Sea Horse

Saddle Club #14

by Bonnie Bryant

Ever since they formed The Saddle Club, Stevie, Carole, and Lisa have been inseparable. So they're all feeling a little sad at the thought of not being together for the Christmas holidays. But while Lisa is riding along the beautiful beaches of sunny San Marco, Stevie will be combing the mall for the perfect New Year's Eve dress. And Carole will be training Starlight, the gorgeous bay gelding she got for Christmas!

But no one's holiday goes smoothly, especially Lisa's. On her first day at the San Marco stables, she takes an embarrassing fall, just like a beginner! And that's not the worst of The volcanic terrain and tricky footing of the tiny island can be confusing to horses -- and lethal for their riders. Just as Lisa's confidence in her riding plummets to an all-time low, a dangerous mishap will put her horseback skills to the ultimate test... and have her missing her Saddle Club friends like crazy!

Genres: Horses, Childrens, Middle Grade, Animals, Young Adult, Juvenile, Fiction

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

American author of children's books. She is best known for creating the intermediate horse book series The Saddle Club, which was published from October 1988 until April 2001. The Saddle Club chronicled the adventures of thirteen-year-old Lisa Atwood and twelve-year-olds Stephanie "Stevie" Lake and Carole Hanson. The series was static in time; the girls never aged in 101 books, 7 special editions, and 3 Inside Stories.

Bonnie Bryant also wrote two spin-off series: Pony Tails, aimed at beginning readers, and Pine Hollow, aimed at teenage readers. The 16 Pony Tails books followed the lives of eight-year-olds May Grover, Corey Takamura, and Jasmine James. Pine Hollow featured Carole, Lisa, Stevie, and their new friends in a series set four years after The Saddle Club. Unlike The Saddle Club, Pine Hollow conformed to a realistic timeline. The 17 books took place over the span of less than a year. Later a television show called The Saddle Club, based on the books, was filmed in Australia.

Bonnie Bryant wrote at least 38 The Saddle Club books and 2 Pine Hollow books herself; after that they were taken over by a team of ghostwriters, a common practice in long-running children's book series. Ghostwriters for the Saddle Club and Pine Hollow books included Caitlin Macy (sometimes credited as Caitlin C. Macy), Catherine Hapka, Sallie Bissell, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Helen Geraghty, Tina deVaron, Cat Johnston, Minna Jung, and Sheila Prescott-Vessey.

Bonnie Bryant is also the author of many novelizations of movies, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Karate Kid, and Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, written under her married name, B.B. Hiller. She also collaborated in the ghostwriting of The Baby-sitters Club Super Special #14: BSC in the USA, published under the name of its creator, Ann M. Martin.

Bonnie Bryant was born and raised in New York City. She met her husband, Neil W. Hiller, in college, where they both worked on the campus newspaper. They had two sons, Emmons Hiller and Andrew Hiller. Neil Hiller died in 1989. Many of Bonnie's books are dedicated to him.
***from wikipedia.org

Reviews

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm almost positive that this it the first Saddle Club book I ever read. If memory serves me correctly, I was about seven, and went along to the library with my Nana. She let me check this book out under her name, as I didn't have a public library card yet (prior to that I had frequented my primary school library, which introduced me to a lot of great books).
I ended up reading it several times before it was due back - I loved everything about it. It was my gateway into a series that in terms of importance to me, could only be rivaled by Harry Potter.
The story itself is easy enough- Lisa is on vacation and loses confidence in her riding ability after some falls, Carole learns having her own horse is challenging at times, Stevie obsesses over what to wear to the New Years dance. It's not exactly remarkable, but for me, both then and now, there's something undeniably magical about it all.
I also have a real soft spot for Jasper, the horse Lisa rides while on her Caribbean vacation. And the cover for this one (there are actually several versions, here I'm referring to the painting version not the photos or the TV tie in edition) has always been a favourite, partly for nostalgic reasons, but it's also very pretty. 💖💟💖

[Christine Meunier · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to follow.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The One Where Lisa Goes to the Caribbean

Again, the girls are separated over Winter Break and are each dealing with their own projects. Stevie's involves way too much shopping, something I don't mind in movies, but can't stand to read about.

Well-written, as always, and it definitely moves the overall plot forward, but not my favorite Saddle Club book.

[Komaeda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read from my childhood.
These series teach me how to ride a horse without riding a horse.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the Club goes on a very expensive vacation that few readers would ever be able to afford, and she feels sorry for herself. Whee. Meanwhile, Carole works with her new horse and does rounds with the vet, again. Stevie obsesses about the New Year's Eve dance with her boyfriend and feels sorry for herself.

There is a point where Lisa rides by a poor family's farm, watching a little boy feeding chickens watch the riders. She wonders if they would ever talk, then knows they never will. White privilege and all.

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The girls of The Saddle Club are split up for the holidays. Carole is at home in Pine Hollow, working with her new horse. Stevie is not at the stable, instead spending time with family. Lisa is on a vacation to San Marco. Luckily for her, she gets to ride horses while on vacation. Unluckily for her, the terrain is volcanic and tough for less experienced riders and horses. In fact, she takes a tumble. This wasn't one of my favorite books, but it was good.

[Sam Wescott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m always a little sad when the girls get separated, but this one was good and I found that I had remembered very little of it. Lisa has to reassess her riding skills after taking an embarrassing fall on vacation and Carole has some really interesting training stuff with Starlight while Stevie buys a dress? It’s cute.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was different and refreshing because the girls are separated. Each has their own storyline, but they tie together sweetly at the end.

I also like the exotic Caribbean setting. The descriptions of the place were lovely and I liked Ben showing Lisa's family around and their interaction with him.

I liked the fables and I appreciate the girls' thoughtfulness.

[Berita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the Norwegian version, out of nostalgia.

[Filomena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jakoze nejvic jsem celou knihu stejne zavidela Lise tu dovolenou, co si budem.

[Maïlys · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this novel a little less than the one before, simply because i feel like it's missing something when the girls are apart. Didn't really care for Stephanie's storyline, but enjoyed Lisa's.

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember when I was in my early teens, the Saddle Club series was one of my favorites. Looking back on it with adult eyes... I'm somewhat less impressed. The only reason I care about the characters is due to my nostalgia; the book doesn't give me any reasons. Now granted, it's possible that I'd feel differently if I were to re-read the series from the beginning, rather than starting fifteen books in, so I'm willing to give it some leeway there. But the plot for this book is trite, overdone, and lacking in anything even approaching suspense. Part of that is because there are actual three plots, one for each of the girls, differing only in the superficial elements. In a book the length of this one, there simply isn't room for three interconnected and engaging plots. I still think this is a good book for preteens and young teens that like horses, but it's not one that an adult can come back to and get anything more - or even as much - out of.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly, I don't know if I've read this book. I think I did. I know I read a few of "The Saddle Club" books though.
They are about girls that are bff's and love horses.

[Skylar Newbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so yah=)

[Meagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great topic for understanding how to be confident in your abilities and to have the humility to admit your mistakes!

[Sarah Tummey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another one from childhood. Never forgot Stevie's hunt for the blue chiffon.

[Mandy Lambert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read.

[Hazel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good series for horse crazy young teens. I loved it when I was younger.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me like 20 years to track down a copy of this-for some reason it was terribly hard to find in NZ-so it is exactly right as it is as an artefact of its time and purpose; friends and Learning Lessons and ponies.

(Memo to self: ask for this for Yuletide again. :D)