Review - Angels of Clover Farm by Virginia Shirt

SUMMARY

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?


REVIEW

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I would rate this book as 3 horseshoes (GOOD)


Read more and vote for the book on the ponymadbooklovers chat forum review section

Review - Joe and the Lightning Pony by Victoria Eveleigh

SUMMARY OF STORY:

Book 2 in the Joe series which began with Joe and the Hidden Horseshoe.  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…


REVIEW:

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.

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. 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.

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.

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.

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! 

In summary, in Joe and the Lightning Pony 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.

I'm also making this my latest website 'star read' - see home page of website.

Read more, make comments or vote on the book on the chat forum review section

Review - The Black Loch by Patricia Leitch

SUMMARY OF STORY: (some spoilers)

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.

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.


REVIEW:

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?

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.

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:

“It was a being from a lost age, proud, powerful and alien to the petty confusion of our living.” (page 70)

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 Dolphin Summer 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.

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.

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?

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 A Dream of Fair Horse and some of the 'Jinny' series, is this quality of writing bettered.

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.

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.

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.

“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)

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 The Scorpio Races 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.

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.

I would award the book 5 horseshoes (EXCELLENT)

Read more, add comments or vote on this book at the ponymadbooklovers chat forum review section

Review - Joe and the Hidden Horseshoe by Victoria Eveleigh

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).

SUMMARY OF STORY:

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?

REVIEW:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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 Too Many Ponies, 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!

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.

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.

I have rated this book as 4 HORSESHOES – VERY GOOD

Read more, add comments or vote on this book at the ponymadbooklovers chat forum reviews section

Guest Blog by Tintin: Review - Chasing Dreams by Maggie Dana

 
















It is very hard to believe we are now up to Book Five with the Timber Ridge Riders.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

A joy to read.

Read more and vote on the book in the ponymadbooklovers forum review section

Guest Blog by Tintin: Book Review - Wish Upon A Horse by Maggie Dana

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Readers will be pleased that the distinctive humour of these books is still in place.

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.

Well worth reading.

Two personal notes.

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.

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?

You can vote for the book on the ponymadbooklovers chat forum reviews section

Book Review - Too Many Ponies by Sheena Wilkinson

 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!


But enough of the blether and here is the actual review.....


SUMMARY OF STORY

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, Taking Flight and Grounded!) 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.

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?

REVIEW

Sheena Wilkinson’s earlier pony novels, Taking Flight and Grounded, 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.

Too Many Ponies 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.

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, Taking Flight, 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.

Again, as in Taking Flight, 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.
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 Too Many Ponies). This can be a big problem for male horse-lovers, whose favourite past-time may even be considered cissy. Too Many Ponies 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.

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!

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.

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).

However despite the depth of the characters and their problems in Too Many Ponies, 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.

If you have already read Taking Flight and Grounded 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 Too Many Ponies, so will it’s younger readers be able to move on to Taking Flight and Grounded as they grow a little older, and will enjoy finding out the background of the character of Declan.

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 Too Many Ponies! And unlike many books in the genre today, the book will appeal to both girls and boys. A highly recommended read for all.

I would rate this book as 5 horseshoes - EXCELLENT

You can vote for the book and read comments on the ponymadbooklovers chat forum review section