tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62695124257156629272024-03-13T15:04:36.313+00:00Ponymad Booklovers BlogClairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-89130524159858221472019-12-09T21:58:00.001+00:002019-12-14T19:28:10.744+00:00Book Review - A Riverdale Christmas by Amanda Wills<br />
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<b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dAUbd-uUy-g/Xe7DdUrfXII/AAAAAAAACAI/64eJoOvJKeQ2GODn9qkGyWSZS9usvz_gwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/POPY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dAUbd-uUy-g/Xe7DdUrfXII/AAAAAAAACAI/64eJoOvJKeQ2GODn9qkGyWSZS9usvz_gwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/POPY.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></div>
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<b>SUMMARY OF STORY:</b><br />
<br />
This is the latest in a pony series
featuring Poppy, her Connemara pony Cloud, friend Scarlett and younger
brother. In this instalment, Christmas is on the horizon. Poppy is eager
to become part of the school showjumping team and is horrified when her
nemesis Mrs. Jackson, takes over the job of picking the team. How will
she ever achieve her ambition now? But when she becomes involved in a
charity to help sick children run by a local celebrity she begins to
realise that there are more important things in life than her own
concerns.<br />
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<b>REVIEW</b><br />
<br />
First of all before I start the
review I have to say that I am not really a 'Christmassy' person, in
fact some may say I should change my middle name to The Grinch! So it
takes a lot to make me feel the Christmas spirit. This book, however,
I'm pleased to say actually managed it! This story is full of the real
message of Christmas, which seems nowadays to be almost lost in all the
commercialism and surface glitz: that of spreading love and joy to
others. Young readers will absorb this message through the eyes of our
heroine Poppy. But it's not by any means done in a preachy or unsubtle
way. At the beginning of the story Poppy's main concerns, as befits a
young pony-obsessed girl, involve being chosen for a show jumping team
and the annoying fact that one of her teachers seems to be picking on
her. It's only when she reluctantly takes part in a charity event to
help disadvantaged children that she starts to question her priorities
and the way she sees the world. This plot-line could have turned the
book into a rather downbeat and dreary read but on the contrary the
author also celebrates the fact that Christmas can still be fun and full
of sparkle. The character of Gaz with his ridiculously over-the-top
Christmas decorations, demonstrates that you can be both caring and have
fun at the same time. The Christmassy feel of the book is further
heightened by the snowfall and the traditional wintry activities such as
sledging - and there's even an extra touch of festive magic with the
inclusion of a real live unicorn!<br />
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As well as the Christmas vibe,
there is plenty more for readers to enjoy in this fast-paced story, with
lots of horsy action, excitement and some nice scenes between the family
members, especially the flashbacks to a family holiday in which we find
out a little more about Poppy's character. I also like the way that the
author has managed to blend the modern with the more traditional pony
story, so it will appeal to both youngsters and older readers.
Instagram and media celebrities rub shoulders with a more old-fashioned
pony-story atmosphere.<br />
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Our heroine Poppy is a very likeable
character. She is a really caring and genuine girl but at the same time
has her faults and moments of weakness, just like a real person. There
are two types of pony book heroine/hero that really annoy me: the
perfect 'has a special way with horses' paragon who sets my teeth on
edge and, perhaps worse, the whiny kid who complains about everything
and never takes a moment to appreciate anything they have or think of
anyone but themselves. Thankfully Poppy is none of these, she's a real
normal girl with good and bad points, whom we can all relate to. <br />
<br />
The
book is part of a fairly long-running series and, unlike many series,
this one has not lost its freshness and become formulaic. The author
adds something new in every book, this one included. The story will be
appreciated to the full if you have read the others beforehand but can
be read as a stand-alone. Perhaps a touch more general background
information on the characters would have helped new readers of the
series jump into the story a little more easily, but it's not a major
requirement as most of it can be picked up throughout. So even if you
haven't read the others, don't let this put you off this great festive
story. <br />
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All in all I would recommend this as an excellent Christmas read for all ages!<br />
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I have rated the book <b>4 HORSESHOES </b>(very good) <br />
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Read more and vote on the book on the <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2503/riverdale-christmas-amanda-wills?page=1#ixzz67eK7qHQT" target="_blank">chat forum </a></div>
Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-71795528052698555322019-12-09T21:54:00.005+00:002019-12-09T21:54:39.857+00:00Book Review - Midnight Champion Bucking Horse by Sam Savitt<br />
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<b><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oCk15Y00faU/Xe7CWVyD6ZI/AAAAAAAAB_8/0l7aWGOgKFg5HEf7zG0IDMfGHQLFXKgSACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/savitt%2Bmidnight%2Bpb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="276" data-original-width="180" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oCk15Y00faU/Xe7CWVyD6ZI/AAAAAAAAB_8/0l7aWGOgKFg5HEf7zG0IDMfGHQLFXKgSACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/savitt%2Bmidnight%2Bpb.jpg" /></a></b></div>
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<b>EDITION REVIEWED:</b><br />Scholastic paperback edition dated 1972.<br /><br /><b>SUMMARY OF STORY: </b><br /><br />The
book is a historical story set in the early 20th century based on a
real life horse who was one of the most famous rodeo horses in American
history. The story is told in three sections, each by a different
narrator including the man who first caught and tamed the horse, his
long term owner and the champion rodeo rider who locked horns with
Midnight a number of times. <br /><br /><b>REVIEW:</b><br /><br />This was one
of a number of books I have had lying around for ages which I'd never
got round to reading. Although I'd picked up the book and perused the
wonderful illustrations a few times, I'd never really been motivated to
read it, partly because I wasn't sure if a story about rodeos would be
interesting, partly because I am a little worried about the possible
cruelty element in rodeos, which I must admit I didn't really know
anything about. But the book happened to be at hand when I was waiting
impatiently for my laptop to install some software and I began to read
in order to fill the time. After a few pages I'd almost forgotten about
the computer. I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I was
enjoying the book. First of all, Sam Savitt is not just a fabulous
artist, he's also a pretty good writer. His first person narrative is
written in an easy to read, colloquial style which is friendly and
down-to-earth, but at the same time also quite polished and
accomplished. He really makes you see into the world of the different
characters, and feel their emotions. There is quite a lot of humour in
the book too, with various amusing rodeo escapades and larger than life
characters such as the gambler Twenty One Johnson who, in the words of
Jim McNab, "had himself calluses...from patting his own back." (Page
20). I was also quite surprised at the emotional depth and moments of
tenderness in the book, which I didn't expect at all in such a story.<br /><br />The book is similar in structure to Diana Pullein-Thompson's <i>A Pony for Sale</i>,
with three sections following the different eras of Midnight's life,
each 'written' by a different character. I found the first section, 'Jim
McNab's Story,' the most enjoyable. It tells of how Jim breaks in the
horse, whom he originally wants for a cow horse, and forms an attachment
to him. Although Jim tries to break the horse the old fashioned rough
and ready cowboy way, this doesn't work and Midnight demonstrates his
early bucking prowess in quickly depositing his erstwhile wrangler! Jim
then gentles the horse in a more modern, almost Monty Roberts-like
approach, and this in turn leads to a strong bond forming between the
two. However Midnight's talents as a buckeroo tempt Jim into entering
the horse for rodeos, which slowly severs their bond, and eventually he
decides to sell him. Jim's growing depression as his equine friend grows
away from him and his sadness at their parting make for very emotional
reading, and we see that even a crusty old cowboy can be as
broken-hearted at losing his horse as any pony mad teenager. <br /><br />The
second and third sections dealing with Midnight's career are
interesting, especially the last, in which the top rodeo rider battles
his wills against the top rodeo horse. However they don't quite have the
emotional depth of the first part. If like me, you know next to nothing
about rodeos, you will learn a lot about what goes on. The author seems
to stress that, far from being cruel, the sport gives the top rodeo
horses a great life in which the horse is very well cared for and only
works a few seconds a week, as opposed to six or seven hours as a cow
horse. I do suspect that the lower class of rodeo horse may not fare so
well and there is probably some cruelty in the sport, as there is in
almost all horse sports. But we don't see much of the unsavoury aspect
of the rodeo world, except for one incident of doping. I think a moral
exploration of the sport is perhaps best set aside whilst reading the
book, with any concerns explored afterwards. Certainly there is no
horrifying cruelty or distressing death scenes in the book. (I've read
far worse in many pony books aimed at pre-teen girls!) <br /><br />Midnight
(or Middy for short) is no cardboard cut out horse either. His character
is drawn as well as those of the humans. We soon find that he is far
from being the cliched man-eating outlaw horse. Although he soon
dispenses of his riders, he does so with rather more cleverness and
cunning than an explosion of rage, with even a touch of humour at times,
such as when he looks back at one of his defeated riders sitting in the
dirt and "seems to be saying 'no hard feelings. chum, it's all in a
day's riding.'" (Page 48). He can also be gentle and affectionate, as he
is with Jim and Mrs Elliot, the wife of his second owner. When one day a
rider falls to the ground and become unconscious the horse does not
attack the prostrate man but instead nuzzles him gently. <br /><br />The
penultimate part of the book pits the wits of Midnight and the great
rodeo rider Pete Knight. The last few pages chronicle the very few
seconds the battle takes in an unusual but highly effective way, with
one-sentence pages paired with full page illustrations. This makes for
an exciting, countdown-like episode. I'll not give away who wins, you'll
have to read the book for yourself!<br /><br />The end of the book is again
quite emotional as we see, after Midnight's death, that a monument has
been erected to him with a poetic epitaph which finishes "if there is a
hoss heaven, please God, rest his soul." (Page 95). It's obvious that
Midnight touched the hearts of many people and he will defintely touch
the reader's too. <br /><br />I can't finish up without mentioning the
absolutely stunning illustrations by the author. Not only are they full
of energy, life and at times humour, we can also see the characters of
the horses in their eyes and expressions, something which is
surprisingly rare in many pony book illustrations. (Caney and Geoffrey
Whittam are also masters of this, but not so many an equine illustrator
who seems to forget that the horses should have as much character as the
riders). There are also far more illustrations here than in the average
horse story, even many full page and almost double page spreads. <br /><br />In
some ways the book is an oddity, it is written to appeal mostly to
adults, but the lavish and numerous illustrations and the brevity of the
text, make it almost like a young reader's picture book. But really
this just mirrors the fact the book is quite different to the 'normal'
horse story in a number of ways, from subject matter, to structure, to
unexpected emotions stirred by its pages. I feel it is quite a unique
book and I'd certainly recommend it to older children and adults. <br /><br />In rating the book I have to give it a whole horseshoe just for the illustrations so all in all I will rate the book as <b>5 HORSESHOES </b>(excellent).<br />
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<br />Read more and vote on this book on the <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2485/midnight-champion-bucking-horse-savitt#ixzz67eIeRCmp" target="_blank">chat forum</a></div>
Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-67313403130674740562018-10-08T20:44:00.001+01:002018-10-08T20:55:54.848+01:00Book Review - The Spooky Pony Mystery & Other Stories by Jane Ayres<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V4ZGImotGdg/W7uhWkyaBFI/AAAAAAAABrE/aEZoW3hr2zUjBdUKQAsj5E4D7UiqFweNQCLcBGAs/s1600/AYRES%2BSPOOKY%2BPONY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="184" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-V4ZGImotGdg/W7uhWkyaBFI/AAAAAAAABrE/aEZoW3hr2zUjBdUKQAsj5E4D7UiqFweNQCLcBGAs/s1600/AYRES%2BSPOOKY%2BPONY.jpg" /></a></div>
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SUMMARY OF BOOK <br />
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In the run up to Halloween, here is a great spooky read to get you in the mood. The book contains one longish story and five short ones, all featuring different characters and situations, though all horse-themed.<br />
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BOOK REVIEW<br />
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Unlike many writers of full length novels who can't seem to get to grips with the slightly different art of the short story, Jane Ayres has already proved, with her earlier book of stories, Horses in the Gallery, that she is a dab hand at both. This new compilation is even better than her previous. The stories are all gripping and a couple have a brilliant twist in the tale - I defy anyone to guess the ending of Horsey, for example!<br />
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This is a great read for Halloween time, or for anyone who likes a scary horse story. I must confess I do love a good ghostly yarn. Having read the works of most of the great writers of the genre, including that master of the spine-tingling tale, M. R. James, I can honestly say that this book does not disappoint, especially as horses are added to the mix. For me it was a page turning read and it certainly sent a few shivers down my spine too!<br />
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There is a really good selection of stories here, from ghostly to gruesome to downright weird. Some are light hearted in tone, like Catching Midnight and others, such as Dark Magic and Midnight Riders, are quite dark and scary. The book will appeal to both children and adults, though perhaps not for the very young ones, as some of the stories might be too grisly. The only complaint I have with the book is that I was left wanting more! <br />
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So turn down the lights, grab a hot drink and a copy of this book and be prepared for some spooky fun!<br />
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PONYMAD RATING: 4 HORSESHOES (VERY GOOD)<br />
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Read more and vote on the book on our <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2460/spooky-pony-mystery-stories-ayres" target="_blank">chat forum </a><br />
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<br />Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-21237964884934554902018-07-16T13:47:00.000+01:002018-07-16T14:05:02.728+01:00Review by 'Tintin' - The Discontented Pony by Noel Barr<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">SUMMARY OF STORY</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;">Younger readers pony story. Merrylegs is a
little pony who lives on a farm. Knowing his grandfather was a
racehorse, he longs for a more exciting life. When he sees a fair one
day he thinks becoming a roundabout horse would be a great idea so he
runs off to join the fair. However his experiences in the outside world
teach him a valuable lesson about life. </span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;">REVIEW </span></b><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;">This is a ladybird book pitched at the very young and is probably more a book intended to be read to people. Brought out in 1951<br /><br />It is unusual for me to review a book aimed at such a young audience, but it is a beautiful, unusual and perhaps flawed book<br /><br />The book has the most beautiful illustrations by PB Hickling, they are so beautiful it is almost painful<br /><br />It is impossible to review the book without revealing the story<br /><br />Merrylegs
(0/10 for horse naming originality) is a little bay pony, possibly an
Exmoor, who lives on a farm. His job is to pull the farmer's trap to a
nearby town where he sells eggs and dairy products. The pony's friends
are a pig and a calf.<br /><br />The pony's dam told him, when a foal, of
his grandfather who was a race horse. This makes Merrylegs discontented.
One day when he goes to the town there is a fair and he sees the
roundabout horses. This is the life for him - popular and richly
decorated (he does n't realise they are not flesh and blood horses and
is upset when they ignore him)<br /><br />That very night he runs away to
the fair, but is caught by the rough gypsy types that run it. When he
sleeps he dreams of being a roundabout horse - but, in his dreams the
lack of rest and nausea inducing speed make him feel ill (the pictures
convey this very well) He runs back to the farm and is happy again with
his friends and the gentle farmer (who is a bit puzzled as to how his
horse has acquired a new halter and lead rope)<br /><br />The book is
beautiful and elegiac, but as a pre-school child it made me so sad I
used to cry inconsolably and my mother had to give the book away. I do
think it is a bit too sad and deep for the very young children it is
intended for. The farmer had a young son and I think there should have
been a sequel where the pony could have gone to gymkhanas, shows and
hunts and had a bit of fun with a lively youngster a bit like himself.<br /><br />If
it had only moderated the melancholy it would have been gold cup, the
quality of the illustrations raised it from 4 to 5 for me</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><b>RATING</b>: <b>5 HORSESHOES (VERY GOOD) </b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><a href="http://Read more and vote on the book at our chat forum " target="_blank">Read more and vote on the book here </a><b><br /></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><b>NEW!! READ THIS BOOK FOR FREE AT OPEN LIBRARY:</b></span><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" height="400" src="https://openlibrary.org/books/OL24558464M/The_discontented_pony/widget" width="165"></iframe>Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-17647464547642138952018-07-15T15:06:00.004+01:002018-07-15T15:10:49.769+01:00Latest authors added to website<br />
In the last few weeks I have added a number of new author pages to the website. There are authors of both modern and vintage books from the UK. , the USA and Australia. See below for names and links to their web pages:<br />
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NOEL BARR - Ladybird books author who penned <i>The Discontented Pony </i><br />
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<a href="http://noelbarr.ponymadbooklovers.co.uk/" target="_blank">Noel Barr web page</a><i><a href="http://noelbarr.ponymadbooklovers.co.uk/" target="_blank"> </a></i><br />
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KIMBERLY BRUBAKER BRADLEY - Newbery Honor winner. Wrote <i>The War That Saved My Life</i><br />
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<a href="http://kimberlybrubakerbradley.ponymadbooklovers.co.uk/" target="_blank">Kimberley Brubaker Bradley's web page </a><br />
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JACQUI/LOUISE BRODERICK - Author of featured star book <i>A Pony For Free</i><br />
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<a href="http://jaquibroderick.ponymadbooklovers.co.uk/" target="_blank">Jaqui Broderick's web page </a><br />
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PETER DE COSEMO - Author of highly rated and unusual horse book <i>Led by the Grey</i><br />
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<a href="http://peterdecosemo.ponymadbooklovers.co.uk/" target="_blank">Peter De Cosemo's web page</a><i> </i><br />
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ALICE E. GOUDEY - Acclaimed children's book author of the 1940s and 50s<br />
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<a href="http://alicegoudey.ponymadbooklovers.co.uk/" target="_blank">Alice Goudey's web page</a><br />
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CHARLES KEEPING - Author and renowned illustrator of children's books<br />
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<a href="http://charleskeeping.ponymadbooklovers.co.uk/" target="_blank">Charles Keeping's web page</a><br />
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<br />
ERIC LEYLAND aka NESTA GRANT - 1950s prolific author of children's books <br />
<br />
<a href="http://ericleyland.ponymadbooklovers.co.uk/" target="_blank">Eric Leyland's web page </a> <br />
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HELEN WEBSTER - Little know Australian author<br />
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<a href="http://helenwebster.ponymadbooklovers.co.uk/" target="_blank">Helen Webster's web page </a><br />
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AMANDA WILLS - Highly popular modern author of the <i>Riverdale </i>pony series<br />
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<a href="http://amandawills.ponymadbooklovers.co.uk/" target="_blank">Amadna Wills' web page</a><br />
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Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-15370822924394449962018-02-05T19:58:00.000+00:002018-02-05T19:59:57.651+00:00Book Review - A Pony For Free by Jacqui Broderick<br />
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<br />
<br />
<b>SUMMARY OF STORY</b><br />
<br />
Set in the Connemara region of Ireland. Horse mad Cait spends her time looking after the brood mares of the wealthy Danny. She longs for a pony of her own but her Dad is crippled and the family are too poor to afford one. She is also somewhat scared of riding! When Danny buys the beautiful pony Drizzle for his unpleasant son Colm to ride, Cait is envious and she is sickened when Colm and his father try to break in the pony by breaking his spirit. However Drizzle is having none of it and after depositing Colm on the ground, gallops off into the depths of the Connemara hills. Danny is enraged with the horse and tells Cait she can have the pony for her own if she can catch him. Cait is overjoyed at this news but soon realises that catching a pony roaming free in the wilds of Connemara may be an impossible task. And even if she did somehow catch him, how would she train him and learn to ride him and could she even afford to keep him? She decides she will try anway....<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>REVIEW</b><br />
<br />
This was a new book from an author relatively unknown on the pony book scene, so reading this was a complete leap in the dark. However I was very pleasantly surprised and can honestly say it's one of the best new pony stories around at the moment, certainly on a par with the more experienced and popular pony authors such as Amanda Wills. It is well written and the characters are interesting and believable. The story has a very traditional, if not even old-fashioned, feel to it. Perhaps the Irish country setting, which seems to hark back to an older, simpler existance to modern life, adds to this atmosphere. Also the beautiful Connemara backdrop and the lifestyles of the people in the village bring an originality and a divergence from the run of the mill modern pony story. The plot-line of catching a pony in order to keep it has been done before, most notably in Elinore Haver's A Pony to Catch, but not enough times to make it a cliche or stock plot-line. <br />
<br />
In fact, though traditional in feel, this book takes its own original slant on the pony story. Unlike many modern pony stories we do not have the rich bratty girl riding her posh pony and looking down her nose at the heroine. Instead we have the boy Colm who is a truly awful, almost evil character. His bullying of Cait and his dreadful deeds take this into a darker more interesting territory than the usual rivalry story-line. In fact the author turns the rich snooty girl rival theme on its head by introducing Victoria, who although rich and having two expensive ponies to ride, becomes Cait's best friend. <br />
<br />
As well as being a pony rescue story, and focusing closely on the bond between girl and pony, there is also a fair amount of the competition element in the book, which will suit those who like to have shows and competitions in their pony stories. Even this element seems a little different to the norm, due to the Irish jumping scene being slightly unfamilar to most readers, and also with Cait's initial reluctance to jump her pony at the shows. The author certainly packs a lot of varying content into her book, making it appeal to a wide range of tastes. <br />
<br />
In short, you don't need to take a chance on a new author by choosing this book: I'm sure that Jacqui Broderick, if she decides to write more books in the genre, is a great pony book author in the making. Highly recommended.<br />
<br />
<b>RATING: 4 HORSESHOES (VERY GOOD) </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b></b><br />
Read more and vote on the book <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2442/pony-free-jacqui-broderick" target="_blank">here</a><b><br /></b>Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-38792771088826080962017-12-18T19:58:00.001+00:002017-12-18T20:19:12.624+00:00Book Review - Forever Horse by Jane Ayres<br />
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<br />
<br />
<b>SUMMARY OF STORY</b><br />
This is a trilogy consisting of 3 shortish novels, following the same characters throughout the trilogy. At the present time the books are only available in this trilogy set as an e-book. If I find out when/if there may be separate editions or print editions I will add this information later. <br />
<br />
Summaries of the 3 stories as follows: <br />
<br />
Book 1: ALWAYS IN MY HEART: Piebald cob Logan and his teenage owner Maz share a special bond. Tragedy strikes when Logan is stolen. As he tries to find his way back to his beloved Maz he deeply touches the hearts of two other girls, Sophie and Alice. <br />
<br />
Book 2: HEARTBREAK HORSE: Logan has at last found happiness, but a sinister figure from the past re-appears and puts him in terrible danger. Will the girls who love him lose him for good?<br />
<br />
Book 3: THE FOREVER HORSE: Sophie has never forgotten Logan and wonders if she can ever fall in love with another horse. Then she meets traumatised horse Lancelot, who needs her special care and attention. She realised that she has at last found her 'forever horse' until circumstances force her to make a terrible decision. Will she once more lose the horse she loves?<br />
<br />
REVIEW<br />
<br />
This is a highly emotional and thought-provoking trilogy which centres on the themes of love, lost love and learning to love again. The love here is of girl and horse but it is about love in general, be it for animal or human. My favourite pony stories have always been those about the close bond between girl (or boy) and horse - and this book is all about that bond. It follows three heroines and their special love for their 'forever horses.' As with many stories the girls lose their beloved horses but unlike the usual pony book formula there is not a simple reunion with the lost horse. The author instead prefers a more complex exploration of the situation: what happens if you lose your loved one forever, can you recover from this loss and learn to love again? Can you give up someone you love for a higher purpose? The stories also touch upon jealousy and envy, and learning to let go of these destructive emotions.<br />
<br />
The story does not only focus on the feelings of the heroines, we also follow the thoughts and emotions of the various horses in the trilogy, in particular Logan. The author maintains that the horses, as well as their owners, have a deep abiding love for their human companion. We will never exactly understand to what extent animals feel love, loss and longing. If you know animals at all you will not deny that they do feel these emotions, in this trilogy they are shown to have emotions as strong as those of their human counterparts, whether this is to heighten the tension and emotional impact of the story, or is the author's own take on how animals feel, I am not sure. (I tend towards the latter). There is also an interesting sub-plot about the relationship between two of the horses and their own feelings of jealousy and insecurities. <br />
<br />
As well as exploring the complex issues of love and loss, the books have good, interesting stories/plots. The three books in the trilogy are actually quite different in style, despite following the same theme. The first book is seen more from Logan's viewpoint, a modern take on the old pony-viewpoint books in the Black Beauty tradition. The second book centres more on the human characters and is more of a teen adventure story with menace and danger thrown in for good measure. The last book in the trilogy is a gentler story about healing a horse and having to face a moral dilemma. The first and last books are the strongest, the middle story feels lighter and more of a filler story, though still a good read. <br />
<br />
The three heroines of the story are all very likeable and sympathetic characters. Although they are normal teenagers who like doing normal 'teen things' and competing in various events, their main focus is always on their relationship with their horses and making sure their companions are happy and contented. Animal welfare is also highlighted, with an animal sanctuary featuring in two of the stories. <br />
<br />
Anyone who has felt deep love and loss, whether for a human or animal,
will find this a highly emotional read, and may find the odd tear or
lump in the throat appearing! At times there is deep sadness, but the
central message of the story is that the human heart can endure tragedy
and loss and yet still learn to love again. It is a very life affirming
message - and fear not the trilogy does have an upbeat ending, if not what
you may expect when you begin reading the book!<br />
<br />
A fantastic read for horselovers of all ages, especially those who have felt that special bond with their 'forever horse.'<br />
<br />
All in all I would award 5 horseshoes to the first and last books in the trilogy and 3 horseshoes to the central story. <br />
<br />
<b>OVERALL TRILOGY RATING: 5 HORSESHOES (EXCELLENT)</b><br />
<br />
Read more and vote on the book <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2426/forever-horse-trilogy-jane-ayres" target="_blank">here</a>Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-86237949928439534812017-12-12T14:44:00.000+00:002017-12-12T14:53:09.029+00:00Book Review - Pony Surprise by Patricia Leitch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
<b>SUMMARY OF STORY:</b><br />
<br />
Penny and Ewan are a ponymad but
ponyless brother and sister. To their joy, their neighbour finds herself
housing a friend's Highland pony for the summer in her field, and,
knowing nothing about ponies herself, asks the pair to look after him
and ride him. But when they meet Augustus the children's dreams turn
into a nightmare - as he is the most unco-operative, grumpy and naughty
pony imaginable. Despite this they attempt to train him and ride in pony
club events, gymkhanas and the like, causing a string of disasters and
mayhem as they go! But just as the children are beginning to despair of
ever having a decent pony to ride, Augustus gives them a couple of
surprises!<br />
<br />
<b>REVIEW:</b><br />
<br />
Although this may be considered
one of the author's lesser works, and certainly has less depth/character
insight than for example the Jinny series or A Dream of Fair Horses,
neverthless it has a lot going for it. I'm awarding it 4 horseshoes, and
at least one of them is for the character of the dog-loving Augustus,
who has to be the most cantankerous, self-willed and truly awfully
behaved equine in pony book history. But at the same time Leitch makes
him strangely loveable. It brings back memories and a kind of rueful
nostalgia for me of some of the terrible ponies I ended up riding as a
child. A far cry from the expensive, well bred horses or ultra-talented
ponies which appear in many pony books, but which most of us readers
never have access to in real life. I think most of us have known an
'Augustus' sometime in our life. Although the viewpoint is mainly from
the character of Penny, we occaisionally see into Augustus' head, which
is quite a nice touch and adds to the humour and his character. I love
his thoughts the first time we meet him:<br />
<br />
"It was not the first
time Augustus had met children with a gymkhana look in their eyes. In
his long life Augustus had often had to deal with such children. He knew
that the best place for a pony was standing in its own little field
grazing and one of the worst places for a pony was dashing madly around
at gymkhanas. In his well-ordered life Augustus has seldom allowed this
to happen to him. He chewed a sweet mouthful of grass and checked again
on the two children who were still staring so rudely at him. He didn't
think he would have too much trouble sorting them out..." (Page 13) <br />
<br />
The
moment we read this we get a delicious sense of anticipation that there
are going to be all sorts of fun and games ahead in store for the
children and for us, the readers. <br />
<br />
As well as Augustus, I also
really like the character of Penny who is very sympathetic. In some ways
she is a similar character to Augustus in her stubborness. She has
quite a will of her own and tries to pit it against that of Augustus. To
no avail - but she keeps on trying! <br />
<br />
Another real strength of
the book is it's humour throughout. If you are feeling a bit down this
is definitely one I'd recommend you to read. (Another one is JPT's Pony
Club Camp) Most of the humour comes from Augustus and the mayhem he
creates, but there are also eccentric adult characters thrown into the
mix too, giving a mixture of pure slapstick and subtle humour. <br />
<br />
Perhaps not a classic, but certainly a classic pony character in Augustus, and a real feel good read. <br />
<br />
<b>RATING: 4 HORSESHOES (VERY GOOD)</b><br />
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<br />
Read more and vote on the book: <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2423/pony-surprise-patricia-leitch#ixzz513epS3i1" style="color: #003399;">here</a></div>
Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-63209090068055355072017-12-07T17:40:00.003+00:002017-12-07T18:55:00.760+00:00Autumn Book Reviews 2017Hi all a round-up of our latest book reviews. Books all reviewed by my fellow reviewer 'Tintin'. Please add any comments either here, or on our chat forum review section (link at the bottom of the review). Thanks as always to Tintin for his entertaining and thoughtful reviews. <br />
If you haven't read any of our reviews before, we have our own 'horseshoe' rating system from 1 horseshoes (poor) to 5 horseshoes (excellent) with a special gold cup trophy to outstanding reads and the horse dropping booby prize to the very dire! Hope you enjoy the reviews.<br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: large;">Book Review by 'Tintin' - Three White Stockings by Moyra Charlton </span></span><br />
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<br />
I do like a good horse biography, and this is distinctly above average<br />
<br />
In
the days of National Service it was considerably easier to get in the
Army than out of it. One of the few methods was to be discharged as
"temprementally unsuited to military service", the horse equivalent was
terser "cast for vice" although it amounted to the same thing.<br />
<br />
The hero and narrator of the book, Chum, a chesnut gelding with the three white stockings of the title was one such horse.<br />
<br />
The book follows him from birth to late middle age as he recounts his life to a young colt while out at grass.<br />
<br />
Chum
has a tendency to be a little bit full of himself which the author
gently brings out. He is literally headstrong and spends the best part
of the Great War in the Remount Depot and is eventually cast due to his
constantly evading the bit and unwillingness to stand in the ranks. The
staff are firm, but never cruel with him, but eventually lose patience
and let him go. <br />
<br />
Prior to the war he had been being trained to be
a hunter and he is fortunate to be bought by a lady (clearly the author
- as the introduction alludes to) who hunts and point to points him.<br />
<br />
All
the action takes place in Southern Ireland and any Irish reader, or
reader familiar with Ireland, who is at all horsey will have the
floodgates of recall opened by the many places described or mentioned.
There are some oblique references to the troubles (the distant sound of
gunfire, a burnt out house, being stoned by youths)but the overall
impression is one of gentleness and hospitality<br />
<br />
There is a good
cross section of horse life here showing both the similarities and
differences with the modern day. Horse ailments and injuries,
transporting horses and the problems of having to hack out and back to
hunt and race meets in a day when motor horse boxes were very rare -
although there is a useful description of riding in horse boxes from the
horse point of view which is the only one I have ever seen. There is an
interlude with the life of ladybird the Welsh Pony, whose life is even
more interesting than that of Chum.<br />
<br />
Comments on the book - a map
of Ireland would have been nice to accompany the beautiful and spirited
illustrations! Unlike most later pony books it is written for those with
a pretty good knowledge of horses. Very good attempt to get into the
mind of a horse and explore the differences to the mind of the
rider/handler. Charming on the simple pleasures of a horse's life.<br />
<br />
Rating
- easily a 4 horseshoe book, well written, realistic, very descriptive and
informative, likeable characters you care about. Interesting
aside/health warning on the impact of personal taste on reviews - I
think if I had been half as fond of point to point as the author I would
have given it 5!<br />
<br />
PONYMAD RATING: 4 HORSESHOES (VERY GOOD)<br />
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You can read more comments and vote on the book: <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2404/white-stockings-moyra-charlton#ixzz50azEhCje" style="color: #003399;">here</a></div>
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More on Moyra Charlton and her books <a href="http://moyracharlton.ponymadbooklovers.co.uk/" target="_blank">here </a><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: large;">Book Review by 'Tintin' - Bonny the Pony by Ruth Clarke </span></span><br />
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Having
touched on the subjective aspects of book reviewing on another thread
this represents a very good example of its application<br />
<br />
Not only
is our taste in books and our preference for different aspects of horse
life, or character of people or locale involved, but also our age,
tastes and state of mind at the time we were first acquainted with the
book and even who gave us it.<br />
<br />
I was enthusiastically recommended
this book by a very glamorous hunting lady who was quite emphatic, that
after Black Beauty, this was the greatest horse story ever written<br />
<br />
I feel an absolute churl at disagreeing, but that is not to say the book is a bad book.<br />
<br />
Let
us first look at what is wrong with it. It is all over the place,
things chop and change and are swiftly picked up and put down again. An
awful lot happens, it is very much like a cliff hanger serial as Bonny
gets into all sort of scrapes. Also the writing style chops and changes
and can be a bit odd. The setting and characters are very English yet
constantly say "Sure" and "Gee" in a very American way. Was the author
American living in the UK, or someone who naturally used American
phrases? Also sometimes the author seems not quite sure of the correct
word - I have never heard "harness" used as a term except for draught
horses.<br />
<br />
What is good with it? A great deal - it is a good hearted
book full of genuine sentiment. The characters of Bonny (a gelding) and
Frank his owner are delightful and they truly are best friends, they
are both very bold and keep the reader on the edge of their seat with
their scrapes. It is exciting yet does not stray into the realms of the
fantastical. It is unusual in being a book from the austerity period of
the late forties 1946(there are still land girls, far more books are
from the 30's and 50's. It is a beautifully presented book with
delightful illustrations and a handily sized type face. From the site it
appears to be the author's only book, which is a great pity<br />
<br />
I
can well understand why my grand foxy friend loves the book so much, she
likes the bond between horse and rider and the adorable character of
Bonny (your love for him made more intense by the shameless, soap opera
style, device of constantly placing him in danger) Also any horse mad
child given this book at the right time, by the right person could n't
fail to love it.<br />
<br />
However, I can only give it 3 horseshoes because it very
much needs the tautening hand of an editor (I am sure the sisters could
have made 4 or 5 books out of this)Such loveable characters and location
need a more patient and descriptive hand to flesh them out how they,
and the reader, deserve. A good hearted, attractive book well on the
good side of average. Like several books I have read recently would
perhaps make a better TV series than a book</div>
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PONYMAD RATING: 3 HORSESHOES (GOOD)</div>
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<br />
Read more comment and vote on the book: <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2405/bonny-pony-anne-clarke#ixzz50b5EhCfw" style="color: #003399;">here</a></div>
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Find out more about Ruth Clarke's pony books <a href="http://ruthclarke.ponymadbooklovers.co.uk/" target="_blank">here </a></div>
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: large;">Book Review by 'Tintin' - A Ceremonial Death by Thomas Jenkins</span></span></div>
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Definitely a book for adults (warning SPOILERS)<br />
<br />
Told in the first person by a private detective, who is definitely a gentleman.<br />
<br />
Set
in the modern day fictional "Prince Alberts Troop, Royal Horse
Artillery" a mounted battery very similar to the real life Kings Troop
RHA<br />
<br />
The Troop take over public duties at Horseguards, Whitehall
while the Household Cavalry are at their annual camp. Unfortunately
someone cuts the head off the NCO of the guard just before the 4pm daily
inspection.<br />
<br />
This is extremely disruptive to the well ordered, even idyllic, life of the unit.<br />
<br />
The
civil police are called in to investigate, but the case is complex
(theoretically almost all the guard could have done it)and the CID
Inspector is obnoxious (typical of a certain sort of Met officer who
knows everything and despises all other cap badges) The victim is also
obnoxious. The men close ranks and clam up.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, one of
the officers is in the same club as the narrator and invites him to stay
at the Mess. The detective also invites his nephew to join the party of
Cadets on work experience at the barracks.<br />
<br />
The life of the
mounted battery is much more interesting than the rather squalid murder,
but the two are interestingly interwoven. The Riding School scenes are
brilliant. The author rides and hunts and spent some time fact finding
with the Kings Troop and it shows.<br />
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The gunners are likeable and
realistic, sadly the horses don't get characters. Because of the subject
matter there is rather a lot of the seamier side of army life, but the
good far outweighs it. Although there is no sexual content, there is
some rather heavy sexual banter, which although typical, some people may
find upsetting. There is not a lot of it though.<br />
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I found the book quite uplifting. 5 horseshoes, but very near Gold Cup for me.<br />
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Happily there are more stories of Prince Alberts Troop, but regrettably only this one in physical format.<br />
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PONYMAD RATING: 5 HORSESHOES (EXCELLENT) <br />
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Read more comments and vote on the book: <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2347/ceremonial-death-thomas-jenkins#ixzz50b6AT8DY" style="color: #003399;">here</a></div>
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Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-71063603257977305482016-04-06T01:08:00.000+01:002016-04-06T01:12:11.841+01:00Book Review by 'Tintin' - Katy's Pony Challenge by Victoria Eveleigh<br />
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A quick editorial before we get to the review by my excellent co-reviewer 'Tintin' from the Pony Mad Chat Forum. This is the fourth instalment of the 'Exmoor' series about Katy and her Exmoor ponies. Originally a trilogy, the three first books were later reprinted and proved so popular a fourth title was added. Book five in the series is due to be released very soon!<br />
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For more information on the series please visit the <a href="http://victoriaeversleigh.ponymadbooklovers.co.uk/" target="_blank">Victoria Eveleigh web page</a><br />
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<b>BOOK REVIEW:</b><br />
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This is a really good book which covers a lot of ground in a short space and doesn't feel in any way skimped. After
having read "Jerry" (by Eleanor Helme) it was a pleasant surprise to be reading another
Exmoor Pony story, albeit this time a present day one.<br />
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Both horses and people in this book are pleasing characters. The
Katy of the title lives on a farm on Exmoor with two ponies (Jacko and
Trifle) and a foal (Tinkerbell.) Trifle is dam to Tinkerbell.<br />
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The story involves the subjects of bringing up a foal, horse agility and being over horsed.<br />
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Katy's
friend Alice has a new, highly strung competition pony called Viking.
She succeeds very well on him but starts to stop enjoying her riding.
There are interesting discussions on how you know something is not
working and when to stop.<br />
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Of great interest to me was the
character of James, a boy with autism, who makes great progress through
his friendship with Katy's horses and participation in horse agility
events. This was very interesting to me as I have spent a lot of my time
in recent years helping a man with Aspergers and ADHD. James is
convincing and his character is probably on the right place in the
spectrum to be a convincing, but not depressing, introduction to the type
of issues involved.<br />
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A very good hearted book about people
overcoming everyday (but no less challenging) problems while having fun
with their ponies. Straightforward enough for the young, but deep enough
for the old.<br />
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<b>PONYMAD RATING: 4 HORSESHOES </b><br />
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You can read more comments and vote on the book <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2293/katys-pony-challenge-victoria-eveleigh#ixzz4500Zio21" target="_blank">here</a><a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2293/katys-pony-challenge-victoria-eveleigh#ixzz4500Zio21" style="color: #003399;"></a></div>
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<br />Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-3175796580605187022016-03-24T03:12:00.000+00:002016-03-24T03:24:42.677+00:00Book Review: The Runaways by Glenn Balch<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span>
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<b>SUMMARY OF STORY:</b><br />
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Set just after the Second World War. Jan, a young Latvian refugee from a concentration camp, and his family have taken refuge on a ranch in Idaho, helping the rancher by doing farm work. When Jan accidentally breaks the law, memories of being incarcerated in the war terrify him and he runs away from justice to hide in the hills. But instead of escaping he becomes friendly with a herd of wild horses, feeling an affinity for their hunted status. He decides to stay and protect the foals from a wild cougar that is killing them.<br />
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<b>REVIEW:</b><br />
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As with many of the 'ranch' or 'wild horse' type stories published in the USA from the 1940s to the 1960s, this was firmly aimed at the boy’s market. It's focus on guns and killing will not endear it to some readers. For me, the boy’s hunt for the cougar takes up too much of the story. Less of this and more description of the actual life of the wild horses would have been preferable. It also seems a bit hypocritical that the boy is so angry with the cougar for killing the foals when he is doing the same thing in killing rabbits and other wildlife to feed himself. I must admit I feel a certain irritation when a cougar/mountain lion appears in this sort of story. I always feel its a cliche on a par with the gypsy in the British pony book. It is also what I like to call a 'bad press' animal, on a par with the wolf and fox. All three are almost demonized in so many stories and branded as evil ferocious killers, which is about as far from the truth as possible.<br />
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However back to the story itself. On the plus side, the book is well-written and the emotions of the central character are very well portrayed , especially his fear of being hunted and the envy he feels at the carefree easy life of his American contemporary Eddie. We soon realise that his anger at the cougar’s hunting of the horses is a transference of the impotent fury he feels about his family being hunted, first by invading soldiers and now by the game wardens. He can’t get rid of his own pursuers but he can try and kill the cougar. The reader will certainly empathise with Jan and what he has been through and will also want to keep reading to find out what happens to him. There is the sense that Jan’s experiences have given him an insight into what the life of <span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="color: black;">the</span> </span>wild horses - constantly hunted - is really like.<br />
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In summary certainly not a traditional pony story, it is deeply entrenched in the hard-hitting world of ranch life with no room for squeamishness and this will not be to everyone’s taste. Nevertheless it is a thoughtful portrayal of a boy trying to cope with his traumas and finding an unexpected affinity with the wild horses he encounters.<br />
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<b>PONYMAD RATING 3 HORSESHOES (GOOD) </b><br />
<br />
You can read more comments and vote on the book <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2335/runaways-glenn-balch" target="_blank">here</a><b><a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2335/runaways-glenn-balch" target="_blank"> </a></b>Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-91043913607713227742016-03-12T22:48:00.000+00:002016-03-12T23:25:00.184+00:00Book Review: Noel and the Donkeys by Hilda Boden<br />
As
you may know I like donkey stories and do class them as 'pony' books.
(I also lump unicorns, pegasuses - or is that pegusi? - kelpies and
ghost horses under the equine umbrella so donkeys have definitely got to
be included!) Anyway I like to find new donkey stories and this is one
you may not have heard of before despite the author being a familiar
name in pony literature.<br />
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<b>SUMMARY OF STORY:</b><br />
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Noel, alarmed at the prospect of living
with an unpleasant great aunt after his father dies, runs away. He
befriends young Sammy who is giving donkey rides on the beach whilst his
grandfather is ill. Sammy's grandma offers Noel a summer job helping
with the donkeys. But things don't go well: Noel's attempt to disguise
himself comes a cropper and Rumshus, the other boy who helps with the
donkeys, becomes jealous of Noel and tries to get him into trouble...<br />
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<b>REVIEW:</b><br />
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This is actually the first in a series
about the young red haired boy Noel and his various adventures. It has a
donkey theme although not really a huge amount of equine content.
Although the book is aimed at younger readers with its shortness, simple
plot and dialogue, older children and even adults can enjoy the book
too due to a certain wry humour provided by the adult characters. In
fact the adult characters, in particular the Grandmother figure, are the
highlights of the book. <br />
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The book is lightly humourous
throughout but unfortunately some of the humour is provided through an
insidious racism which also runs throughout the story. <br />
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Rumshus
the black boy is portrayed as lazy, greedy, selfish and resentful: all
traits of that racial stereotype which the British Empire held of the
African American at that time. Rumshum is very deliberately contrasted
to the two white boys who have all the positive qualities he lacks. He
is the butt of much of the joking and humour in the story and also
provides the main threat to Noel’s happiness. That this racism is a
product of the times and is lacking in any real malice, does not excuse
it to the modern reader. I literally felt a nervous shock ripple through
me when one of the characters said that Rumshus didn’t need to wash as
much as the others as he didn’t show up the dirt!<br />
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Racism aside,
it is a nice enough, well written story with a likeable main character.
Although fairly standard stock in terms of plot, the backdrop to the
story adds an extra element for we modern readers. It provides a
snapshot of a very British tradition and era: that of the British beach
holiday of the early to mid 20th century with its donkey rides, Punch
and Judy shows and music hall type entertainment. It is very nostalgic
reading now that this tradition has all but disappeared. <br />
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I would
have liked a little more donkey content in terms of the characters of
the various donkeys and they could have played more of a part in the
plot instead of being for the most part a backdrop to the main story.
However the author is at pains to portray the donkeys as happy and
well-looked after. Sammy is very conscientious in caring for his
charges, making sure they are well rested and not over-worked. When the
unpleasant Great Aunt complains that they are poor downtrodden animals,
he hotly denies this. <br />
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There are a number of further books which
follow Noel’s adventures and I liked this one well enough to be happy to
read any of the others should I come across them, though I am not sure
if donkeys feature in any of them.<br />
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<b>PONYMAD RATING: 3 HORSESHOES (GOOD) </b><br />
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You can read more comments and vote on the book <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2332/noel-donkeys-hilda-boden#ixzz42jLsELjO" target="_blank">here</a><a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2332/noel-donkeys-hilda-boden#ixzz42jLsELjO" style="color: #003399;"></a></div>
Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-65168036111765412402014-12-08T02:20:00.003+00:002014-12-08T02:43:52.340+00:00Autumn Book Reviews<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hi all a round up of my book reviews from October and November. You can comment here or by visiting the link to the review on the chat forum where you can also vote for the books if you have read them yourself. The reviews all have a historical flavour and include a story about a firehorse in 19th century USA , an old-fashioned ranching story and an insightful but harrowing rescue story set in 1950s Dublin. </span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: large;">Blitz by Hetty Burlingame Beatty</span> </span></span></b></span><br />
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<b><br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">SUMMARY: </span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">This
is an American historical pony story. Blitz is a fire-horse who pulls
one of the town’s horse drawn fire wagons. He soon becomes the fastest
horse in the town. But after a shady businessman causes a fire to claim
the insurance money, Blitz and his owner are injured and Blitz loses his
nerve. Blitz is sold and ends up with some bad owners but eventually is
bought by a kindly doctor and is restored to health and happiness. But
can he regain his courage to save a life?<br /><br /><b>REVIEW</b>: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Told
mainly from the horse’s viewpoint, this is a ‘Black Beauty-esque’ tale,
but better than the average, with the added originality of Blitz’s
unusual role as a fire horse. Well-written, at times sad, but overall
heart-warming and life affirming. Although like <i>Black Beauty</i>, it
demonstrates that Blitz falls on hard times through the greed and
scheming of humans, yet it is also shows the goodness of mankind when he
is helped by the Burns family. Not too cloyingly sentimental - which
considering the subject matter it could have been. There is also a
little more pyschological depth in this story compared to the usual book
of this type, as it focuses on how Blitz loses his nerve as well as his
outward physical comforts. The backdrop of the world of the firehorses
and the firemen is fascinating and is the most interesting part of the
book. All in all one of the better of the <i>Black Beauty</i> type stories and
will especially appeal to those who are interested in history.
Unfortunately I haven't come across any other of the author's books yet
but I would certainly read more based on the quality of this story. </span><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />PONYMAD RATING: 4 HORSESHOES (VERY GOOD)</span></b><br />
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<br />
Read more: <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2224/blitz-hetty-burlingame-beatty#ixzz3LGey5U3U" style="color: #003399;">http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2224/blitz-hetty-burlingame-</a><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">The Pony Express by Mairin Johnston </span></b></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>SUMMARY:</b><br /><br />Nothing to do with the American Pony Express!
This historical pony novel is set in 1950s Dublin and is the story of a
young girl’s involvement with a real-life movement to stop the live
export of horses from Ireland to the Continent. Young Katy loves ponies
and the family own a mare called Amber. One day she witnesses a scene of
cruelty involving some ponies and soon finds out the horrific truth
about The Pony Express, the name given to the live export for meat of
animals in terrible conditions. When Katy finds out that Amber’s mother
Dusty is about to become the latest victim of the Express, she resolves
to do something about it. In doing so, she also finds her true vocation
in life.<br /><br /><b>REVIEW:</b><br /><br />The backdrop for the novel is the
live export for meat of horses and other animals in 1940 and 50s
Ireland. This was big business at the time, with a huge number of the
country’s horses and donkeys being bought up by businessmen eager to
make a quick profit. In fact so rapid was the turnover of the animals
that the business became dubbed ‘The Pony Express.’ Not only were there
objections on humane grounds to this practice because of the terrible
conditions the animals had to endure, but also Irish farmers who could
not use tractors were rapidly running out of working horses as they
could not compete with the meat prices. This story is centred upon the
real-life attempt to stop this cruel and greedy practice, with the young
heroine being caught up in historic events of the time.<br /><br />This is a
thoughtful exploration of an important real life event in the history
of animal welfare, rather than a traditional pony story. Although it
does a very good job of balancing the story and characters with the
history lesson aspect. Mairin Jonston is an author extremely interested
in both feminism and social history, so it is not surprising that the
book is also a study of the working class Ireland of the time, and in
particular a woman’s role. Kate, as well as being involved with the fate
of the horses, is also struggling to find an identity in a world where
women become either wives or factory workers. She wants something more,
to become a vet no less! But although it seems a hopeless dream, her
efforts to help the horses ultimately reward her.<br /><br />Another
important theme in the book is that of facing up to sometimes unpleasant
reality in order to do something about life’s problems, rather than
just hoping someone else will solve them. Her mother advises Kate to
forget about the plight of the horses because it will upset her, but
Kate instead braves the truth in order to help them.<br /><br />The story
is, unsurprisingly considering its theme, at times quite harrowing, but
it is also ultimately uplifting, not only in that so many people are
willing to do something to help the cause, but also in the redemption of
the unpleasant character Buck. Certainly not a comfort read, but it is
an excellent exploration of important (if unsavoury) equine issues. Not
really suitable for younger children. Adults and older teenagers will
probably get more out of the story.<br /><br />The book also includes an
introduction with information about the history of the real life Pony
Express and the efforts to ban it.<br /><br /><b>PONYMAD RATING: 4 HORSESHOES (VERY GOOD)</b></span><br />
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<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
Read more: <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2223/pony-express-mairin-johnston#ixzz3LGi5DJDA" style="color: #003399;">http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2223/pony-express-mairin-johnston#ixzz3LGi5DJDA</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: arial;"><b>SUMMARY:</b> <br /><br />This is an American horse
story of the ranching/capturing wild horse persuasion written in 1949.
Interestingly it is set in the Mormon community of Utah. Also of
interest is the fact it was written by a husband and wife team, with
hubby mainly doing the illustrating while Mary wrote most of the story
content.<br /><br />Our hero Peter goes to stay on his uncle’s ranch in
Utah. There he soon learns to ride and has lots of fun riding around the
ranch with his cousin Doug. But he longs for a horse of his own and
keeps having dreams about a beautiful pinto stallion called Checkers.
Then the children hear rumours about a mysterious wild pinto roaming the
hills. When one of the ranch horses goes missing and a hunt for it is
organised, Peter and Doug seize the chance to look for the pinto.<br /><br /><b>REVIEW:</b> <br /><br />Although
this is well-written it is in some ways not the most pleasant of reads.
The cruel way Checkers is caught and broken in may reflect the norm on a
ranch at the time but does not appeal to a horse-lover reading the book
now, especially a fan of Monty Roberts and his ethos, such as myself!
It is particularly galling as it is portrayed in the book as being the
’right’ way to do it. Another quibble is that the female characters are
very much in the background, only fit for making and serving food, which
is probably not surprising in a Mormon community, but which I don't
think would sit well with most modern female readers! What makes this
rather odd is that it was written by a woman, and a well-educated
emancipated woman at that. I don't really know where the Mormon angle
comes into things as I don't think either Mary or Conrad had any ties
with the Mormon community, in fact Conrad was orginally from
Switzerland, which is a ways from Utah! In summary this is more of a
book for boys who long to be cowboys than for pony lovers, and the now
totally hackneyed plot does not make it appeal much either. Very nice
illustrations by Mr. Buff however. (Although the cover art is pretty
awful).<br /><br /><b>PONYMAD RATING: 2 HORSESHOES (FAIR/AVERAGE)</b></span><br />
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<br />
Read more: <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2228/peters-pinto-mary-conrad-buff#ixzz3LGmutBmo" style="color: #003399;">http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2228/peters-pinto-mary-conrad-buff#ixzz3LGmutBmo</a></div>
Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-5391159189790344852014-07-04T20:39:00.000+01:002014-07-05T12:14:45.651+01:00Monica Edwards Q and A with John Allsup, creator of www.monicaedwards.co.uk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2sjozEq_VBM/U7cCGOctcnI/AAAAAAAAAc4/_ITSk7bU14k/s1600/wish+for+pony+hb2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2sjozEq_VBM/U7cCGOctcnI/AAAAAAAAAc4/_ITSk7bU14k/s1600/wish+for+pony+hb2.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
<br />
We recently featured Monica Edwards as our chat forum 'Author of the Month' and I asked people to send in their queries and questions about the author, her books and her characters. John Allsup, creator of the excellent and comprehensive website www.monicaedwards.co.uk , Monica Edwards afficianado and friend of the Edwards family, kindly agreed to try and answer them for us. So for everything you ever wanted to know about Monica but were afraid to ask please read on....<br />
<br />
<b>Characters - were they based on real people and if so who?</b><br />
Many of the queries sent in were about who the various characters were based upon and yes many of them were based on real people, or a combination of real people.<br />
<br />
<b>Tamzin / Lyndsey</b> - both heroines were based mainly on the author's daughter Shelley, with Tamzin expressing Shelley's more adventurous side, whilst Lyndsey the more introspective side. John Allsup thinks there was also a large dollop of Monica herself in there!<br />
<br />
<b>Meryon </b>- The popular hero of the Romney Marsh series was according to Monica in an interview with Jill Goulder, based on a young man she knew named Maurice Watts. In John Allsup's mind the character of Meryon may also have included elements of another young man of Monica's acquaintance called Charlie Southernden, a good-looking fisherman. Sadly both these men died young, Charlie being drowned in the lifeboat disaster of 1928.<br />
<br />
<b>Rissa </b>- Tamzin's best friend was based upon a friend of Shelley's called Anne. Like Rissa, her parents wanted her to be ladylike and prim but tomboy Anne escaped to be with the <br />
<br />
<b>Dion, Peter and Diccon </b>-The boys were also based on real-life people. Dion was inspired by the son of ome friends of Monica, and the two younger boys were based on her son Sean,<br />
<br />
A lot of the animals were also based on real life horses and cats.<br />
<br />
<b>What happened to Badger Valley when Monica died?</b><br />
The valley beloved by the author is now protected by The Woodland Trust who make sure the valley cannot be sold or developed.<br />
<br />
<b>Who illustrated the first edition of Rennie Goes Riding? Was it Sheila Rose?</b><br />
The first edition did not actually have illustrations, however the dustwrapper artwork is almost certainly Sheila Rose, though not accredited to her.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Did Lindsey ever get the polo pony she was supposed to be given as a reward?</b><br />
This was mentioned in No Mistaking Corker but the polo pony never materialised. Possibly because the Punchbowl Farm series proper began with Black Hunting Whip when radical changes to the characters were made (see question below). Corker is in a way should be read almost a stand alone story without connection to the others in the series. <br />
<br />
<b>Why is Dion younger than Lindsey in No Mistaking Corker but older in the rest of the Punchbowl series? </b><br />
It
is assumed because Dion was to take on the role of 'farmer' in the
series that as 2 years younger than Lindsey he would be too young for
the role, this needed a more mature character. As noted above the
Punchbowl series proper really started with Black Hunting Whip and there was a lack of continuity between Corker and the rest of the series.<br />
<br />
<b>Did Monica Edwards realise how popular her books were or is the popularity only a recent thing sparked by websites and the internet?</b><br />
Her books were actually very popular at the time they were written, if not as widely publicised as the likes of Enid Blyton's stories. Many of her books had a number of reprints and a lot were published by the Children's Book Club who only published well known children's authors. She won awards for her writing. Her book No Entry was dramatized for radio and some of her books were serialised in the Collins Magazine, a well regarded periodical of the time. Monica herself did not consider herself to be a great writer but she certainly knew that many children loved her books and that they were popular. <br />
<br />
<b>Which is the hardest book to find in the series?</b><br />
Although the rarer titles are slightly easier to find now than a few years back due to Girls Gone By reprinting them in paperback recently, some of the books are still very hard to get hold of. The GGB reprints were not large print runs and some of the older ones are becoming elusive. The hardest to find title is probably The Nightbird, especially in a hardback edition. Storm Ahead and Hidden in a Dream can also be tricky titles to find. <br />
<br />
<b>What is your favourite Monica Edwards book John and do you prefer the Punchbowl or Romney Marsh series?</b><br />
John's favourite ME book as a teenager was No Going Back, but now he thinks it may be Summer of the Great Secret, however he finds it hard to pick a favourite as it depends on his mood which of the stories he likes to read! He does not have a preference for either series.<br />
<br />
Many thanks from all the ponymadbooklovers for John's help in answering these questions and giving us all a deeper insight into the world of Monica Edwards and her books.<br />
<br />
Please feel free to post any further questions you may have on the author or her books and I will pass onto John.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://monicaedwards.co.uk/">Visit John's excellent Monica Edwards website here </a><br />
<br />Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-52461087334325706452014-01-10T17:05:00.002+00:002014-01-10T17:05:55.311+00:00FREE BOOK GIVE AWAY - PONY CLUB ANNUAL 1980<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PY-6Ufkk2Kk/UtAn1CO-l3I/AAAAAAAAAcM/Gxs2DAIw0f0/s1600/PONY+CLUB+1980.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PY-6Ufkk2Kk/UtAn1CO-l3I/AAAAAAAAAcM/Gxs2DAIw0f0/s1600/PONY+CLUB+1980.jpg" height="320" width="241" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Hi all, a chance to beat the post Christmas blues and win a free book.
The prize is <b>The Pony Club Annual 1980</b> which includes an excellent story
by Carol Vaughan (author of the Matilda series, etc) and also 2 other
stories by Deborah Ghate and Denise Amos. It is in good condition with a
dustwrapper. <br /><br />The give away is open to all UK readers of this blog/users of the website and chat forum (apologies to overseas users - this is due to the very heavy weight of the
book. There will be subsequent book give aways open to all so if you are outside the UK please
come back and check the blog or chat forum regularly)<br /><br />To win the book
simply send your name and address to <a href="mailto:ponymadbooklovers@yahoo.co.uk">ponymadbooklovers@yahoo.co.uk</a> or if
you are a member of the forum you can 'PM' details to me. Closing date
for entries is 31st January 2014. The winner will be drawn 'out of the
hat' on Feb 1st.<br />
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<br />Read more: <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2099/free-book-give-away-annual#ixzz2q12hYqdt" style="color: #003399;">http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2099/free-book-give-away-annual#ixzz2q12hYqdt</a></div>
Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-62425554240518520332013-10-12T12:40:00.001+01:002013-10-12T12:51:48.125+01:00Review - Angels of Clover Farm by Virginia Shirt<br />
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<br />
<br />
<b>SUMMARY</b><br />
<br />
British rescue/mystery story set on a horse sanctuary. Sally and husband Adrian run Clover farm, although soft-heated Sally has turned the place into something of a sanctuary for abused and unwanted horses. A group of pony mad kids spend all their spare time at the farm, helping out and riding the ponies. The farm has money problems and the story starts with Adrian urging his wife not to buy another pony from the auction she and the kids are going to. Not surprisingly however she can’t keep her promise and ends up bringing home a neglected and sickly skewbald filly whom they christen Angel. The arrival of the pony sparks off mystery and danger for Sally, Adrian and the children. What is the secret behind Angel’s pedigree? Who is the mysterious stranger lurking around the farm? And will solving these mysteries be enough to save the farm from financial ruin?<br />
<br />
<b><br />REVIEW</b><br />
<br />
The blurb for this book advertises that it has been “written for horse lovers by a horse lover.” This hits the nail right on the head. It is indeed a story for those who love horses, rather than seeing them as a ticket to winning prizes, or some sort of social status symbol – a vibe which sadly seems to come across in many a modern pony story. However this book goes back to the heart of the true pony story - the relationship between people and ponies. The characters care deeply about horses and are prepared to make sacrifices to help them. They also care about each other and empathise with each other’s respective problems. There are plenty of good messages and role models here for young readers to absorb. <br />
<br />
Although lacking the style and polish of some of the more experienced pony book authors around at the moment, I feel it is far more sincere and heart-felt than most. If you want a book which gives you a feeling of faith in the goodness of humanity, or one will which simply leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling, then this is book for you. <br />
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I really like the main character Sally who comes across as sympathetic and believable. As an adult reader I identified strongly with her and her problems. Having a mixture of adult and younger characters and their various issues gives the book more depth and ensures it will appeal to adults as well as children. However, because this obviously is a story aimed at children, I am not sure that having the main viewpoint from the adult perspective is wholly successful. I wonder if younger children would have a little trouble relating to some of Sally and Adrian’s issues. I also think that the children in the book were not as fleshed out as the adult characters. I feel that making one of the children in the group the main protagonist rather than Sally herself may have perhaps worked a little better in terms of it being a children’s story.<br />
<br />
But there is still a lot for children to enjoy here. As well as being a rescue story, this is also something of an adventure/mystery and there is plenty for young readers to get their teeth into, with mysterious strangers skulking around, nefarious plots to uncover and stolen ponies to rescue. The author has blended these excitements into the rescue/pony care side of the story, making the plot fast paced enough to hold the attention of easily bored children without losing the underlying message of caring for animals.<br />
<br />
Some older teens and more demanding younger readers will perhaps find the story-line and characters a little simplistic. People and issues are black and white with no shades of grey. There are ‘goodies’ and ‘baddies’ here and nothing in between. There also don’t appear to be any teen characters for this age group to identify with. Of course this means our story line is not bogged down with many of those tedious teen plot stalwarts such as mawkish romances and the like which can sometimes detract from the plot if not handled well. And as the book appears to be aimed at the younger end of the teen and pre-teen market this is not a huge problem.<br />
<br />
All in all, the book is a pleasant, fairly undemanding read for those who like a traditional pony story with a bit of adventure thrown in. It will suit a good range of readers, although I think will appeal best to younger teens/pre-teens and horsy adults who dislike the current crop of ‘style over substance’ teen pony stories. I’d also recommend the book to parents who are a bit wary of the possible unsavoury content (drugs, sex, etc) which seems to be creeping insidiously into even pre-teen pony books nowadays. There is nothing of that nature in this book. It is wholesome enough for the most stringent parental scrutiny without alienating its young readers by being preachy or dull. Unlike many modern pony stories we also have important male characters here, both adult and child, so this is eminently suitable for young male pony lovers too.<br />
<br />
I would rate this book as 3 horseshoes (GOOD)<br />
<br />
<br />
Read more and vote for the book on the <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/thread/2043/angels-clover-farm-virginia-shirt">ponymadbooklovers chat forum review section</a>Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-25327692110479846822013-07-21T14:46:00.004+01:002013-07-21T19:36:13.199+01:00Review - Joe and the Lightning Pony by Victoria Eveleigh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
<b>SUMMARY OF STORY:</b><br />
<br />
Book 2 in the Joe series which began with <i>Joe and the Hidden Horseshoe</i>. Joe is now happily settled in his countryside home with a dog and pony of his own. He has grown up a lot since first moving there and even gets on a lot better with his younger sister Emily, as both of them join the local pony club and Emily gets a pony of her own. Joe discovers that Lightning is excellent at mounted games and he determines to get into the Pony Club team for the Prince Phillip Cup. The only downside to his happiness is that he knows he will soon outgrow Lightning. But he consoles himself with the knowledge that when Emily outgrows her own pony she will move on to Lightning and so the mare will stay in the family - enabling him to get a larger pony on which to fulfill his riding ambitions. But then a tragedy changes all their plans and it looks like Joe may have to choose between keeping his beloved Lightning and pursuing his ambitions…<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>REVIEW:</b><br />
<br />
As readers of the blog and website may recall, I reviewed the first of this series a little while ago and although I thought the book was very good and well-written, I never really warmed to the character of Joe. Because his 'spoilt brat' attitude did improve towards the end of Book 1 I was interested to see if I found him more likeable in this second instalment. The answer is a resounding yes! Joe has grown up a lot and learnt to take responsibility for his life and its problems instead of blaming those around him. He has become pro-active in overcoming problems instead of just moaning about them, which makes him more like the pony book heroes and heroines of my youth. I also like the fact that he and sister Emily have begun to get on well together and there is a nice little dynamic going on between them as they practice gymkhana games together. However although the author has made Joe more likeable in this book it is not as if a magic wand has been waved and he has assumed a completely new identity. At the beginning of the book he is still not perfect and traces of the old Joe show through - as with his jealousy of Emily when she gets her own pony and makes great strides with her riding and he is no longer the 'horsy expert' of the family. This makes his eventual improvement much more realistic. His imperfections make him a real rounded character but are no longer overwhelming the plot. <br />
<br />
The character of Emily is also much more rounded out and given more prominence in this instalment. Indeed her story sometimes takes centre stage. I feel this is a good thing as it will help those little girl readers who prefer identifying with a female than male character. <span style="font-size: small;">Sadly for me, Mum, whom I felt could have been developed
as a very interesting character (and someone for us adult readers to
identify with) is not used as much in this book. Her sub-plot with the
horse sanctuary also seems a bit under-used and undeveloped. I’m hoping
we see more of her in the last book in the trilogy.</span><br />
<br />
So much for the characters, but what about the book itself? This story is just as well-written and interesting as the first instalment. Once again Victoria Eveleigh has provided a detailed and realistic backdrop to the story, this time that of mounted games and the Prince Phillip Cup. Strangely, there are not many pony stories which actually concentrate on this particular disclipline and it was very interesting to read about the training, such as learning to vault, and the various tactics for the different games, as well as the actual procedure for getting to the finals of the Cup. As with book 1, this is authentic and comes from real knowledge of the subject.<br />
<br />
Some readers had complained that book 1 in the series was a little slow, and felt more of a set-up to the series proper. This book however is a lot more fast paced with more excitement and a lot more tension and trauma. The action really gets going! It also has a lot more traditional pony story horse content with Pony Club, riding practice and the like taking prominence.<br />
<br />
I still feel like Joe leads something of a charmed life, as his central dilemma is solved fairly easily. But perhaps we can put this down to the (possibly) magic horseshoe! As I read through the book I was at first a little disappointed that the magic horseshoe sub-plot seemed to have disappeared but there is a very neat little twist at the end which brings the horseshoe right back into focus. It will be interesting to see how Joe’s most ambitious horseshoe wish is fulfilled in the last book of the trilogy! <br />
<br />
In summary, in <i>Joe and the Lightning Pony</i> the author has taken a good start to the series and developed it further into a page turning and highly readable second instalment. Any concerns that I’d had in book 1 about the character of Joe and the lack of tension have been swept aside in this book. It has everything needed for a great traditional pony story and will keep readers of all ages entertained. <br />
<br />
I'm also making this my latest website 'star read' - see home page of website.<br />
<br />
Read more, make comments or vote on the book on the <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=reviews&thread=1992&page=1">chat forum review section</a>Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-33524623913341145032013-07-10T11:54:00.001+01:002013-07-10T11:59:11.250+01:00Review - The Black Loch by Patricia Leitch<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>SUMMARY OF STORY:</b> (some spoilers)<br /><br />Kay and her cousins Sara and Edgar travel to the highlands of Scotland to stay with their Uncle Vincent at the ancestral family home of Deersmalen. Their fathers, both brothers to Uncle Vincent, had quarrelled with him years before and rarely visit. In fact it is the first time Kay has been there. Once there they meet the imposing black bearded Uncle Vincent, the enigmatic ghillie Fergus and his mysterious large grey dogs, and their cousins Jamie and Shona and Caroline. Everyone there is struck by how like Uncle Vinent Kay looks and she is puzzled as to how much fuss they make over her black hair. Kay soon falls in love with the place and quickly becomes friends with Shona and Jamie, as the trio ride about the moors on their Highland ponies. The more studious Sara gets on well with older cousin Caroline. But Edgar is not interested in countryside pursuits and feels completely left out of things.<br /><br />When a mysterious camping trip to a nearby loch is arranged in which only Kay is invited, Edgar persuades his Aunt Sadie to let him come too, much to everyone else’s consternation. The secretive nature of the trip is revealed when a huge and beautiful horse appears from the depths of a loch. Kay is told that the family have been guardians of the horse for centuries and she is the latest in the line of guardians, due to her black hair. Kay is overwhelmed by the horse’s magical presence but the more prosaic Edgar thinks the horse should not be hidden away where no-one can see him but given to a zoo or to scientists to study. This makes him even less popular with the others. Edgar’s lonliness and isolation increase, culminating in a disastrous meeting at a birthday party when, in a bid to get some attention, he tells an unscrupulous big game hunter about the existence of the horse. When Kay finds out that the horse is in danger, it is up to her and Jamie to save him.<br /><br /><br /><b>REVIEW:</b><br /><br />On the surface this is a fairly simplistic fantasy/holiday adventure story. It is very readable and quite gripping but the plot is fairly basic: children going off to stay in a new and exciting place for the holidays, the heroine discovering a beautiful fantastical ‘water horse’ who is then placed in danger by unscrupulous villains who want to make money out of the creature. The characters are not created with a huge amount of depth or introspection either. So why do I consider this a classic fantasy story?<br /><br />For me what raises it from the ranks of an ordinary story are both the sense of atmosphere the author evokes and the hidden depths and themes the story contains.<br /><br />The most obvious message in the book is the importance of keeping wild animals free and untamed as opposed to exploiting them for human entertainment, money or even scientific knowledge. The Water Horse may be a magical being, but it is also a wild creature. Although it allows Kay to touch it, there is never any sense that it can be tamed. It is clear that this is not a normal domestic horse and cannot be treated as such. Kay realises that its beauty and power are in its wildness and freedom and the fact it stands apart from civilization:<br /><br />“It was a being from a lost age, proud, powerful and alien to the petty confusion of our living.” (page 70)<br /><br />But there are those who cannot see something wild and free without wanting to capture it and bend it to their will, like Buffy the hunter. Or probe its secrets with scientific eyes, like Edgar. It is clear that Edgar doesn’t feel the magic of the horse at all, referring to it banally as “an absolute whopper” and enthusing about how much a zoo or scientist would pay for it. This contrast in attitude reminds me of <i>Dolphin Summer</i> by Monica Edwards in which a wild dolphin forms a bond with a girl who only wants to appreciate its beauty and wildness, whilst others want to shove it in a marine theme park and make money out of it. You can almost feel the exasperation of Leitch and Edwards, at the way greed (for either money or knowledge) blinds people to beauty and magic.<br /><br />Yet the water horse is not just symbolic of wild animals threatened by the greed and banality of humanity, it is also a symbol for Scotland itself, the real Scotland of tradition, mystery and wildness, as opposed to the tourist ideal of the place which bedecks a million tins of shortbread. Once again the desire to exploit for money – in this case for tourism - threatens the true nature of the place.<br /><br />It is obvious that the author loves the Highlands and she perfectly recreates the atmosphere of the place, it’s uniqueness, the sense of mystery and magic which envelops it. There is a just ever so slightly magical air running through the story which begins when Kay glimpses one of the Grey Ones, only to be told she is seeing things. Fergus’s piping of the seals heightens this magic and of course the culmination is the unforgettable first glimpse of the water horse. The mystery element also grips the reader as we ask ourselves: what is the significance of the mysterious dogs, why is Kay’s hair colour so important, what caused the brothers to quarrel?<br /><br />The atmosphere is heightened by Letich’s writing, which is lyrical and mesmerising in places. This is one of the best written of all her books: only in<i> A Dream of Fair Horse</i> and some of the 'Jinny' series, is this quality of writing bettered.<br /><br />But at the same time, the book avoids the fate of many fantasies which become so airy-fairy and divorced from reality that we cannot really believe in them. Scotland may be beautiful and mysterious but it is a real place and in this story there is a strong rooting in reality, with squabbling children and the mundane day-to-day arrangements of life, such as the preparations for the birthday party, contrasting with the more magical side of the story. Patricia Leitch also gives us a glimpse of the sometimes unpleasant, non-magical side of Scotland with the driving rain and the mud and cold that Kay experiences on her trek to the loch. In this, and in many other ways Leitch goes out of her way to contrast real Scotland with the tourist ideal. She pours gentle scorn on the touristy attitude of the character of Angela, who decks out the halls in tartan, ties ribbons on the stag’s heads and makes everyone wear kilts. The dichotomy of the Scotsman who has encouraged this attitude for the sake of tourist money but at heart is saddened by it, is represented by the contrasting attitudes of Jamie and his father. Jamie is shocked that kilts will be warn by ‘Sassenachs’ at the party, but Uncle Vincent is more circumspect: he placidly dons his full regalia and plays the pipes, knowing that keeping the tourists happy will enable him to keep his ancestral home.<br /><br />This contrast between these two types of Scotland is seen best in the party in which these disparate worlds collide. This is in turn best summed up by one of the stand-out moments in the book, when Buffy, doing party tricks to please the crowd, lassoes Jamie. There is a battle of wills between the pair which also represents the battle between the real Scotland with its legends and traditions and those who would like to turn the place and everything in it into a sort of theme park to amuse the masses. A similar contrast appears in the Patricia Leitch ‘Jinny’ story, The Magic Pony, in which Leitch argues against the modern world which would force the gypsy woman Keziah to die in a hospital when her culture dictates she should die in her own home. It is clear that Patricia Leitch feels strongly about such matters and hopes her readers will feel the same.<br /><br />Although there is little in the way of character introspection, this is not to say that the characters are dull and two-dimensional. In fact the author shows great insight into human behaviour in the way the character of Edgar is handled. Although he betrays the family secret of the water horse, he is not portrayed as an out and out villain. In fact we even feel somewhat sorry for him. He is completely unsuited to the lifestyle of Deersmalen and is completely isolated from the other children. It soon becomes clear that the children’s failure to include Edgar in their adventures or show any sympathy for him sets off a chain of events which leads to the water horse being put in danger. The children are made to realise that is their actions as much as Edgar’s which have caused the situation.<br /><br />“You made Edgar betray the water horse, the voice of my conscience accused. If you had been nicer to him this might never have happened.” (page 143)<br /><br />Is this a horse story? Some say no, but I don’t agree. It may not contain the traditional elements of a pony story such as gymkhanas, schooling and the like but for me this is a classic horse rescue plot. The horse in question may be unique and magical but it needs rescuing as surely as any unwanted nag bound for the knackers, or valuable racehorse threatened by thieves. And how can anyone say a book which has at its heart and soul such an amazing horse, not be a horse story? Whatever the Water Horse may be in terms of symbol and metaphor, it is still a horse. Not your normal everyday horse, to be sure, but – unlike the completely alien carnivorous water horses in Maggie Steivater’s <i>The Scorpio Races</i> for example – this creature is all equine. Its behaviour is completely horse-like, whinnying, blowing air through nostrils in greeting, and even bucking off Kay when it becomes irritated, just like any other self-respecting horse! Although magical, this is not one of those sparkly unicorns or glittery flying horses which populate may a children's pony story today: just as Leitch bases her fantasy scenario in reality so too her fantastical being is also a real horse. In many ways the story is very much like the classic American wild horse plot in which a lone character battles to keep a stallion wild and free whilst others attempt to capture and tame him.<br /><br />In summary this is a story that can be read on many levels: as a cracking fantasy adventure, a unique horse story, a celebration of the beauty of wild animals and a plea to let them live free - or even as a study of Scottish culture. This I think gives the book a wide-reaching and lasting appeal and makes it a classic.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">I would award the book 5 horseshoes (EXCELLENT)</span></span></span><br />
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<br />Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-38451710522053526672013-06-10T20:39:00.001+01:002013-06-10T21:20:23.843+01:00Review - Joe and the Hidden Horseshoe by Victoria Eveleigh<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;">This is the first book in a new trilogy about pony-loving boy Joe. It is aimed at the pre-teen to younger teen readership. The other books in the series include Joe and the Lightning Pony and Joe and the Race to the Rescue (not yet published).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>SUMMARY OF STORY:</b><br /><br />Joe
is dismayed when he has to move away from his home town and all his
friends to live on a farm in the country. He finds the countryside
boring and takes his frustration out on his family, especially his
little sister, and spurns the attempts of the local children to befriend
him. Although he has ridden before it is his younger sister and mother
who are really pony-mad – he feels that it is not much use continuing
with his riding in such a predominantly female world. His mother’s
desire to re-create her youthful pony days leads to her buying two
unsuitable ponies. Coloured cob Lady is hard to control and Lightning
has navicular and can only be ridden very lightly. After Joe’s mum has a
bad accident and his sister loses her nerve, nobody wants to ride the
ponies! When Joe finds a lucky horseshoe in the garden he is encouraged
to wish on it by the Romany woman Nellie. Not really believing , but
feeling that he needs some help to improve his lot, he makes his wishes.
But is it magic he needs or a change in attitude to make his situation
improve?<br /><b><br />REVIEW:</b><br /><br />This is a well written and very
readable traditional story. There is a lot to like here and quite a few
elements which set the book apart from the run of the mill modern pony
story. <br /><br />The fact that the author has chosen a male lead character
is admirable. There are few male leads in modern pony stories, and I
have heard many complaints from mothers of pony-mad young boys about
this. Victoria Eveleigh has also added in other content which will
probably appeal to male readers, such as the martial arts sessions and
the technical aspects of shoeing. The book also touches briefly on the
problems that boy riders face in a predominantly girly world as Joe asks
“Who’d made the rule that only girls should be keen on riding…how could
men become jockeys, showjumpers, mounted policeman or anything to do
with horses if men didn’t ride?” (Page. 19.) But female readers needn’t
worry, all the elements of this traditional pony story will appeal. And
there are also plenty of female characters for girls (including grown-up
girls!) to identify with. <br /><br />I also like the various interesting
side-elements which are woven into the main plot. Its nice to see
gypsies/Romanies portrayed in a good light instead of as the usual
clichéd villain! The martial arts element is also interesting,
especially the spiritual side of things, regarding harmony and good
energy, which I didn’t really know much about. Victoria Eveleigh manages
to provide all this background detail without making it ponderous or
dull – a very difficult feat. This is not just a few lumps of
description bunged in to bulk the book out a bit, but information that
is interesting in its own right and important to the story.<br /><br />The
author has added a clever touch of ambiguity with the lucky horseshoe
sub-plot. Nellie the Romany tells Joe how to use the horseshoe to make
wishes, but there is more to her character than the reader's
preconceived notions of gypsy magic. She also gives a lot of practical
advice to him about changing his attitude to life and those around him
(as does the martial arts teacher), so we are never really sure if, when
some of his wishes do begin to come true, if it is because of some sort
of magical spell or his own behaviour. We suspect the latter but we are
never really quite sure. Also a lot of his wishes don’t come true –
will they in later episodes of the story – or were some of them just too
ambitious or greedy? We don’t yet know until we read on further into
the series. By this ambiguity Victoria Eveleigh has artfully managed to
add a slight sprinkle of fantasy into the proceedings which will
interest fantasy fans but will in no way turn off those who dislike it. <br /><br />The
characters in the book are well drawn and three-dimensional. I
particularly like that there are interesting adult characters. One of my
favourites is the Mum. Eveleigh creates a great sub-plot in the grown
up pony-mad girl trying to re-create her childhood love affair with
ponies and struggling to re-enter that world. After being considered the
horsy ‘expert’ by her family, Mum realises she really knows little
about keeping a pony or handling one, something I’m sure many adults in
the same situation have experienced. The Romany Nellie and the farrier
Chris are also very interesting characters. Even the minor characters,
such as the Aikido instructor, who uncomfortably uncovers Joe’s
selfishness, add extra elements to the story. <br /><br />The author
displays her knowledge of horses well in explanations of horse ailments
such as laminitis and navicular, and also of the handling of the ponies
in the story. Young readers can pick up much useful information here and
it is delivered, not in a didactic, dusty old textbook way, but comes
naturally from the words of Chris and Nellie. Nellie in particular
offers up some good advice in showing that humans must try and think
about how horses are feeling in order to be able to handle them
correctly and kindly. An excellent message to pass onto young readers. <br /><br />My
only real problem with the book is that I don’t feel much empathy or
connection with the character of Joe. This is not because he is a boy.
Some of my favourite pony books have boy heroes and I thoroughly
empathise with the extra problems which plague horsy boys. However Joe
is to me just not a sympathetic character per se. He is surly,
self-absorbed, unfriendly, unkind to his sister (who is certainly not
the archetypal annoying little sister seen in many children’s books) –
in fact he is a bit of a brat. Yes, he does improve somewhat throughout
the book and I do get that the author is making him fairly unpleasant at
the start so that he can be redeemed throughout the course of the
novel. And I also think that the way he improves when he is made to see
it is his attitude rather than external circumstances which are causing
his problems is extremely well done. However for me the damage has been
done and I never quite warm to the character. I don’t mind an unpleasant
character if they have a reason for their behaviour such as terrible
parents or a traumatic experience – in fact there is a lot of interest
in seeing such characters struggling to overcome their problems and
learning to integrate into society. However I just don’t get why Joe is
so awful. Yes he has had to leave his friends behind and start a new
life. But this and the fact he doesn’t have internet access for a couple
of weeks are hardly events of tragic proportions and you’d expect him
to start getting over himself in a few days. He really has it pretty
good. His parents are decent and supportive and seem to be fairly
well-heeled middle-class. People in his new home put themselves out to
welcome him, even though he spurns them. Plus the fact he disdains that
he has been handed on a plate the dream of many pony-mad but pony-less
youngsters – to live on a farm and have ponies of their own – may not
endear him to such readers. <br /><br />However one does not have to love
the main character to enjoy the story, and it certainly did not spoil my
enjoyment - especially as there are plenty of other interesting
characters in the novel. Also, as Joe does improve throughout the book,
it is hoped that he will be a much more likeable character in the second
and third book of the trilogy and so this small gripe may completely
disappear. I’d also be interested to hear what other readers feel about
Joe – sympathetic or annoying? Please let me know!<br /><br />The fact that
Joe faces little in the way of real difficulties, does lead me to
another minor point. I realise this is personal taste, but I'd like a
little more tension in the story. Joe really has things far too easy. He
has good parents with no money worries. His move to a new home is
hardly a terrible trauma – he doesn’t suffer from the usual
ostracization of the newcomer by the local kids – in fact, as I
mentioned above, they go out of their way to try and include him. There
just happens to be a Aikido class nearby and his potential new friends
are members. He bemoans the fact that boys are not welcomed into the
girlish world of ponies but he hasn’t really suffered because of this,
and the reader doesn’t feel that it really bothers him that much. If you
compare him to a similar fictional boy who likes horses, Aiden in
Sheena Wilkinson’s <i>Too Many Ponies</i>, who is bullied mercilessly by
other boys for his love of ponies, Joe has really nothing to complain
about. The problems with the ponies themselves also seem a bit too
easily solved. There is no real worry about what will happen to them. To
my mind Joe is one boy who doesn’t need to wish on lucky horseshoes as
he has a pretty good quantity of luck on his side anyhow! <br /><br />To be
fair, the undemanding, un-melodramatic tone of the story is quite normal
in a younger reader’s pony book and the lack of any real tension does
not make the story dull or uninteresting, far from it. (In fact in some
ways it is a refreshing change from many modern pony books which have an
inordinate amount of ridiculously unrealistic events crammed in them to
disguise the fact that they are actually poorly written and shallow.)
But, for me, if Joe’s problems were just a bit more high-stake this
story could have been even more gripping. <br /><br />In summary, a very good read in many ways and suited to a wide readership. Both girls and boys of the target age will find interest in the story. Its adult characters and added depth of detail will appeal to the older reader. The fairly gentle traditional story will suit most readers, but those who like a little bit of bite in their reading material may feel themselves wanting slightly more tension. However I can guarantee that this book will be a much better reading experience than the average modern pony story. I look forward to reading the other books in the series.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br />I have rated this book as 4 HORSESHOES – VERY GOOD</span><br />
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Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-43026474219266429012013-06-09T12:32:00.002+01:002013-06-09T12:32:32.334+01:00Guest Blog by Tintin: Review - Chasing Dreams by Maggie Dana<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SeKrIxD6XK8/UbRnHddAZoI/AAAAAAAAAWI/2eDo8JI9Yxc/s1600/dana+chasing+dreams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SeKrIxD6XK8/UbRnHddAZoI/AAAAAAAAAWI/2eDo8JI9Yxc/s1600/dana+chasing+dreams.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">It is very hard to believe we are now up to Book Five with the Timber Ridge Riders.<br /><br />Each
book manages to be re-assuringly familiar as we return to the stables,
but with each volume we learn more about the place and its inhabitants,
human and equine.<br /><br />With each review that also means that I have to
praise the series solid consistencies. It gets harder and harder to do
this and maintain any pretence of originality. The structure of the
books remains an inspiringly solid and durable skeleton on which to
build the flesh of a story and a strong foundation which can bear new
characters easily.<br /><br />Each book in the series is, however,
refreshingly different. This one is very much focused on the interplay
of the characters. Angela the villain is very much centre stage in this
book. Any fleeting glimpse of reform we had in the last book is well and
truly blotted out in this one. This is absolutely first class villainy.<br /><br />The
centre piece of this event is a hunt chase competition in which Kate is
placed in a pair with Angela. They win, but only because Angela has
cheated. Kate reveals this causing Angela to thirst for revenge. There
is both horse story and school story here.<br /><br />At the same time, if
this story were not enough, Kate’s father returns from South America
threatening to totally disrupt her life at Timber Ridge. We also have a
new character in Angela’s likeable little sister who becomes lost on the
mountainside and has to be rescued by Kate and her horse, Tapestry. The
rescue is particularly thrilling.<br /><br />The author sets a lot of hares
running in this book, particularly relationship wise, so there is
plenty of action left yet at Timber Ridge, which is good news for us
fans. There is also the potential growing for a very bad
mis-understanding between the two main characters, Kate and Holly.<br /><br />The
book is very fast paced. I read it on the Kindle for P/C application
and when I read this I narrow the screen as the full screen is so wide
it makes me feel like one of those lizards with eyes pointing in
different directions. Due to this there are no page numbers so when I
got near the end I could not believe it. The book really does keep you
reading as you want to know what happens next. <br /><br />A joy to read.</span><br />
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Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-23542613578674295952013-05-28T20:54:00.001+01:002013-05-28T20:54:41.205+01:00Guest Blog by Tintin: Book Review - Wish Upon A Horse by Maggie Dana<br /><br />
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wFgwGrkX60M/UaULJ02Y5XI/AAAAAAAAAVo/Y3_fhXZYnH4/s1600/DANA+WISH+UPON+HORSE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wFgwGrkX60M/UaULJ02Y5XI/AAAAAAAAAVo/Y3_fhXZYnH4/s1600/DANA+WISH+UPON+HORSE.jpg" /></a><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">This is an absolutely marvellous book. It is very hard to
believe that we are actually up to No.4 in the Timber Ridge series. It
is fully up to the standard of the other three. Timber Ridge books are
consistently almost as good as the sisters at their best, and I cannot
praise more highly than that.<br /><br />“Wish Upon a Horse” is basically an
exciting story of show jumping and has more than enough action in, and
outside, the ring to keep those who dream of success at this game happy.
It is, however, also so much more.<br /><br />To me the strong spine on
which the great charm and effectiveness of the Timber Ridge stories rest
is the well constructed central core of characters. Not only is each
character individual, well drawn, interesting and believable, but they
fit together as a group which facilitates the creation of a huge variety
of convincing dramatic scenes and scenarios.<br /><br />The start of the
book is perhaps a little slower than the other three, but as this is a
well developed series it allows those who are perhaps coming in new at
book 4 to familiarise themselves. For us established fans it just builds
up the sense of curiosity as to what they will do next and there is a
certain comfort factor in just being a "fly on the wall" at Timber
Ridge.<br /><br />I will try hard not to give away too much, but as a lot of
the thrills and charms of the book are in the situations that is not
too easy.<br /><br />Basically Kate has the money she made from her film
riding and is wanting to buy a horse. Though this is quite a large
amount of money she soon finds it does n’t go far.<br /><br />Through a
couple of scrapes she secures the (eventually) beautiful mare Tapestry.
This is a lovely story and a lot happens before the two of them can stay
together. Readers of the other stories will not be surprised where
Tapestry came from, but there are still plenty of surprises about her.
The romance with the film star continues as does the bickering with
Angela the villain. There is a really good twist in the story with
Angela which surprised me, which will probably surprise other readers
even more. There is also a well drawn encounter with the darker side of
show jumping.<br /><br />Readers will be pleased that the distinctive humour of these books is still in place.<br /><br />Timber
Ridge is in many ways very contemporary (also very US) and I cannot
vouch for the accuracy of the cultural and techno stuff, but it rang
true to me. Also it did n’t alienate me (middle aged, British and techno
phobe) and was totally natural and integral to the story.<br /><br />Well worth reading. <br /><br />Two personal notes. <br /><br />Firstly,
though I read this on Kindle I will be getting an actual paper back
edition. I do not often buy books as artefacts, but this series is so
nice I want a matching set. The art work is good. Even better the books
have a good size and feeling for handling and the print size is great
for reading. <br /><br />Secondly, I LOVED Pardner. I could picture him –
just my sort of horse! Although he only had a cameo role can he come
back? The sort of horse who won’t let you down in field or stable. The
ladies were very unkind about his looks and I think he should show them
up. Perhaps his own book would be too much to ask?</span><br />
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Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-73669810269526575582013-05-20T19:22:00.000+01:002013-06-06T21:52:24.467+01:00Book Review - Too Many Ponies by Sheena Wilkinson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This was an exciting review for me for a number of reasons. First, because the author's earlier pony novel Taking Flight was one of the best I have read in recent years and I was really looking forward to reading her first pony book for younger reader, but also because I was in the enviable position of being able to read and review the book before it was in the shops from a proof copy and was asked to provide a quote for the book cover. It was nice to be a part (albeit an extremely little part) of the publishing process. Plus the author has very kindly thanked the users of the website/readers of this blog for their support in the acknowledgments section of the book. So thanks for the thanks Sheena! <br />
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But enough of the blether and here is the actual review.....<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>SUMMARY OF STORY</b><br /><br />Lucy keeps her pony
stabled at Rosevale, a horse sanctuary run by her friend Aiden's dad
(who is in fact Declan of the author's earlier novels, <i>Taking Flight</i> and <i>Grounded</i>!)
The children, although dissimilar in character - Lucy brash and
outgoing; Aiden quiet and cautious - are friends, united by their love
of horses. However when the pair move up into the comprehensive school
things begin to change. Lucy is drawn to the glam (but shallow) world of
the posh stables frequented by the horsy girls she meets at the school,
whilst Aiden is bullied for his love of ponies. <br /><br />When an
eccentric newcomer to the district organises an eventing competition,
Rosevale decides to put together a team in order to try and win much
needed money. But the strain of the competition causes more problems.
Aiden finds his small store of confidence ebbing away and begins to lose
his nerve, whilst Lucy becomes so wrapped up in the idea of winning and
looking good she forgets the true purpose of the competition and puts a
pony in danger. Can both children overcome their problems in time for
the big event? Or is disaster just around the corner?<br /><br /><b>REVIEW</b><br /><br />Sheena Wilkinson’s earlier pony novels, <i>Taking Flight</i> and <i>Grounded</i>,
were aimed at the young adult market. Both were compelling page-turning
reads, full of gritty realism. When I found out a few months ago that
the author was writing a pony story for younger readers I was happy to
hear it, as that particular niche in the market is sadly over-populated
by third rate pony stories and desperately needs more well written,
intelligent novels to offer to young pony mad readers.<br /><br /><i>Too Many Ponies </i>certainly
lived up to my expectations. Ostensibly it’s a fairly standard
competition type plot in which a team of riders go through the usual
trials and tribulations of preparing and then taking part in a big
event. However there is plenty of meat on the bare bones of this plot
which will get young readers thinking at the same time as they are
enjoying the story. Although not quite as gritty or psychologically
complex as her works for older children – which is to be expected given
the younger readership the book is aimed at - this story is certainly
full of realism and depth. It tackles serious issues such as bullying
and losing confidence in oneself. The competitive element is also
tempered by the backdrop of the horse sanctuary where most of the story
takes place – this gives a nice rounded view of ponies as not just
winning machines, but living creatures which need care and love - and
thus prevents the rather hard-nosed, unsavoury attitude which can
overtake many a competition plot line. The writing itself is of a high
quality and superior to most books in the genre. It is easy to see how
Sheena Wilkinson is one of the few writers of equine fiction to appear
on the ‘mainstream radar’ and win awards.<br /><br />But for me the real
excellence of the book is provided by the two superbly drawn main
characters. Like the author’s first horse novel, <i>Taking Flight</i>,
the book follows the fortunes of both a male and female lead character.
First of all brownie points to the author for once again giving a male
prominence in a pony story. This is something that is sadly rare in a
modern pony book, especially one for younger readers. I have had more
than one parent complain to me that there is not much on offer nowadays
for their male horse-mad children. Too Many Ponies however, with its
excellent male character Aiden, will appeal to boys as well as girls. <br /><br />Again, as in <i>Taking Flight</i>,
the male lead Aiden is actually more sympathetic and likeable than the
female. Aiden is a great character and both girls and boys will warm to
him immediately. <br />His character is wrapped up in the whole issue of
masculine identity. Unlike America, where riding is actually seen as
highly masculine (and rightly so considering the element of danger
involved!), in the UK ponies have always been considered mainly the
province of the female species. This has been exacerbated in recent
years, with the preponderance of fluffy, glittery stories about magic
ponies and the equally female fashion for dressing up ponies in colours
to match outfits (a fashion that is actually amusingly castigated in <i>Too Many Ponies</i>). This can be a big problem for male horse-lovers, whose favourite past-time may even be considered cissy. <i>Too Many Ponies</i>
delves into this dilemma as Aiden becomes bullied at school for his
love of ponies and is dubbed 'My Little Pony Boy', with the brilliant
metaphor of a pink pony (the symbol of all that is girly in ponies and
pony books) causing devastating damage to his ego. The bullies’ assault
on Aiden’s masculinity is compounded by his own worry that he is a
coward, as he begins to lose his nerve for jumping. In the book, he must
overcome both these external and internal obstacles to prove that he
can be a real boy and love ponies at the same time. This battle provides
much of the interest of the story. <br /><br />The character of Lucy,
although less sympathetic than Aiden, is perhaps more complex and her
storyline more subtle. Whilst Aiden has a lack of confidence in himself,
she has rather too much and is in danger of turning into the sort of
brash unfeeling teenager I have seen in many recent pony novels, in
which winning or looking good on your horse seems to matter more than
the horse itself. Near the beginning of the book she feels exasperated
by the fact that keeping her pony on a rescue farm means that she is
constantly reminded of the fact that ponies are being hurt and
mistreated. She wants to bury her head in the sand and forget these
problems and just have fun with her pony. She is drawn to the rather
shallow but ostensibly fun and glamourous lifestyle of the stables at
Sunnyside Farm where the girls, led by the deliciously snotty Jade, are
colour co-cordinated with their ponies and won’t even allow pony-less
children into their club. When Lucy extols the virtues of Sunnyside to
her parents, her mum replies that it “sounds revolting” and hopefully
the reader will agree!<br /><br />Very cleverly the author has made Jade the
sister of one of Aiden’s bullies. As Aiden’s confidence in himself is
undermined by the bullies, so Jade and her friends also threaten to
exacerbate Lucy’s own slight faults of selfishness and shallowness, and
turn her into something akin to a pony book anti-heroine. The idea of
winning the riding competition in order to raise money for the sanctuary
becomes lost in the desire to win for its own sake. Lucy becomes more
selfish and risks her pony’s health and the team itself in order to give
herself a chance to shine. With a lesser author this might turn us off
the character, but Sheena Wilkinson has dropped enough little clues into
the story so that we realise there is enough good left in Lucy to
redeem her. We root for her growing realization of her faults and her
eventual salvation, just as we root for Aiden to regain his confidence
and overcome the bullies. <br /><br />The character of Erin is also a very
interesting addition to the cast. She is something of a foil to Lucy,
being the actual archetypal heroine of the pony novel: pony-less but
pony mad, not overly brash and kind. In making her a minor female
character and Lucy the main, the author has gone a little outside the
comfort zone of a traditional pony book, but her innovative move works
really well. The reader recognizes Erin’s worth and compares her to
Lucy. And knows that Erin should be Lucy’s friend and role model rather
than the obnoxious Jade - who represents all that is bad in a horsy girl
(and indeed in horsy novels per se). <br /><br />However despite the depth of the characters and their problems in <i>Too Many Ponies</i>,
this does not mean the story is at all slow or ponderous. The pace is
fast enough to keep readers interested throughout and the story
intriguing enough to keep those pages turning. There is plenty of
varied equine action: rescued ponies, cross country training and the
competition itself. The fact that many of the problems of the two
children are universal (bullying, lack of confidence, making wrong
decisions) will ensure that the book will also appeal to readers outside
of the genre, and like the author’s previous equine stories I think
this one will also gain prominence outside of the pony book genre.<br /><br />If you have already read <i>Taking Fligh</i>t and <i>Grounded</i>
there is also another reason to read this book - you will be pleased
to re-acquaint yourself with the character of Declan who appears here in
a supporting role as Aiden's father. Although, as I said earlier,
because it is aimed at a younger readership it may not have the
complexity of those novels, it has enough depth and is well written
enough to be read by the same age group as those who enjoyed Declan’s
earlier adventures. Sheena Wilkinson has avoided making the book too
babyish or simplistic, or of under-estimating the intelligence of her
young readers. And just as older readers will be able to appreciate <i>Too Many Ponies</i>, so will it’s younger readers be able to move on to <i>Taking Flight</i> and <i>Grounded </i>as they grow a little older, and will enjoy finding out the background of the character of Declan. <br /><br />For
me, this is certain to be one of the best pony stories of the year for
younger horse-lovers. Given the tendency for many authors of modern pony
stories to take the easy route and spice up a hastily cobbled together
story with a thick masking-coat of glamour or sensationalism, there are
precious few pony books being written now which tell a traditional pony
story in an interesting and thoughtful way, whilst at the same time
keeping readers turning the pages, eager to find what happens next.
Sheena Wilkinson has achieved this feat. For this age group certainly,
there aren’t too many pony stories around as good as <i>Too Many Ponies</i>! And unlike many books in the genre today, the book will appeal to both girls and boys. A highly recommended read for all.<br /><br />I would rate this book as 5 horseshoes - EXCELLENT</span><br />
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You can vote for the book and read comments on the <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=reviews&action=display&thread=1928">ponymadbooklovers chat forum review section</a></div>
Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-91037697194872243202013-04-17T18:19:00.001+01:002013-04-17T18:22:30.621+01:00Book Review - If I Won a Pony by Eve Paege<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>SUMMARY OF STORY</b><br />
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Leo is amazed when she wins first prize in a pony magazine competition – a real life pony! Instead of the posh, expensive ponies she is offered, she falls in love with a scruffy neglected pony at an auction. She persuades the magazine editor to buy No Name as she calls him. After cleaning and tending the pony she finds out he is good looking, friendly and a good ride. But if things seem too good to be true they usually are: when Leo finds out No Name’s true identity she realizes his life may be in danger and she sets off to rescue him at all costs…<br />
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<b>REVIEW</b><br />
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From the 1990s onwards, traditional style pony stories seemed to almost disappear. For younger readers, fluffy unrealistic stories about magic ponies, unicorns and the like, dominated. For older children the scenario was even worse, as style over substance books with poor moral values and scenarios which were in some ways just as unrealistic as the fantasy pony stories flooded the market. It seemed that the traditional pony book had all but disappeared - these new books celebrated winning, looking good and having the latest gear rather than caring for your pony and your friends. Even drugs, sex and the celebrity mad culture seemed to be infiltrating this once-wholesome genre! However, I am glad to say in the last couple of years, traditional pony stories seem to be making a come back. (Why this is so is a matter for separate discussion, but it does gladden the heart of a reader brought up on them) <br />
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If I won a Pony is firmly in the mould of the traditional pony story. It contains all the stalwart plot strands of the old pony stories, from winning a pony in a competition, to rescuing a neglected animal, to saving a pony from the knackers. It also celebrates a lot of the good values that the older pony story used to expound: I like the way that the heroine chooses a scruffy unwanted pony rather than the expensive and glam ponies she has lined up in front of her. I also like the way she goes to a huge amount of trouble in order to save her beloved pony. Her rather naughty tendency to lie to people to get her own way is eventually punished, but her remorse and caring attitude are rewarded in the end. These are great messages to be passed on to young horsy readers. <br />
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Something that also really strikes me as being reminiscent of the traditional pony stories (and indeed the old holiday adventure stories of Enid Blyton, Arthur Ransome and the like) is the independence of the child characters and the fact that they exist for the most part in a world without parents. This is perhaps not realistic in today’s society of ‘helicopter parents’ hovering over their kids night and day. But it does highlight the fact that children can be independent, can think and do things for themselves without relying on their parents all the time. Perhaps this is as much an alien concept for many of today’s kids as the fantasy worlds they seem to like reading about! Perhaps the freedom of the children in this story will only be seen as an escape for the young reader from what must be quite an oppressive atmosphere, rather than something they could actually aspire to. But it does show there is an option for thinking and doings things for yourself. Another good message which this book conveys.<br />
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It is quite a tricky proposition for an author to combine a traditional type story and traditional values with a style modern enough to keep today’s children interested. Eve Paege has managed to inject such a fast pace into the story that even easily bored readers will be swept along. There is plenty of horsy action and scenarios in the story from auctions, to schooling, to hacking, to competitions, to horse rescue, people rescue… and lots, lots more! The author has packed a lot into this book and again this will encourage easily distracted young readers to keep on turning the pages. For the older/adult reader this will perhaps be a little too frenetic and I must say all that galloping about the countryside left me a bit exhausted! I would have perhaps liked a little more character depth and development, but I realize this is personal taste, as I am always drawn to more introspective novels. And of course younger readers do not want too much soul-searching and the like clogging up their story line. The author has I think managed the mix of traditional and modern just right to appeal to her target audience. <br />
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I do really like the underlying humour of the book, which has some great comic characters such as the pink-obsessed journalist and the wig-wearing ‘PC Plod’ character, who reminds me a little of Mr. Goon in the old Enid Blyton mystery stories. This light-hearted tone again will appeal to the modern young reader.<br />
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In short, this is a good combination of traditional plot lines and values within the framework of a modern, light-hearted and fast–paced story. It will appeal most to children of the pre-teen and early teen age group, and is I feel especially good for encouraging easily bored and reluctant readers to pick up a book. It will also suit older readers who love a rollicking pony adventure story without too much introspection.Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-90806160872100717932013-04-08T13:09:00.001+01:002013-04-17T18:23:00.768+01:00Book Review - There Must be Horses by Diana Kimpton<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><b>SUMMARY OF STORY</b><br /><br />Abandoned by her feckless
parents, Sasha has been passed from foster home to foster home, never
fitting in anywhere. She is not surprisingly a troubled girl who finds
it hard to express her emotions or relate to people. The only thing
which seems to bring her out of her shell is her love of horses. After
being thrown out of yet another foster home she is packed off to stay
with Jo and Beth Turner for a temporary stay until a more permanent home
can be found. She is overjoyed to find that the pair live on a horse
rescue farm. There she also meets Meteor, an abused horse who has lost
his trust in humans, and she feels a close affinity with the horse and
his situation. For the first time Sasha has found somewhere she really
feels she could belong. But she fears that her continuing emotional
problems will mean that both she and Meteor will have to leave the farm
forever….<br /><br /><br /><b>REVIEW</b><br /><br />Until now, Diana Kimpton was
best known in the world of equine fiction for her Pony Mad Princess
series. These are nice enough light-hearted stories and better written
than the average book of this type. However as they are aimed at very
young readers, they do not contain enough real depth to keep the
attention of older children or adult readers. <br /><br />However There Must
be Horses, her first pony book aimed at older children is a completely
different proposition; a more serious and darker story entirely. This
really is an excellent read, which will appeal to all ages, and it is so
well written that it just flows off the page. I would say I could not
put it down, except I was reading this as an e-book on my laptop.
(Someone will have to come up soon with the equivalent phrase for
digital books !) <br /><br />Unlike the lightly humourous Pony Mad Princess
series, this story was much more serious, tackling some fairly gritty
issues. Our heroine Sasha has been abandoned by her drug addict/alcoholic mother and
has been passed from pillar to post until she feels she belongs
nowhere. Equally, the book’s equine hero Meteor has been so abused and
mistreated that he has ended up hating humans. Too many modern pony
stories do not ask their young readers to think at all. However this
story really explores what life must be like for a girl in Sasha’s
situation. Thankfully most young readers will have loving and stable
home lives, but this book portrays a different world and gives the
reader a chance to understand this world and feel compassion for those
trapped in such a situation. <br /><br />Despite dealing with such
important and weighty topics, Diana Kimpton has expertly avoided turning
the novel into some sort of dreary morality tract or sermon. The story
really is gripping. Our heroine may not be doing anything as glam as
competing at Badminton or Wembley, but we are just as swept up in her
world. Will Sasha ever get the loving home she deserves? Will Meteor
ever trust humans again? Will the pair be parted forever? Because the
stakes are higher – it is their life rather than just a question of
whether they will win a rosette or not – this makes the story all the
more powerful. I just had to keep reading to find out what happened.<br /><br />Another
reason we are gripped by the story is the character of Sasha herself.
Diana Kimpton has created a superb multi-layered and also sympathetic
character in Sasha. It would be easy to make the girl, with her
behavioural problems and emotional coldness, unlikeable or
unsympathetic, but as soon as we hear Sasha’s voice (the first person
narrative was chosen wisely) we immediately care about her and feel
empathy for her situation. And especially, as horsy readers, when we
find out she also loves ponies we are bound to be on her side! Despite
her faults, when we see her growing closeness to Meteor we know she is a
good and caring person at heart. As an older reader I could not help
feeling a rather maternal sympathy for Sasha and I think younger readers
will feel a close affinity on a more equal level. Seeing Sasha overcome
her very real problems may help youngsters cope with their own. After
all, feeling that you are isolated, that no-one understands you and that
you don’t fit in are common emotions experienced by teenagers. <br /><br />This
close sympathy with the heroine creates a strong emotional response to
the book. There are plenty of ups and downs as Sasha (and the reader)
are really put through the emotional wringer. This is quite ironic,
considering that Sasha is dubbed as ‘emotionally frozen’ in that we feel
with her the full gamut of emotions from joy and hope to misery and
despair. <br /><br />But this is not just a book about human lives and
problems, it is at heart a real old-fashioned pony story. For me, the
best pony stories have always been those which celebrate the bond
between human and horse, and which show how this relationship has the
power to transform lives. Sasha and Meteor’s close bond is integral to
the story and it is indeed the love Sasha feels for the horse which
changes her own life. The themes of horse rescue, and that of redemption
of a character by their involvement with horses are certainly not new,
but here they have been given a new slant in the way the author has
drawn close parallels between the situations of both Sasha and Meteor.
Because the reader can see the similarities in the situations of girl
and horse, it can make one think deeply about how animals are treated,
and how their problems may be a result of circumstance and abuse, rather
than just a labelling an animal a rogue or a problem horse (just as
Sasha has been labeled a problem child). I feel that youngsters will
have a much more empathetic view of horses, as well as people, after
reading this book.<br /><br />In the main this is a realistic and quite
down-to-earth novel. There are however a few times when suspension of
disbelief is required somewhat. Meteor’s at times rather Lassie-like
behaviour and his sudden (dare I say it meteoric!) rehabiliation were
slightly unrealistic and melodramatic. But as this is a children’s book
such plot devices are not out of place, and in fact they were also quite
useful in heightening the emotional tension of the story. On the whole I
felt the book had very few even minor flaws.<br /><br />For me, this has to
be one of the best pony novels I have read this year. It has all the
ingredients needed for a superb pony story: a great sympathetic
character, a bond between girl and horse, emotional depth and an
intelligent exploration of deeper issues. It also shows a compassion for
both human and animal which can be sadly lacking in many modern
children’s novels and inspires good values without being boring or
preachy. I really hope that the author will continue writing for this
age group as I think she <span style="font-size: small;">is making a real contribution to the genre<span style="font-size: small;">.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">You<span style="font-size: small;"> can read more and vote on the book on the <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=reviews&thread=1904&page=1"><span style="font-size: small;">chat forum</span></a></span> </span><br />
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Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6269512425715662927.post-36804419818829965132013-04-02T22:58:00.001+01:002013-04-02T23:14:36.623+01:00Guest Blog by Tintin: Book Review - The Most Horrible Pony by Lynda KellyThanks to our guest blogger 'Tintin' who will hopefully be reviewing a number of books on here in the future. Here's his take on the first book in the Amy and Clown series by Lynda Kelly - The Most Horrible Pony:<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">"It has to be said, before anything else, that this is a
very accurate title. Clown is a truly dreadful horse and his
misdemeanours are marvellously and vividly described. He puts off his
rider, runs away, refuses to be caught and bites as well as being able
to undo the bolt to his stall. He also does all these intermittently in
such a way as to lead both reader and rider into a false hope that he
might have reformed.<br /><br />He is very like a horse in the Army before
the war who gained himself such an infamous name by similar behaviour he
was still being talked about over 50 years later. Like the military
horse Clown also has the annoying habit of behaving perfectly when
anyone important is about. Clown’s awful behaviour and the fact that he
has been saved from the slaughter house makes it quite a shock to find
he is only five rather than an elderly horse “steeped in vice”. It is
quite original to have what s almost an equine “anti-hero”.<br /><br />Amy,
the young girl who is the heroine of the novel, is Clown’s exasperated,
yet doggedly determined rider. She lives on a working farm with her
mother and father, younger brother Liam (and his ever growing tribe of
imaginary creatures), dog Tess and two cats. The farm and its work are
nicely depicted as are the dynamics of the family which become even more
interesting when an eccentric aunt comes to visit. There is also a nice
crowd of riding school children and their ponies.<br /><br /> Amy has just
received Clown when the story starts and all the ponies have more
attractive characters than his (I particularly liked Gordon, the patient
Highland Pony). Clown, however, does have an aptitude for mounted
games.<br /><br />The book has a truly memorable horse and interesting
likeable characters. Not least among its charms are the sketch maps
which help us to enter a complete and believable world. Well written
and with good values (a central motif is about loyalty to, and
understanding of, friends and family who can be annoying – not to
mention a horse who can be very annoying) the book deserves to be
popular with its target audience. The author has set herself a hard
standard to keep up to.<br /><br />With all this to praise it is almost
superfluous to speak of the plot. The story is a variant of the missing
race horse cliché, but because of the strengths described above this is
carried off convincingly. The author also pulls off the difficult trick of starting the story by dropping you in the middle of the action. <br /><br />Worth reading<span style="font-size: small;">!" </span></span><br />
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You can read more and vote on the book on the <a href="http://ponybooks.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=reviews&thread=1898&page=1">chat forum</a></div>
Clairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09255073307166262434noreply@blogger.com2