Bonnie Bryant

I was so pumped that I found an early Saddle Club book that I never read. This was a bonus story that came exclusively with a body care/shampoo gift set in the early 1990s. The story takes place at the same time as books 13/14, but makes no mention of those events. It also ignores Lisa being in a different country on vacation, yet inexplicably she is in Virginia to help set up for New Years. Alright, time is rather nebulous in the series, I'll give it a break. I'll even excuse the excessive show more descriptions of bath products and the amount of baths/showers the girls feel the need to take during this story; it IS sold with a bubble bath set. I WON'T forgive the character breaks though - horse-crazy 12-year-old girls complaining about the smell of horses?!? What world is this?! Carole especially saying smelling like a barn is gross is a bit too far-fetched for me. I'm disappointed if Bryant wrote this, but I hope she didn't. There is no winner though, because the ladies who ghost wrote a lot of the series were actual horse people and wouldn't say those things either. I understand that the writers need to get paid, but selling their souls (and beloved characters) like this was a shame. There were so many times the girls mentioned how they had to get clean after riding I lost count, and the book is only like 60 pages long.

Don't bother tracking this book down if you want to complete your Saddle Club series. Just pretend this abomination doesn't exist. show less

Trigger warning for animal death. I wasn't the intended audience for this. I read this after reading part of a surprisingly stupid book about another animal death. This was more realistic, engaging and enjoyable than the other. It's a great book for horse people and probably people learning to ride. The audience is likely young children but it's educational to anyone. The conflicts and rivalries are believable. There's tons of exposition, weird jokes, stupid jokes, and plot contrivance. But show more this is one of the times I understood why it was all being done and approved. I'm glad I got ahold of this. show less

This was a very cute book about friendship. It was a chapter book that focused on the journey of three girls, two of which were best friends who at first excluded the third friend, who bonded over being students at the Pine Hollow Riding Stable. First, the plot would engage young readers, especially who love riding horses, because it details specifics about being a great rider and talks about what it takes to be a great rider. The plot also touches upon a fun riding trip that the girls are show more all looking forward to, struggles in school work, sleepover and hang-outs with friends, and of course the central theme of friendship and acceptance. The theme of the book pushes readers to value inclusion and set aside differences to embrace those who hold the same values as one another. The three main characters are all very different and go through a series of challenges, first against one another, and then against the outside world as they try to figure out how all three of them will attend their stable’s big weekend trip to a riding trail. They end up solving the problem together of how one of the girls will attend the trip by completing a difficult school assignment, and in turn give her the confidence that she is a good student in math. The language in the book is quite simple, and the plot has obvious events that include repetitive sequencing (i.e. going to riding class, hanging out after class, etc.). This would make the chapter book less overwhelming for readers who are not quite ready a plot-twisting novel, but also challenge them to comprehend a lengthy story. The main message of this story is to not judge someone new and to always be accepting of new friends. show less

Reviewed by Andie Z. for TeensReadToo.com

In HORSE SHY, the second book in THE SADDLE CLUB series, Stevie, Carole, and Lisa finally get to go on the long-awaited Mountain Trail Overnight (or MTO). They have a great time, and things get even better for Carole when she gets back: she gets to care for Veronica's stallion, Cobalt. Veronica may be snobby, but Cobalt is beautiful and Carole loves him.

Then there's a tragic jumping accident and Cobalt is killed. Carole is devastated and swears that show more she'll never ride again. It's up to Lisa and Stevie to remind Carole how much she loves riding, and that life continues, maybe in ways that nobody expected.

HORSE SHY delves into deeper material than HORSE CRAZY, the first book in the series, with the death of a beloved horse, but Bryant still manages to keep it light for her readers, with a more than happy ending. show less