Oginalii (Is Cherokee for My Friend Like Horse is to My Heart) by Stephanie M Sellers

Book Description:
OGINALII, is Cherokee for My Friend Like Horse is to My Heart, is a Young Adult Short Story that pulls in the heart as you leave the asphalt for dusty rural roads and smelly farm land. Exilee Sheffield is a tomboy who recently lost her mother and deals with loneliness and grieving in a most unique manner. Anyone want to watch a pony-show with a cat on the back and a three-legged buffalo led by a hyper terrier? Exilee doesn't. She wants to do it! And she will. Exilee wants to do anything except learn piano and as Aunt Bell says, "Learn some manners." Until Exilee learns Auntie Bell just might be her new best friend, if she'll let her.

My Thoughts:
This was a good YA book. Exilee is a young girl who has just lost her mother. Her Aunt Bell has been asked to finish raising her and to teach her to play the piano but Exilee wants nothing to do with that. All she wants to do is play with her animals which include a cat, dog, horse, buffalo and anything else she can speak to. Aunt Bell finally find a way into the young girl's trust by teaching her, just not exactly the piano!
I love that we hear Exilee and her pets conversations. Her animals understand her better than she herself does a lot of the time. Each of the animals have their own distinct characters and I grew to love each of them, especially the buffalo with 3 1/2 legs! Aunt Bell is smart and a good role model for the young girl. The Native American culture, which Exilee's mother was, is discussed and is very interesting!
I rate this a 4/5. It is a good, insightful young adult book.

Thank you to the author for the review copy of this book. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.