Guest Author - Taisha Turner
Horse Crazy is the first book in The Saddle Club series. Bonnie Bryant is the author. The middle-reader or tween book is for children between the ages eight and twelve-years-old. There are hundred-thirty-five pages in the paperback.
Stevie Lake has a major problem. She wants to go on the MTO, the long-awaited Mountain Trail Overnight camp out. Her parents have issued an ultimatum. If her math grades do not improve, they are not paying for the trip. Stevie feels she is unable to do the math project. She decides to earn the money for the trip. Stevie does not like to work. Will she earn the money?
Lisa Atwood’s social climbing mother forces her into horse riding lessons. Lisa is ambivalent about the classes. She wishes to meet some friends at Pine Hallow Stables. Lisa and Pepper, her horse, are soon friends after a rocky start. Will Lisa find human friends?
Carole Hanson loves horses. Mucking out stalls, cleaning the tack and the other duties are fun, not work for the horse lover. Her mother has deceased. She lives with her father. He is a colonel in the Marine Corps. Carole loves to ride Cobalt. The thoroughbred is owned by another rider, Veronica, at Pine Hallow Stables. Miss Hanson has planned for months to go to the MTO, Mountain Trail Overnight camp out with her best friend, Stevie Lake. Will they go together?
Bonnie Bryant does not write only for girls who love horses, but for all girls. Girls love the adventures of the three main characters, Stevie, Lisa and Carole. The girls form The Saddle Club in Horse Crazy.
Do not steer away from the books because of a lack of knowledge about horses, dressage and stables. Bonnie Bryant explains everything without overwhelming the reader. The author rides horses herself. She describes how to accomplish the movement. There are no explanations or descriptions, “as it is done on television.”
The girls are real girls with everyday problems. Siblings, parents and school work are just an example. The Saddle Club members are from middle-class families. They live in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.
Horse Crazy is a little dated. Carole has to wait to use the telephone in a booth. Also, she pops popcorn on the stove. People are unable to reach Stevie via the telephone because the line is busy. Use the events to discuss the past. The books are so popular there now are over a hundred books in The Saddle Club series. The latest books have cell phones and microwaves.
Series and Sequels Books for Children
Young Detectives
I always imagined Paradise to be a....library. - Jorgelius Borges
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