This is one series I never got a chance to read growing up, I was already into Pony Pals and Thoroughbred and Heartland and Phantom Stallion...but being as it was such a popular series, I am curious about it. I watched the first to seasons of the television series a couple weeks ago and enjoyed them despite the young age group (Max isn't bad to look at either ;D) I mean, I cried when Cobalt died and when Veronica sold Garnet and when Comanche got sick and was nearly shot after he got away from Stevie. The lessons learned about growing up are useful for people of any age. As for the book series, I don't know if I will make it through all 100+ of them, mostly because they aren't in stores anymore and I have to order them online, but they are just another "guilty pleasure" to add to my list right under Thoroughbred. I know no matter how old I get I will always love these horse stories. I may read higher end literature like Animal Farm and The Bell Jar or more modern material like James Patterson or Nicholas Sparks, but it is still nice to take a break from that and go back to my childhood where I would spend the summers reading on my porch roof rather than working. People may look at me weird or laugh when I say I read Thoroughbred or The Saddle Club, but whatever. I'm not ashamed of it, I am actually excited by it because I'm reading about something I love and learning about it too.Besides, I can easily read three or four of these books in a day, if I have nothing else to do.
Synopsis: "Carole Hanson and Stevie Lake have been best friends ever since they met at Pine Hollow Stables. So when Lisa Atwood joins their riding group, the girls aren't sure she's got what it takes. Lisa may be the smartest student in the classroom, but she's got a lot to learn when it comes to horses. . . ."My Review: It has been decades since I last read this book and thought it was about time I did again (especially since I have always ranked this series in high importance). It was really interesting to read this book as compared to middle grade and young adult books now. These characters seem so much more real, they have emotions, they are judgmental, they are selfish, but they are open to new relationships and experiences. While some of the aspects of the book are outdated (Stevie wins a Walkman from the cassette music store) I think that this could still be an influential book for those young girls entering the daunting world of the teen years.
What do You think about Horse Crazy (1996)?
This kick-off to the Saddle Club series was actually pretty good. It had good character development and a good story. It focused more on the friend relationships among the girls at Pine Hollow Stables, then the Thoroughbred series that focused more on one girl and the horses. It did a good job of dealing with girls and friendship. The girls in the book are 6th graders, but this book would appeal to girls in 4th - 7th grade. You would not have to be really into horses to like this series because the horses bring the girls together, but it's more about their relationships. The book is pretty dated (it was written in the 80's), as it has a storyline that deals with winning a tape player and the girl going to the music store to buy tapes. Other than that, the story holds up.
—Kim Burean
There are three girls named Lisa, Carol, and Stevie. Lisa is the new girl, dressed in fine clothing gear for horse riding. Stevie and Carol mistake her to be a mean, snotty rich kid but finds that she is a true friend.Stevie, Carol, and Lisa are now friends. They do everything together. They ride horses together, go shopping, hang out, and they want to go to a trip called MTO (Mountain Trail Overnight) but Stevie has poor grades they can't go without Stevie. Steview gives up but the trail must go on. But they will go on the trip even if they have to . . .The book I read was Saddle Club: Horse Crazy #1 by Bonnie Bryant. I would recommend this book to horse lovers.-Crystal, 6th grade
—Penn 6
