Book Synopsis Can I Get There by Candlelight? is Jean Slaughter Dotys story of a young girl and her closest friend--a pony named Candlelight. Lonely and unhappy after her family moves to the East and with only her pony, Candlelight, for company, Gail meets Hilary who is later killed in a pony-cart accident. About the Author Jean Slaughter Doty was an avid lover of animals, especially ponies and horses. She raised numerous dogs, horses, and ponies, including some that she shows or races. Almost all of her books are stories about horses for middle readers or young adults.