Alice Leonhardt

Alice Leonhardt publishes much of her fiction for young readers under the pen name Alison Hart, drawing on long experience with horses and classroom teaching. Shadow Horse introduces thirteen-year-old Jasmine Schuler after a family tragedy leaves her living at Second Chance Farm, a rescue center for abused animals. A mystery involving a champion horse gradually turns the farm setting into an investigation about memory, trust, and responsibility. The novel was nominated for an Edgar Award and was followed by Whirlwind, extending the characters and the horse-rescue world. Leonhardt has written dozens of books across mystery, historical fiction, and equestrian series, including the Racing to Freedom trilogy and the Dog Chronicles. She has taught language arts and worked with young writers in Virginia. Her knowledge of riding and animal care supplies concrete detail without displacing the human stakes. Shadow Horse clearly demonstrates her method, joining a suspense plot to a teenager’s recovery and her growing ability to judge whom she can trust.