Lavinia R. Davis (1909–1961)

From Kirkus Reviews:

"nother good story of children and horses, which will appeal to all ten and twelve year olds who own, or would like to own, their own horses. There's a vacation given fresh zest by the discovery of an island that the children feel is their own; their is a new neighbor, whom the Harwickes eventually succumb to; and there's increasing interest in Indian relics and a ""dig"" actually on their beloved island. Paul Brown as illustrator gives the book importance to all who know his horse drawings."… (more)

Oh, my, what a nostalgia trip. I couldn't remember the title or author, but had very clear if fragmentary memories of this book from my childhood, bought for 50 cents through the Scholastic Books program at my elementary school. Through a roundabout series of clicks through Facebook, I stumbled on someone else's memory of the details and promptly ordered it through Abebooks.com. The brittle little paperback that arrived was the same edition I recalled. And I loved this little thing almost as much as I had as a girl. The privileged child Terry is farmed out to her rural cousins' home for the summer, their only tenuous connection is a love of horses, though Terry thinks she is rather better in the saddle than she actually is. The Wades are an independent, rough-and-tumble bunch, and their mutual discomfort with each other is ratherly tenderly drawn. Through a series of escapades, projects and adventures, the kids learn to appreciate each other and bond through their beloved horses and ponies (plus dogs, a lively littlest brother, a kindly artsy mother, a rather remote but ultimately good father, and a goat). Published in 1939, it's a sweet, warm-hearted story written by a knowledgeable horsewoman (who knows that when you compete at a horse show, you usually don't win); the writing is fluid and surprisingly adult for a book aimed at pre-teens (..."said Rod judiciously," an elderly dog "waddles sagely"). A historical note: Terry's parents are absent on a business trip to Europe, and her nanny is referred to as "Fraulein," but there is no note of what was looming in Europe at that time. Yeah, it's a privileged white upper-class population (there is a brief and awkward rather "noblesse oblige" encounter with an impoverished family of Irish -or maybe Cockney, hard to tell... - immigrants), but I was overall gently pleased to find this beloved book of my childhood stood up quite well, with valid lessons about tolerance, generosity and responsibility gracefully included.… (more)

When Terry White goes to spend her summer holidays with her Wade cousins in rural Connecticut, the nervous New York girl feels somewhat intimidated by her rough-and-tumble relatives, and their horse-mad ways. Hobby Horse Hill seems oddly chaotic and informal to a young woman used to always looking neat and clean. But Kate and Roddy Wade don't care about Terry's clothes - they want to know whether she can handle herself on a horse...

Published in 1939, and long out-of-print, Hobby Horse Hill is one of those stories - quite common in children's literature - in which the protagonist finds herself thrust into unfamiliar circumstances for a period of time (usually on holiday), learns a new set of skills, and gains a greater degree of self-confidence. When done well, this formula can be quite involving, even moving. Unfortunately, Lavinia R. Davis' narrative never really came alive for me, and I had difficulty caring about Terry's (very predictable) trials and tribulations.

The story was pleasant enough, but hardly memorable, and I wouldn't recommend that readers go out of their way to find it. That said, I did find it deliciously ironic, after reading so many British children's novels in which Americans feature as exotic curiosities, that the "low-class" Jarvis family here are recent English immigrants. Of course Americans believe that they should be egalitarian, so Terry learns not to look down on the Jarvises, but the turn-around was amusing.… (more)