By Jane Smiley

A high-spirited filly wanders from her stall at the racetrack and makes her way to the heart of glorious Paris, befriending a venturesome German Shepherd, a gaggle of Ornery birds, and a boy named Etienne who lives in the ivy-clad seclusion of his great grandmother’s home.  But how long can a horse named Paras (short for Parestroika) remain at liberty in the big city?