One of my all-time favorite series of books is The Saddle Club, a collection of novels chronicling the adventures of a trio of best friends: Carole, Stevie, and Lisa. They all love horses, and decide to form a club that honors this love.

There are 101 books in this series (wow!) and 7 Super Editions (which are longer than an average Saddle Club book). The more I read them, the more I appreciate how well-written they are.

Here are some brief reviews on my three favorite books:

TITLE: #1, Horse Crazy

AUTHOR: Bonnie Bryant

NUMBER OF PAGES: 135

YEAR PUBLISHED: 1988

PLOTLINE: Lisa Atwood is a new rider at Pine Hollow Stables. She doesn’t know anyone there, and honestly, she doesn’t want to learn how to ride. But Lisa does want to make friends with Carole Hanson, a no-nonsense girl who loves horses. There’s only one problem: Carole is friends with Stevie Lake, who pulled a dangerous trick on Lisa at her first riding lesson. Maybe the answer is to avoid them both, and start hanging out with the rich Veronica diAngelo . . .

*****
TITLE: #3, Horse Sense

AUTHOR: Bonnie Bryant

NUMBER OF PAGES: 135

YEAR PUBLISHED: 1989

PLOTLINE: Carole, Stevie, and Lisa have only been friends for a little while, and their club, The Saddle Club, is still a very small organization. That’s when Lisa gets the idea to change it into a big club, with rules and a constitution and everything. But Stevie and Carole seem to be ignoring her, because they have projects of their own. Lisa gets upset, and decides to hold meetings without her friends. Could this be the end of The Saddle Club---when it’s hardly even the beginning?

*****

TITLE: #101, Best Friends

AUTHOR: Bonnie Bryant

NUMBER OF PAGES: 149

YEAR PUBLISHED: 2001

PLOTLINE: The Saddle Club is busy preparing for the upcoming horse show in South Carolina, and it’s also very close to Christmas. Carole, Stevie, and Lisa have enough trouble getting money for Christmas presents, but how can they all pay for the horse show entry fee, too? None of the girls wants to let each other know about the situation, but it’s hard to keep it a secret, especially when Stevie needs new riding boots, Carole needs a new halter for her horse, and Lisa’s parents are struggling to pay bills. Can the girls help each other in time? Or is it too late?

*****

These are the three best books in the entire series, in my opinion. Bonnie Bryant is an excellent writer, and they’re great stories.

The Saddle Club was also made into a television series, and Seasons 1 and 2 are on DVD available from http://www.amazon.com./ I highly enjoy watching them, although they are quite a bit different from the books. I recommend both the novels and the TV episodes!


Lately I've been browsing through our county fair book, trying to decide what to enter this year. These are some of the things I'm thinking about entering:

1. A poem about horses
2. Two red peppers
3. Two green peppers
4. Cut daisies
5. A poster on wildflowers
6. A yarn craft
7. A pencil sketch
8. A felt tip drawing
9. A book review
10. A poster on my top ten favorite books

Hopefully I'll be able to put a few more ribbons into my scrapbook!




TITLE: The Pleasures of Staying in Touch

AUTHOR: Jennifer Williams

COPYRIGHT: 1998

ORIGINAL PUBLISHER: Hearst Communications, Inc.

NUMBER OF PAGES: 176

This is a lovely book that really makes you want to write letters! I’ve read The Pleasures of Staying in Touch numerous times, and it never grows stale.

Have you ever wanted to know how to respond elegantly to an invitation, or how to properly thank someone for a gift? Search no further for an extremely comprehensive guide to writing. The book also covers which letter-writing materials are best (such as light blue stationery) on certain occasions, and just what to put in letters to relatives.

The Pleasures of Staying in Touch is also sprinkled with quotes from illustrious writers, and has many examples on what some letters should sound like. I absolutely recommend this beautiful book!

*****

“In the end, writing a letter is an adventure to be embarked upon with a happy, expectant heart. It will give your life more joy and meaning than you can imagine. So, go quickly! Write a letter now, even if it’s just a few lines to propose a picnic, relate a dream, or share a sudden thought, joke, inspiration, or memory.” - The Pleasures of Staying in Touch



Awhile back, I wrote a post that said how I'd written 3,003 words on a book project so far. Well, now I've written more, and the count is up to about 6,000 words! I'm very excited about this project and hope it is done soon.





TITLE: The Best Horse

AUTHOR: Elizabeth Van Steenwyk

COPYRIGHT: 1977

ORIGINAL PUBLISHER: Scholastic Inc.

NUMBER OF PAGES: 91

PLOTLINE: Wendy loves horses, and rides them all the time on her mother’s ranch. That’s why she is especially pleased upon receiving the big news: there’s going to be a rodeo in town!

Wendy immediately decides that she’s going to enter the barrel racing event, but her mom won’t let her, and won’t say why. Wendy can’t enter without Mom’s permission, and the rodeo is approaching quickly.

Soon, Wendy gets desperate, and ends up making terrible mistakes that she ordinarily would never have made. If only she could understand why Mom won’t let her become a barrel racer . . .

*****

“ ‘Oh,’ {Wendy} began. ‘I’ve been saving my allowance and most of my Christmas money that Aunt Sally sent me.’

{Wendy} hoped that Mom wouldn’t do any sudden calculations about money she’d blown at the 4-H fair last spring, or at the Sunday School picnic game booths on Memorial Day.” - The Best Horse




TITLE: The Stolen Sapphire

AUTHOR: Sarah Masters Buckey

COPYRIGHT: 2006

ORIGINAL PUBLISHER: American Girl Publishing, Inc.

NUMBER OF PAGES: 171

PLOTLINE: Eleven-year-old Samantha Parkington and her sister Nellie are sailing to Europe on the R.M.S. Queen Caroline. Samantha soon finds out that an extremely valuable sapphire is being taken to Europe by the professor who located it in South America.

One night shortly after Samantha and Nellie board the ship, the sapphire goes missing. Anyone could have taken it---but who would have done such a terrible thing?

The two girls have their own ideas about who stole the sapphire, but they need proof. And how do they get proof when they’re arriving in Europe soon and there are no clues available?

*****

Jack looked at her skepticaly. ‘I considered that theory,’ he admitted. ‘I could just see the headlines: ‘MONKEY STEALS BLUE STAR SAPPHIRE!’ ’ He sighed. ‘It would’ve been a great story.’

‘But it’s possible!’ protested Samantha.

‘In a dime-store novel, maybe,’ allowed Jack.” - The Stolen Sapphire




Lately I’ve been reading a book called A Guide to Enjoying Wildflowers by Donald and Lillian Stokes (Little, Brown & Company, 1985). It’s a very interesting and highly informative book about wildflowers. The guide covers how different flower varieties came to North America, why flowers have certain names, where to locate some wildflowers, and more.

These are five entertaining facts I’ve learned from the book:

1. Daisies were originally from Asia.

2. Black-Eyed Susan flowers have rough stems to keep the plant moist.

3. Skunk cabbage is only found near streams.

4. Dandelions do not fully open until 8:00 AM.

5. In the Middle Ages, the Iris was a symbol of French royalty.

I can’t wait until the first flowers around here start blooming!



Ta da!

This is a little pink bookmark I made this afternoon . . . I thought it turned out looking very cute.