Jasper the flying horse - Siobhan Hughes

Jasper the Flying Horse opens with a young girl dreaming of winning a gold medal at the Rio Olympics. This first book sets the scene for a further two more novels exploring El's young life and dreams until she reaches adulthood. Eleanor Joy (nickname El ) and her mother Patience live in a high rise flat in Blackpool. El's father is missing in action in Afghanistan and her mother is struggling to keep everything together. She decides to move to Ireland and live with her mother in law on her small farm. El is given a small terrier dog by an eccentric neighbour and on her arrival to Ireland a beautiful tri- coloured horse from her grandmother. His name is Jasper. Jasper is a magic horse. He takes El and Roxy on a journey of fun, folklore, espionage and reconciliation. They travel across the stormy Irish seas, through the fertile fields of Europe until they finally reach the war torn country of Afghanistan. It is here that she attempts to find her father and bring him home.