Archeology. Treasure hunt. Horses.

Boots and Buckets is the second novel in the middle grade contemporary series, The Field Notes of Gwen Bell.

Twelve-year-old fashionista Gwen wants to see an old friend at a trail ride. But since Gwen doesn't know how to ride (stinky) horses, she makes a deal with Harper, an assertive (blunt) classmate who plays polo (in South Dakota ) and wears cowboy boots to marching band practice (a fashion crime).

Harper agrees to teach her how to ride if Gwen uses her archeology skills to help Harper find a family treasure (if it exists).

While Gwen determines to face her fear of horses, her new adventure may cause her to become the newest sixth-grade outcast.

This novel will appeal to readers ages eight through twelve and is similar in style to books by Jane Smiley, Michelle Bates, Karina Yan Glaser, Martha Freeman, and Jeanne Birdsall.