First Place
After a boring history lecture, the twins are in the hallway giggling about Jessica’s imitation of their teacher Mr. Nydick.. At Lila’s locker they see her surrounded by a bunch of 6th grade groupies. Daddy “Warbucks” Fowler, after a casual mention that she wanted a horse went out and bought Lila one. So now she has a horse named Thunder and she’s already bored with it.
Liz vents inwardly about the injustice of it all. Why should Lila get to have a horse and she doesn’t even care about it? Liz has been taking riding lessons so she heads out and Jess joins Lila. Lila picks a selected “chosen one” (a girl who let her see her math homework) and invites her over this weekend to ride. Thunder. The others are dismissed.
Jess teases Lila about her new found popularity but she just shrugs it off. Jess wonders how she can be so nonchalant about it. Lila then starts to bitch about the responsibilities with having a horse and creepy stable boys. Then she gets bored with the subject all together and starts talking about a new necklace.
Amy and Liz are at the Wakefield’s, about to do homework and they go up to her room which is decked out in a horse theme (pictures, posters, a open copy of National Velvet). Jess comes in and tells them she’s been invited over Lila’s this weekend to see Thunder. Liz again gets jealous!
In the lunchroom the next day Liz is working on a headline, gets what she needs from an outburst from Lila, and is about to move when the groupies start circling, but Lila approaches her gushing about the Sixers. She then says she has a fabulous idea for the next edition for her to do an article about Thunder. She even invites her to come see him this weekend. Liz rejects the offer and later tells Jessica she will NEVER write a story about Lila’s horse. Jessica tells her to sleep on it. After all she and Lila now have something in common. But the temptation is too much and she tells Lila she’ll do it. So Lila tells her she can come by after school.
At Carson Stables, Liz is stunned by how HUGE the place is and she takes one look at Thunder and falls in LOVE (and from what she describes the feeling is mutual). Lila allows Liz to ride him and she’s in heaven! Afterwards, they go back to Lila’s house to write the article. After this Lila and Liz start to spend more and more time together.
The Unicorns mention it to Jess but she blows it off and says they just have something in common. But deep down, Jess is upset. Liz wasn’t even feeling Lila until she got Thunder. Lila even invites Liz to do homework with her and Jessica. When they get to Lila’s, she has a surprise. She’s arranged for someone to bring Thunder to the house. Lila casually drops the hint that she wishes she had someone to be her horse sitter and Liz happily volunteers.
Lila further uses Liz (she finds out) to pass around her homework answers to the rest of the Unicorns but she figures it’s a small price to pay. She goes outside to get it out her head and visit Thunder, but there’s a strange boy outside untying Thunder. But it’s just Ted Roger’s (the new stable hand). Jess thinks he’s cute, but Lila tries to make him even more uncomfortable for giving Liz a shock then disses him to go back and read her “Sexy Stableboy Magazine” when he invites them back to the stable to watch him return the horse.
Jess and Liz convince Ned tho to take them. Ted thinks Thunder is Liz’s horse. Jess tries to get Ted alone in the tack room, but it’s clear she’s not the twin he has his eye on.
There’s a competition coming up with prize money and Liz is excited because she’s already been taking Thunder out on some jumps. By the downside is she’s not the owner. She thinks no one would have to know tho.
One day Jess gets so upset that she answered the phone and Lila asks to speak to Liz, but she gets over it when Lila invites her to a slumber party. Then she finds out that Liz has been invited. Alice however talks her into giving it a chance for Lila to like both twins. At the party tho, Liz is uncomfortable because basically it’s a Unicorn party and all they want to do is watch rock videos and gossip. Then the gossip turns to Amy and in defense Liz drops the tea that Ken kissed Amy at Julie’s party. Liz makes them promise not to tell and they say they won’t (Unh hunh)!
Lila makes some suggestions to the article but Liz says it’s fine. Lila threatens her that she either make the changes or no more Thunder. At dinner, Ted is over the twin’s place and Jess is again trying to flirt with him (unsuccessfully). He mentions that Liz should enter the competition and Jess blurts out that Liz isn’t even Thunder’s owner. Lila is. But the next day when Ted overhears Liz talking to Thunder, he tells her he understands and he isn’t angry. In fact he offers to coach her and she can give Lila the prize money. Liz thinks this is a good plan. So they have a week to prepare.
Liz is feeling so good that she lets Amy in on her secret. It even seems like the Unicorns are gonna keep their promise. But on the day of he competition after Liz leaves for the stables the Unicorns show that they definitely haven’t forgotten. They tell her they know all about her kissing Ken because Elizabeth told them. Amy tells them but what they don’t know is Liz is about to enter Lila’s horse in the competition and win. Lila is stunned and they both rush to the stables.
Amy shows up and confronts Liz and then Lila does. Liz confesses to Lila that she was using her the same way Lila was using her. She tells her that she should be the one to enter Thunder in the contest for the prize. At the word “prize” Lila starts to sing a different tune and tells Liz she should enter. Liz just laughs in her face and tells her NOPE! You’re not getting over on me this time. He’s YOUR horse!
Liz and Amy leave as Lila yells that she (Liz) will never get to see Thunder again. Ted goes on in Liz’s place (he’s been practicing the advanced jumps behind Lila and Liz’s back), Liz calls Jess and finally gets her. Everyone hurries to the biggest event of the month in SVH and Ted (with the sight of Jessica) wins the competition. He then offers to take Thunder off Lila’s hands for 700.00. He promised Liz she can come ride Thunder whenever she wants too,
My Thoughts:
Such as life. Isn’t it always like that? You see someone with something that YOU want that always just seems to bitch and complain about it and it makes you BURN up on the inside that some people could only sit on the sidelines and watch hoping and PRAYING for the day IF EVER they get the lucky thing and you have to listen thinking why do they get this (fill in the blank) and IM the one who deserves it. IM the one who wants it more! IM the one who wouldn’t treat it like that. Story of my life! So, I could relate. I’m just glad that THUNDER was the winner in this. In ways than one. Not only did he win the competition but he got the most deserving owner. Lila was over him the moment she got him and I don’t remember Liz’s horse obsession in any other book. Nor in the SVH books do I ever remember her mentioning her former horse interest. Maybe it’s a phase some girls go through. Liz and Lila both had their moments in this when I liked them. Lila had some amusingly snotty lines and Liz (who usually lets Jess walk ALL OVER HER in SVH) in an awesome moment stands up to Lila and refuses to let her use her anymore at the end of the book.
Rating: 6
Probably of all the horse-themed series books I've read this one was the better one. Even though did anyone else find it slightly strange and creepy that Liz is staring into this horse's eyes and thinking that it's looking into the soul and thinking "Yes your the one."? Oh Kaaay!