grounded

Book Description

Declan loves Seaneen, but his ambition to work at a top showjumping yard is stronger than anything he’s ever felt before. So when Declan is offered his dream job in Germany, he should be thrilled. There’s nothing for him at home but dark history he’d rather forget. But he’s terrified: leaving Seaneen’s harder than he expected; troubled hood Cian won’t leave him alone, and when he finds a traumatised horse in a derelict barn, he knows he has to help her. No matter how scared he is. Grounded is a gripping story of courage, fear, despair and joy by the award-winning author of Taking Flight.

Review
‘Sheena Wilkinson’s first, Taking Flight, is one of the best Young Adult books I’ve read – and the sequel Grounded is even better. We’re plunged into the messy life and emotions of Declan, the young man trying to escape his difficult background on a Belfast estate by building a career working with horses. [Wilkinson’s] human characters are rounded and utterly real, but the most fascinating character is Folly, the nervous, damaged horse that Declan rescues from abject neglect. Folly’s story runs parallel to that of Cian, a young boy already dabbling in drugs, alcohol and crime. Can Declan help either of them? Their stories are compelling, heart-breaking and truly shocking. I’d recommend Grounded and taking Flight to absolutely any reader, and I can’t wait to see what Sheena Wilkinson comes up with next. She reminds me of K M Peyton, one of the most successful children’s writers of our time.’ Keren David, young adult author

About the Author
Sheena Wilkinson’s first novel, Taking Flight, was the winner of two Bisto Children’s Book of the Year Awards: the Children’s Choice Award and the Honour Award for Fiction, as well as a White Raven award from the International Youth Library and a place on the iBbY Honour List 2012.