Mira and Moon: A Friend for Life

The only place thirteen-year-old Mira feels at home is in the horse stable. In school, she is treated as if she wasn’t even there, and her social inabilities excludes her from her classmates. Although the riding classes are challenging, it is among the horses that Mira finds refuge.

Moon is the most beautiful and popular pony at the riding school, but after being injured, he is left abandoned. That is until Mira steps in. She secretly starts to take care of Moon, and soon they grow a strong bond. But Mira is afraid that Annie, the best rider who always competes with Moon, will find out about their secret and put a stop to it, separating Mira and Moon.

As Moon makes his recovery, Mira dares to dream of riding him and prove to everyone. The annual masquerade show could be the perfect opportunity, but will Mira find the courage and confidence?

A Friend for Life is the first book in the new series about Mira and Moon. As always, Sarenbrant brings forth important issues in an entertaining format, highlighting subjects such as loneliness and the frustration of having to fit into a mold – while beautifully depicting the relationship between humans and horses.

Publishing information

Year of publication

2022

Page count

192

Original title

Mira och Månen: En vän för livet

Original language

Swedish

Original publisher

Bookmark

Book series

Mira and Moon (book 1)

Rights sold

Finland
Hungary
Denmark
Norwegian

About the author

Sofie Sarenbrant is one of Sweden’s most beloved and successful authors. Her books have been translated into 17 languages and sold over 6,5 million copies to date. She was awarded the prestigious Swedish Crime Writer of the Year award in 2019 and 2020 and 2022 and has also won the Nextory E-book Award three times. Sarenbrant is most well known for her captivating and contemporary series following the police detective Emma Sköld and her team. The combination of suspenseful investigations, and unexpected cliffhangers with relatable depictions of self-doubt and courage has made the series a favorite amongst many crime readers. Sarenbrant’s way of storytelling reflects a genuine and deep understanding of different narratives and perspectives, while at the same having the page-turner quality. The series take place largely in Stockholm and the idyllic suburb Bromma, where the author herself lives with her family. Instead of a worn-out, alcoholic chief inspector in the lead role, I wanted a young, career-oriented woman my own age. Emma Sköld follows in her father’s footsteps, without his blessing. He thinks there are too many risks in police work, and it will turn out that he’s right. Emma encounters prejudice in her job as a police detective because she is young and beautiful. No one expects that she will be the most competent of them all and dare to question what no one else will.  – Sofie Sarenbrant Sarenbrant has also written a psychological thriller Behind Your Back in 2017, and the acclaimed autobiography Muzzle in 2021.  In 2022, she made her debut as a children’s author with Mira and Moon, a new book series for middle-grade readers about a young girl and her strong bond with her favorite pony. Best-seller The Birthday is the first part of the new suspense series created by Carina Bergfeldt and Sofie Sarenbrant. The standalone sequel Good Friday was released in May 2024.In autumn 2026, the first instalment of the new suspense series by Sarenbrant will be published by Bokförlaget Forum.

Authors page

Reviews

"The book portrays so many emotions. There is a lot going on in Mira's life with school, the stables, and her mother who is getting increasingly tired and burnt out. It is so convincing and close. This book can certainly relate to and help many people to deal with the emotions that can come at that age."

Barnboksprat.se

"Some adult authors who try to write for children and young people seem to think that the genre is just a simpler form of adult literature and therefore does not require any greater commitment, but Sofie Sarenbrant takes her task seriously. She is also one of those crime writers who can really handle pace and plot, and here she uses her skills to the max. Of course, neither violence nor murder is needed for it to be thrilling, instead it is classic horror scenes with peers and uncomprehending teachers that pick up the pace. The result is an impressive debut."

Dagens Nyheter

"I enjoy Sarenbrant's tender portrayal of Mira and her mom. Mira & Moon: A Friend for Life is easy to read, important and thrilling, even for someone who doesn't quite understand the allure of jumping hurdles and bows."

Litteraturmagazinet

"Sofie Sarenbrant has found the balance and conveys a nuanced portray. The main character Mira struggles with almost everything: her parents are divorced, and she suspects it’s because she’s a pain with her angry outbursts and difficulties learning what seems so easy to most others … The salvation is called Moon, the injured pony who she understands and who gets her. Here she gets to be the best one and suddenly she has found her home."

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