Coal Dust and Dreams: The Story of a Girl and Her Pit Pony in the Coal Mines of Wales (Horses in History)

Author:  M.J. Evans (Author)

Reading age ‏ : ‎ 10 - 18 years

Winner of 2025 Feathered Quill - Taborton Equine Books Award for Best Equine Book

Imagine living in a mine 2,000 feet underground, in the damp and the dark, and filled with rats!

 
Young Bethan is living a peaceful life in a coal mining town in South Wales. But her world crumbles when her father is badly injured after a section of the mine collapses.  Setting her dreams aside for the time being, Bethan must help support her family. Defying the laws forbidding it, she goes to work 2,000 feet underground in the dark, damp, and terrifying coal mine. Her only source of comfort comes in the form of Dobbin, the very pit pony who saved her father’s life.

Through this gripping historical fiction novel for pre-teens and teens, you will experience the grueling work, ever-present dangers, and rampant sexism faced by Bethan as Dobbin becomes her strength and guiding light.

Paperback: 209 pages
Size: 5 x  8 inches