The Saddle Club: Horse Sense/Horse Power

The Saddle Club: Book 2: Horse Sense/Horse Power by Bonnie Bryant (Random House Australia Children’s)
PB RRP $12.95
ISBN 9780857980649
Reviewed by Marian McGuinness

Book 2: Horse Sense/Horse Power continues the stories of the three main characters of The Saddle Club: Carole, Stevie and Lisa. Once again there are two stories per book, so that sense of loss that you feel when you finish a story turns to joy when you have another fully formed tale to read at the flick of a page.

In Horse Sense, each girl has a mission at Pine Hollow Stables. Carole’s is to be at the birth of a foal, Stevie’s is to plan the games for the gymkhana and Lisa has to work out the rules for The Saddle Club.

As usual, the delightful, sensory descriptions of riding and jumping lessons position the reader in the saddle.

There is trouble ahead for The Saddle Club members when a new French girl, Estelle, joins. It takes a while for Carole, Stevie and Lisa to find out that Estelle is the ‘ultimate pretender.’

Meanwhile, the mare Delilah goes into labour. It’s a challenging situation as the three girls are alone at Pine Hollow Stables. Through combining their skills of nurturing, creativity and organisation they rise to the challenge and help the foal to be born.

To buffer the stories, there’s a great article on the logistics of transporting horses to the Olympics. It’s a compelling package of fact and fiction.

In the second story Horse Power, the gymkhana gets underway as Carole, Stevie and Lisa work to create the best horse-riding games. Two new characters are introduced. One is Stevie’s brother Chad, who takes riding lessons to be near Stevie’s best friend Lisa, his latest crush. Will their first date be a dream or disaster? In the layering of the story, the three girls have another problem to solve, why has the champion rider Kate Devine, the latest member of Pine Hollow Stables, lost the joy of riding.

Bonnie Bryant’s writing creates not only multiple plot lines, but her style is so personal that young readers 9 – 12 will feel that they too are part of The Saddle Club going through their ups and down, jokes and squabbles.

The Saddle Club: Horse Crazy/Horse Shy

The Saddle Club: Book 1: Horse Crazy/Horse Shy by Bonnie Bryant (Random House Australia Children’s)
PB RRP $12.95
ISBN 9780857980632
Reviewed by Marian McGuinness

The Saddle Club is a hugely popular series for girls aged 9 – 12. In its new format of two stories per book, young readers will fully immerse themselves in all things horsey.

The series follows the lives of three girls on the cusp of adolescence: Carole (obsessed with horses), Stevie (tom-boy and practical joker) and Lisa (loves school and learning). They make an awesome team as their love of horse riding at their beloved Pine Hollow Stables brings them together to form The Saddle Club.

Throughout the series, readers follow these three girls, plus many extra characters, through adventures, rivalry, gymkhanas, friendship problems and family dramas. There are some tough issues and personal obstacles, but through teamwork and loyalty, the girls’ bond of friendship grows even stronger.

At the conjunction of both stories, there’s an interesting segue into the reality of the horse world, with a short piece about how horses took part in the Olympics 2700 years ago, as well as interesting facts about show jumping and dressage.

Book 1: Horse Crazy/Horse Shy

Stevie has a problem. Her parents won’t pay her fees to attend the Mountain Trail Overnight Camp unless her grades improve. Studying seems too hard for Stevie so she decides instead to do odd jobs and earn the money herself. That is until things start to go wrong. It is Lisa who comes up with the compromise that has been in front of their eyes all along. Meanwhile, Lisa, who is new to the stables, has parent problems. She’s doesn’t want to be a rider, it’s her mother’s ambition, but ‘Lisa knew that once again, she would just do what her parents wanted her to do.’ All Lisa really wants is to ‘escape into her homework.’ When Carole’s favourite horse, Cobalt, has to be put down, she retreats into herself as her own story of the loss of her mother weaves through. Carole becomes horse shy and doesn’t want to ride any more, until she gains her emotional strength from her best friends.

The joy of these stories is that you don’t have to own a horse, or even go horse riding. Through the descriptions and horse vocabulary such as: tack rooms, bridles, grooming, saddle soap, breeches and phrases like ‘rise and sit with the beat of the horse’s hooves’ young readers can connect to the world of The Saddle Club.  And if the opportunity to go horse riding comes about; readers will be off with a flying start.

Paruku The Desert Brumby

Paruku The Desert Brumby by Jesse Blackadder (HarperCollins)

PB RRP $14.99 

ISBN: 9780733331794 

Reviewed by Hazel Edwards

  

Jesse Blackadder's books have well researched settings, whether Antarctica or historical Scotland. Her audience has now extended to younger readers with the animal series which started with 'STAY, the Last Dog in Antarctica'.These are 'faction', involving stories, dramatised around fact. The realistic detail of seeking the outback brumbies to fulfil the Sheik's contract, from a young girl's perspective, especially when accompanied by her vet father, is credible in 'Paruka:The Desert Brumby'

Family relationships are well drawn but it's the horse details which will make 'Paruka The Desert Brumby' the kind of novel, 10-15 year old horse-mad girls will recommend to each other. And even the ones who are not horse-mad. Authentic outback detail and a subtle way of opening up some broader issues of ownership of natural resources.

The inserts written from the viewpoint of the brumbies are beautifully written. Poetic and sustained.

  

Hazel Edwards OAM  is a National Reading Ambassador.

Jumping Fences

Jumping Fences by Karen Wood (Allen and Unwin)
PB RRP $15.99
ISBN 978-1-74331-639-9
Reviewed by Ann Harth

Pieces of the puzzle are missing.

Zoe wakes up in a hospital bed after falling from her horse and can’t remember what happened. She had been mustering cattle with her boyfriend and best friend but, since her fall, neither of them will answer her calls. Adding to her confusion is the sudden interest of Josh, a “super serial nerd” and definitely not Zoe’s type.

Zoe’s problems are compounded by the fact that her family’s farm is in jeopardy. Cattle are disappearing and the missing stock from the day of Zoe’s fall is the last straw. If they can’t recover their livestock and find the culprit, they will have to sell. Zoe’s recent actions are causing her father to lose faith in her and he is threatening to send her to live with her mother in town. The solid existence she took for granted is threatened.

As snippets of her memory return, Zoe is faced with some painful truths about friendship, family and her own priorities.

Jumping Fences is a spirited novel aimed at 13-16 year olds. Many will be able to identify with Zoe as she struggles to make decisions about what – and who – is important to her. Loyalty and honesty play a large part in this story and the strength and wisdom that Zoe eventually finds will go a long way toward empowering the reader. Her realistic character growth drives the story toward a satisfying ending.

The writing in this book is clear and concise, flowing smoothly as it moves between the current situation and Zoe’s recovering memories. Mystery and romance is woven throughout the book as well as some surprising twists that will keep the reader riveted until the end.

Karen Wood is the mother of two and author of the popular Diamond Spirit books. She is mad about horses but is also a qualified horticulturalist with a degree in Communications. When not aiming for the teenaged audience, Karen writes bushwalking and gardening articles for various magazines and newspapers. She has a menagerie of animals on her small acreage in New South Wales and spends her free time with her children and horses.

Ann Harth is a published children's author, freelance editor, ghostwriter and writing tutor at Australian College of Journalism. She loves to read and is committed to creating children's literature that inspires, entertains and triggers a tiny twist in the mind. Her latest middle-grade novel, The Art of Magic, is now available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble. 

Brumbies in the Mist

Brumbies in the Mist by Paula Boer, illustrated by Rowena Evans (IFWG Publishing Australia)
PB RRP $16.99
ISBN: 9780992302023
Reviewed by Hilary Smillie

This is the third book in the 5-book series about brumbies by gifted horsewoman/writer, Paula Boer, and follows the adventures of city-bred Louise and Ben, a country boy through and through. A lot has happened since the two young teenagers captured Louise's buck-skin mare, Honey, and Ben's colt, Brandy, when they staged their own muster.

Brandy had grown into a feisty stallion and one of the problems Ben is facing is how to persuade his father not to geld him. He wants to put him to stud and see what type of progeny he sires. Louise is worried her mum won't let her keep Honey because of the expensive upkeep and riding lessons Louise hopes to have.

Once again, Paula unfolds a story which will keep young horse-lovers glued to each page. They will easily relate to the several dilemmas presented and anxiously read on to see how each solution is reached. The majority of horse-related terms are included in a Glossary at the front, and it is most satisfying to be able to quickly turn to this information as unfamiliar words arise.

The text and illustrations which include maps of the areas where the children live and ride combine to give a great "feel" to the book and bring the reader right into the situation. Paula is a sympathetic writer and Rowena's effective sketches makes reading Brumbies in the Mist a most pleasurable experience. Young horse lovers will be eager to obtain the whole series.

Mustang Mountain: Fire Horse

Mustang Mountain: Fire Horse by Sharon Siamon (Egmont)

PB RRP $12.95

ISBN 978-1-4052-4307-0

Reviewed by Anastasia Gonis

                   This exciting series is about horses and the people who love and work with them. It is set in the Rocky Mountains of Alberta on Mustang Mountain. The main characters are cousins Becky and Alison, and their friend Meg, a horse lover, who has been invited to spend the summer at their ranch.

                   The plane carrying the girls along with a horse named Silver is forced to land close to the ranch. Meg helps the terrified animal from the plane and a bond is formed between the two, for they have something in common. They are both out of place in their surroundings. But a badly injured tendon in Silver’s foreleg puts his hopes of becoming a champion jumper in jeopardy. Meg is given an opportunity by the owner to heal the mare before a decision is made about her future. A generous offer of free treatment and feed from Laurie, Becky’s mother and a farrier, comes as temporary relief to Meg who is determined to keep the horse from becoming dog food.

                  

                   A shoeing accident threatens Laurie’s life and Becky’s old fear and resentment of horses is reborn. Far from everything in a place where cars and trucks are forbidden, and where the only exit is by horse or helicopter, the three girls are left alone to care for the horses. But when Alison leaves the corral gate open and Silver and Laurie’s horse Windy escape, the girls set out to retrieve them. They meet with unexpected opposition in the form of a wild red mustang that has called the two mares to join his ever-growing band of runaways.

                   Then reports come in of a cougar sighting. This puts everyone on alert but ends in tragedy. Added are the wild fires and Meg’s fears for Silver and his damaged leg. Can Becky get her mother’s horse back from the mustang’s herd? There are many challenges that the three must face, along with the problems involving the other primary characters that weave through the background. These challenges free the girls from many preconceptions, fears and vanities that have disabled their true potential up to that point.

The greatest test comes when they are forced to trust the wild mustang to lead them out of the bushfire that threatens all their lives.

                   A well-written adventure story set in a location that juxtaposes the power of the elements and the characters of the humans which mature and evolve by the end of the story. It presents a view of the communication possible between animals and people, and the respect necessary for the environment.