GHETTO COWBOY by G. Neri

As they drive out of Detroit, Cole knows his mother is fed up with his delinquent behavior, but he doesn't realize how upset she is until they arrive in Philadelphia and she stops the car in front of a rundown building.  Cole's mother announces she is leaving him with his father.  Cole is sure she is kidding until his stuff is unloaded and she is gone.

Cole hasn't seen his father in years.  Now he is face to face with a guy dressed like a cowboy, and when he follows the man inside, he is shocked to discover a horse living in an abandoned part of the building.  What kind of place is this?

What Cole soon discovers is that right in the heart of Philadelphia is a horse stable that has been saving horses and keeping kids off the streets and out of gangs for years.  It doesn't take long for Cole to set aside his Detroit lifestyle and begin to adjust to a life of mucking out stalls and brushing horses.  He becomes friends with a rescued horse he names Boo.

When city officials threaten to close this last remaining inner-city stable, Cole fights to save the horses and the program that has helped so many young boys stay out of trouble.

Author G. Neri says GHETTO COWBOY was inspired by an article in Life magazine about inner-city cowboys.  The unique mix of urban life with that of the old west cowboy should appeal to teens looking for a different adventure.