse and their personalities.
Author Erin Falligant
Erin Falligant took horseback riding lessons when she was a girl, just like Lila. But while Lila dreams of becoming a competitive gymnast, Erin dreamed of becoming an author—long before she wrote her first book. She has now written more than forty books for children, including American Girl titles from the Girl of the Year 2020 Joss™ series, historical fiction books, and several Smart Girl’s Guides. She has a master’s degree in child clinical psychology and writes from her home in Madison, Wisconsin.
Illustrator Vivienne To
Vivienne To is an illustrator and concept artist. She has worked in the art department for several animated feature films, and her illustrations have been featured on many book covers and in many picture books. Vivienne lives in Wellington, New Zealand. When she isn’t drawing, she can be found knitting on the couch, watching cute dogs at the local park, or getting lost in a good book.
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