Within these pages live twenty-eight short stories crafted by twenty-eight authors. Each provides a unique glimpse into the mind and writing style of a budding young author. Completed as part of 2014's annual NaNoWriMo competition, these narratives represent the perseverance, hard work, and determination of twenty-eight outstanding grade 7 and 8 students at Sir John A. Macdonald Public School in Pickering Ontario. It is with great pleasure that we present this anthology to the world. May you have as much fun reading as we did writing.

“A fascinating narrative with all the grace and power embodied in the wild horses that once populated the Western range . . . [A] magnificently told saga.” —Albuquerque Journal A Los Angeles Times Best Nonfiction Book of the Year Mustang is the sweeping story of the wild horse in the culture, history, and popular imagination of the American West. It follows the wild horse across time, from its evolutionary origins on this continent to its return with the conquistadors, its bloody battles on the old frontier, its iconic status in Buffalo Bill shows and early westerns, and its plight today as it makes its last stand on the vanishing range. With the Bureau of Land Management proposing to euthanize thousands of horses and ever-encroaching development threatening the land, the mustang’s position has never been more perilous. But as Stillman reveals, the horses are still running wild despite all the obstacles, with spirit unbroken. Hailed by critics nationwide, Mustang is “brisk, smart, thorough, and surprising” (Atlantic Monthly). “Like the best nonfiction writers of our time (Jon Krakauer and Bruce Chatwin come to mind), Stillman’s prose is inviting, her voice authoritative and her vision imaginative and impressively broad.” —Los Angeles Times “Powerful . . . Stillman’s talent as a writer makes this impossible [to stop reading], to the mustang’s benefit.” —Orion “A circumspect writer passionate about her purpose can produce a significant gift for readers. Stillman’s wonderful chronicle of America’s mustangs is an excellent example.” —The Seattle Times

Each book in the True Horse Stories focuses on a contemporary horse from a different part of the world, and each animal is, in his or her own way, a hero. PBJ Decks Smokin Gun (Gunner) is an American Paint Horse, one of the many of Heather Lott Goodwin's herd, and a valuable show animal that won the World Championship Paint Horse title. When Hurricane Katrina passed over the Goodwin property, it took with it the fences, the cattle, and several horses. Heather and her family lived in their horse trailer for six weeks and considered themselves lucky to have safe, comfortable shelter. After the storm, they searched for the animals and recovered many of them. But three months passed before they located Gunner, a hundred miles away. They were told he was in terrible shape and should be put down. Nevertheless, Heather drove on washed-out roads to bring him home, starving, dehydrated, and blind in one eye. With the help of a vet and her mother, she nursed him back to health. Amazingly, nine months later, he was well enough to compete again in the World Championship Paint Horse Show. Gunner's story is a testament to love and to determination.

Into the Wind, A Mustang's Story is a story about a wild mustang who grows up on the great American plains. He experiences many life-changing events only to be captured with the loss of his freedom. His life is spent living in stock pens, knowing the love of a young girl, becoming a rodeo bucking horse, and being befriended by a Lakota Sioux Native American. What will be the fate of our spirited mustang? This exciting tale is told from the horse's point of view for teens of all ages.

Born Free! Among a patterned herd of wild Appaloosa mustangs running free in the Idaho wilderness lives Blue, a spirited filly the color of rain. Surrounded by her family, including her gentle sister Doe, and protected by her father, the band stallion, Blue lives a life both harsh and beautiful in the rugged terrain of an undiscovered habitat. That all changes, though, when Blue and Doe are captured by rogue cowboys, setting in motion a chain of events that threatens the very survival of their hidden, secret herd.

It was the morning of July 4, 1868. Events were about to occur that would remain in local folks' memories for a long, long time and eventually become securely lodged in the lore of the old American West. The sun had risen in every shade of gold and red behind high storm clouds far To The east. They were dark and laced with lightning. The rumble of thunder fell on the ear like distant cannon fire and made the post horses prick up their ears and turn To The wind. it promised to be another hot summer day. Tales of the Fort Whiskey Creek Trading Post, by author Robert R. Dahlgren, Is a collection of the craziest side-splitting misadventures in the history of the Old West, As the gang of Fort Whiskey Creek embarks on their greatest challenge: growing up! With charm and innocence, one tale after another evokes the spirit of pioneer life on the American frontier. Almost anything can and does happen in each hilarious, hair-raising yarn when the boys of Fort Whiskey Creek use all their ingenuity and imagination to get themselves into and out of trouble. Based on real events and outright whoppers, Tales of the Fort Whiskey Creek Trading Post will make you laugh, make you believe in the goodness of humanity, and will make you yearn for a simpler time.