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Canterwood Crest #1
Take the Reins
When Sasha Silver and her horse, Charm, arrive on the campus of the elite Canterwood Crest Academy, Sasha knows that she's in trouble. She's not exactly welcomed with open arms. One group of girls in particular is used to being the best, the brightest, and the prettiest on the team, and when Sasha shows her skills in the arena, the girls' claws come out.
Sasha is determined to prove that she belongs at Canterwood. Will she rise to the occasion and make the advanced riding team by the end of her first semester? Or will the pressure send Sasha packing?
Sasha is determined to prove that she belongs at Canterwood. Will she rise to the occasion and make the advanced riding team by the end of her first semester? Or will the pressure send Sasha packing?
249 pages, Paperback
First published January 27, 2009
168 people are currently reading
2526 people want to read
About the author
Jessica Burkhart
135 books628 followersJessica Burkhart is the author of the best-selling Canterwood Crest series which has sold over 1.6 million copies in multiple languages. She has also written the Unicorn Magic series, the YA novel Wild Hearts, and edited a YA anthology--Life Inside My Mind.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 380 reviews
October 3, 2021
another successful blast to the past!!
better than books like the princess diaries and charlotte's web, i think this book actually stands up to time pretty well. but it also was published in 2009, so not too too old yet. these books were everywhere when i was in middle school and i don't know if i ever read them or not, but i always wanted to! so i did. and the gossipy girls in horse boarding school vibes of this were all i wanted them to be. reminds me of the tv show free rein, which i'm unironically obsessed with and i'm sad i didn't get to finish season 3 before my netflix subscription expired, so if you have a login you wanna share, i'll trade you it for my discovery plus or disney plus password.
ANYWAY.
i'm not going to sit here as a 24 year old and critique a decade old book meant for 10 year olds, but i do wish this book had a more understandable school system. it's a boarding school, but for people of all talents and not just horseback riding? and how come she made the intermediate team only to qualify to move up a level after one semester? why are there multiples of each team as well? doesn't that reduce the competition?
scribd has the rest of these books on ebook and i might pick one up every now and then as a quick read moving forward, but it was definitely the perfect book to sail through in between more complex and bigger books.
better than books like the princess diaries and charlotte's web, i think this book actually stands up to time pretty well. but it also was published in 2009, so not too too old yet. these books were everywhere when i was in middle school and i don't know if i ever read them or not, but i always wanted to! so i did. and the gossipy girls in horse boarding school vibes of this were all i wanted them to be. reminds me of the tv show free rein, which i'm unironically obsessed with and i'm sad i didn't get to finish season 3 before my netflix subscription expired, so if you have a login you wanna share, i'll trade you it for my discovery plus or disney plus password.
ANYWAY.
i'm not going to sit here as a 24 year old and critique a decade old book meant for 10 year olds, but i do wish this book had a more understandable school system. it's a boarding school, but for people of all talents and not just horseback riding? and how come she made the intermediate team only to qualify to move up a level after one semester? why are there multiples of each team as well? doesn't that reduce the competition?
scribd has the rest of these books on ebook and i might pick one up every now and then as a quick read moving forward, but it was definitely the perfect book to sail through in between more complex and bigger books.
December 27, 2019
This book was just a bunch of petty teenagers getting mad at each other and smearing lip gloss on their faces.
October 5, 2023
3.5 stars 🌟
The atmosphere was so present once riders got into the swing of things that it felt like you could taste it.
Hats 👒 off to them all for being able to handle that competitive environment..not sure I could have done it.
There were times I ranted at Heather in my head. You get to see why she is the way she is and why she was behaving that way. Hopefully she's learned her lesson.
Would have loved to see more of the school and how things for different classes for different groups was structured. (Maybe it'll be expanded on in the next book?)
It seemed rushed with
The atmosphere was so present once riders got into the swing of things that it felt like you could taste it.
Hats 👒 off to them all for being able to handle that competitive environment..not sure I could have done it.
There were times I ranted at Heather in my head. You get to see why she is the way she is and why she was behaving that way. Hopefully she's learned her lesson.
Would have loved to see more of the school and how things for different classes for different groups was structured. (Maybe it'll be expanded on in the next book?)
It seemed rushed with
November 8, 2011
Canterwood Crest’s first novel opens with a nervous Sasha’s internal debate on lip gloss.
I paused in my reading.
I was looking for a horse book, here, after all. There was a picture on the front of a girl (admittedly, a little sloe-eyed for a tween) wearing a hard-hat and holding the reins of a horse. I wasn’t particularly interested in the emotional dilemmas of a middle school boarding school student, at least, not the ones that didn’t pertain to horses. And in my experience, horse girls just didn’t worry about lip gloss.
What experience? Well, I grew up around horses. From elementary school to high school, I was surrounded by other horse-crazy girls. We walked or begged rides from school to the barn every afternoon. We rode hard, critiqued and insulted one another, and helped each other up when we got dumped. We did our homework (when we remembered) sitting around the stable picnic table. We got home late, ate leftovers from the family dinner we’d missed, showered, and collapsed into bed. On weekends, we worked twelve-hour shifts at a nearby breeding farm, mucking out stalls and stacking hay bales. There was no time for lip gloss. There was no time to worry about boys, or popularity. There was no time for anything. Except horses.
So, Miss Sasha Silver, why on earth are you worried about lip gloss? You’ve just been admitted to Canterwood, a top-tier boarding school with an elite equestrian team; boys shouldn’t even enter the picture.
Maybe things have changed for girls, or maybe Sasha just got lucky that she could have both. Because she determines that at Canterwood, she’s going to be horsey and popular. And it’s a good thing, too. If Sasha had just relied on her equestrian teammates to keep her sane, she never would have made it through her first month.
In some ways, Take The Reins is the most accurate horse story ever written. Everything is perfect in life, except for the horse part. (That's harsh reality for you. Horses make life hard.) Sasha’s roommate is perfect and amazing. Sasha’s schoolwork is challenging, but she’s capable. Sasha’s crush actually seems like he’s into her. Socially and academically, Sasha is succeeding.
But in the stable, she hasn’t been there ten minutes before she has got herself her very own nemesis, a talented rider named Heather, who doesn’t want any competition for a coveted spot on the advanced team. Heather quickly proves that she is willing to go to insane lengths, even putting her own horse in danger, to stop Sasha from challenging her supremacy as top rider. Her tricks are cruel and clever, and somehow Sasha finds it impossible to prove to the riding coach that the girl is causing trouble. And so Sasha’s Canterwood life, so attractive on the academic end, seems to be collapsing around her at the equestrian end.
As I read about Sasha’s determination to protect her horse, stave off attacks from Heather, and balance riding with studying in order to prepare for the advanced team auditions, Take The Reins suddenly became very realistic to me. All the girls in Canterwood’s equestrian team loved their horses, loved riding, and were desperate to prove themselves. That much is familiar. I knew these girls. I’d grown up with these girls. I’d been these girls. And after I realized that, Take The Reins was a page-turner to the very end.
And now, of course, I have to read them all.
I paused in my reading.
I was looking for a horse book, here, after all. There was a picture on the front of a girl (admittedly, a little sloe-eyed for a tween) wearing a hard-hat and holding the reins of a horse. I wasn’t particularly interested in the emotional dilemmas of a middle school boarding school student, at least, not the ones that didn’t pertain to horses. And in my experience, horse girls just didn’t worry about lip gloss.
What experience? Well, I grew up around horses. From elementary school to high school, I was surrounded by other horse-crazy girls. We walked or begged rides from school to the barn every afternoon. We rode hard, critiqued and insulted one another, and helped each other up when we got dumped. We did our homework (when we remembered) sitting around the stable picnic table. We got home late, ate leftovers from the family dinner we’d missed, showered, and collapsed into bed. On weekends, we worked twelve-hour shifts at a nearby breeding farm, mucking out stalls and stacking hay bales. There was no time for lip gloss. There was no time to worry about boys, or popularity. There was no time for anything. Except horses.
So, Miss Sasha Silver, why on earth are you worried about lip gloss? You’ve just been admitted to Canterwood, a top-tier boarding school with an elite equestrian team; boys shouldn’t even enter the picture.
Maybe things have changed for girls, or maybe Sasha just got lucky that she could have both. Because she determines that at Canterwood, she’s going to be horsey and popular. And it’s a good thing, too. If Sasha had just relied on her equestrian teammates to keep her sane, she never would have made it through her first month.
In some ways, Take The Reins is the most accurate horse story ever written. Everything is perfect in life, except for the horse part. (That's harsh reality for you. Horses make life hard.) Sasha’s roommate is perfect and amazing. Sasha’s schoolwork is challenging, but she’s capable. Sasha’s crush actually seems like he’s into her. Socially and academically, Sasha is succeeding.
But in the stable, she hasn’t been there ten minutes before she has got herself her very own nemesis, a talented rider named Heather, who doesn’t want any competition for a coveted spot on the advanced team. Heather quickly proves that she is willing to go to insane lengths, even putting her own horse in danger, to stop Sasha from challenging her supremacy as top rider. Her tricks are cruel and clever, and somehow Sasha finds it impossible to prove to the riding coach that the girl is causing trouble. And so Sasha’s Canterwood life, so attractive on the academic end, seems to be collapsing around her at the equestrian end.
As I read about Sasha’s determination to protect her horse, stave off attacks from Heather, and balance riding with studying in order to prepare for the advanced team auditions, Take The Reins suddenly became very realistic to me. All the girls in Canterwood’s equestrian team loved their horses, loved riding, and were desperate to prove themselves. That much is familiar. I knew these girls. I’d grown up with these girls. I’d been these girls. And after I realized that, Take The Reins was a page-turner to the very end.
And now, of course, I have to read them all.
April 27, 2021
Am I blinded by nostalgia while rating this? Yes. Do I care? No.
Read
May 17, 2022this is what i like to call quality literature
September 18, 2012
This book was not as good as I expected it to be. With my sister being obsessed with the series, and people in the Horse Lovers Only group reccommending it to me, I really expected it to be better. I was really disapointed with it. There are heaps of better horse books out there that follow a similiar storyline.
Firstly, there was hardly any plot. I didn't really feel like enough happened. It was just a bunch of kids standing around doing stuff. It was horribly boring, and the characters weren't interesting enough to compensate for the lack of plot.
Sasha, the main character put me to sleep. There wasn't enough depth in her character, and I didn't really feel that she was a very realistic character. She seems to be perfect at everything. She's a great rider, and never seems to make mistakes. Well, this was just boring. I expected there to be more obstacles for her to get over, but everything was pretty eash and smooth. She gets annoyed at herself when she gets second in her first state level show. Really? If I got second at my first state level show, I'd be jumping for joy. Sasha was just so damn perfect and boring, it makes me want to slap her and tell her to grow some personality.
The secondary characters were all boring and lifeless. I couldn't tell the difference between Paige and Callie, as they were both perfectly nice and very, very boring.
The worst characters in this book were the mean girls, especially Heather. They were all so stereotypical, with the perfect hair and makeup, being snobby and bitchy. God, I am so tired of crappy stereotypical mean girls.
Another thing that annoyed me immensly was that no one ever stood up to the mean girls. Even when they sabotaged people and were just downright bitchy, no one ever stands up to them. Sasha kept trying to be nice to Heather, even though she was a complete bitch to her. At one point in the story, Heather blocks the hall with her horse and refuses to let anyone pass, and no one dares argue with her.
This is what I would have done in this situation:
Me: Move, you're blocking the hall!
Heather: No!
Me: WTF?? My god, you're an idiot. What's the point of blocking the hallway with your horse! You're such an bitch, you should just go and die.
Heather: Screw you.
Me: NO!!! SCREW YOU!!!! *Gently pushes her horse out of the way* *punches heather in the face and then trample her with my horse*
God, every single character in this book was a damn pushover.
Oh yeah, and of course, there's some perfect guy who looks like Zac Efron in there.
Kill me now.
Take the Reins was a shallow, crappy book. There are much better books out there that follow a similiar storyline, but are much better and have more depth in them, such as Chestnut Hill or Pony Club Rivals.
1.5/5 stars.
Firstly, there was hardly any plot. I didn't really feel like enough happened. It was just a bunch of kids standing around doing stuff. It was horribly boring, and the characters weren't interesting enough to compensate for the lack of plot.
Sasha, the main character put me to sleep. There wasn't enough depth in her character, and I didn't really feel that she was a very realistic character. She seems to be perfect at everything. She's a great rider, and never seems to make mistakes. Well, this was just boring. I expected there to be more obstacles for her to get over, but everything was pretty eash and smooth. She gets annoyed at herself when she gets second in her first state level show. Really? If I got second at my first state level show, I'd be jumping for joy. Sasha was just so damn perfect and boring, it makes me want to slap her and tell her to grow some personality.
The secondary characters were all boring and lifeless. I couldn't tell the difference between Paige and Callie, as they were both perfectly nice and very, very boring.
The worst characters in this book were the mean girls, especially Heather. They were all so stereotypical, with the perfect hair and makeup, being snobby and bitchy. God, I am so tired of crappy stereotypical mean girls.
Another thing that annoyed me immensly was that no one ever stood up to the mean girls. Even when they sabotaged people and were just downright bitchy, no one ever stands up to them. Sasha kept trying to be nice to Heather, even though she was a complete bitch to her. At one point in the story, Heather blocks the hall with her horse and refuses to let anyone pass, and no one dares argue with her.
This is what I would have done in this situation:
Me: Move, you're blocking the hall!
Heather: No!
Me: WTF?? My god, you're an idiot. What's the point of blocking the hallway with your horse! You're such an bitch, you should just go and die.
Heather: Screw you.
Me: NO!!! SCREW YOU!!!! *Gently pushes her horse out of the way* *punches heather in the face and then trample her with my horse*
God, every single character in this book was a damn pushover.
Oh yeah, and of course, there's some perfect guy who looks like Zac Efron in there.
Kill me now.
Take the Reins was a shallow, crappy book. There are much better books out there that follow a similiar storyline, but are much better and have more depth in them, such as Chestnut Hill or Pony Club Rivals.
1.5/5 stars.
April 14, 2015
Sasha's starting 7th grade at Canterwood Crest, a boarding school known for its equestrian program. Almost immediately she gets off on the wrong foot with Heather, a snooty rider gunning for the advanced team who isn't above a little sabotage to get her way. Between school and riding, it's surprising to find that Sasha has enough time for a little romance...
Ah, to be in seventh grade again. I was fully expecting this to be very much about snooty rich girls with Sasha being some kind of poor scholarship student, but while Sasha mentions at one point that her jeans and flip flops look awful next to her roommate Paige's fashionable wardrobe, money wasn't an issue here. Sasha has her own horse and is attending boarding school without a scholarship, and her roommate Paige is super cute with a Martha Stewart obsession with decor and cooking. Even though Heather is a snot, money is not an issue between her and Sasha - TOTALLY different than most other horse books I've read!
That being said, there was not nearly enough horses in this book for me. One horse show, in the middle of the story, not even as the finale. The finale was finding out who had made the advanced team (the outcome of which seemed pretty unrealistic to me - ). I wish the story had focused more on horses than on the rivalry between the two girls, but it was nice that there was more going on in her life than horses, I suppose.
Ah, to be in seventh grade again. I was fully expecting this to be very much about snooty rich girls with Sasha being some kind of poor scholarship student, but while Sasha mentions at one point that her jeans and flip flops look awful next to her roommate Paige's fashionable wardrobe, money wasn't an issue here. Sasha has her own horse and is attending boarding school without a scholarship, and her roommate Paige is super cute with a Martha Stewart obsession with decor and cooking. Even though Heather is a snot, money is not an issue between her and Sasha - TOTALLY different than most other horse books I've read!
That being said, there was not nearly enough horses in this book for me. One horse show, in the middle of the story, not even as the finale. The finale was finding out who had made the advanced team (the outcome of which seemed pretty unrealistic to me - ). I wish the story had focused more on horses than on the rivalry between the two girls, but it was nice that there was more going on in her life than horses, I suppose.
March 12, 2012
Basic story- lacked imagination. Used the Lord's name in vain too often for me to let my 9 year old read this book. There was no value at all - I was hoping for a good message and it didn't have anything of value for young readers- as well it says aimed for 9-12 year olds. I wouldn't let a 9 or 10 year old read this. :(. As an adult who loves and owns horses this mostly put me to sleep!
October 5, 2010
i loved this book and found a new series to read! this book seems so real if you know what i mean i some books our thinking that would never happen in real life it was very good and i'm looking fowerd to the next book chasing blue
December 27, 2023
decided to reread this series now that i have a kindle and finished this in one day. my beloved. my first favorite book series. will be finishing it again.
October 3, 2016
In an effort to avoid studying for Organic Chemistry, I decided to review the first book the Canterwood Crest Academy series. I have a love-hate relationship with these books, and I oftentimes face an inexplicable desire to read books like this, but I also can't help but wonder why these books were ever created. So, I believe I first read this book in 7th grade or something like that, and I loved it. Now we're going to go back through it and pick out some of the wonderful, cringey details.
Jessica Burkhart, you may want to cover your eyes because things are about to get a little nasty. Also, please do note that despite whatever I say about these books in my reviews, they were a part of my childhood and I will still blindly love them with all my soul despite their blunders.
The first thing I would like to address is the title of the first chapter: "Our Fantabulous Entrance. Not." The use of thenot actually a word word "fantabulous" scares me. But if I continued to pick out little things like this, my review would reach multiple-volumes-of-an-encyclopedia length. Yes, that is an adjective. If JB got to use "fantabulous," I get to use "multiple-volumes-of-an-encyclopedia."
The entire first chapter basically seems like it was written by a middle schooler, rather than for a middle schooler. And I'm not just referencing the title. It's the weird tween angst and the obsessive application of lip gloss (which to this day, I still do not understand). Also it's completely predictable that her horse chooses to flip out while coming off the trailer at her first day at this super prestigious school... Hasn't he gone to thousands of shows before? Shouldn't he be over this? Just saying. Also why do they park so far away from the stable that she has to walk him so far that he has time to bolt? That's just not good horse handling as well as poor setup on the part of this state of the art equine facility.
Of course Charm chooses to nearly run over the snottiest girl in the barn because that's the way life works. I would also like to question how exactly Sasha instinctively knows that the horse the girl is riding is a Thoroughbred? Like Aristocrat is supposed to be super nice, so he probably doesn't look like a typical TB. Sasha, do you have mind reading skills that I'm not aware of? I also like that it was the cones that fell over that spooked the horse so badly- not the galloping beast.
Honestly though, it’s like Mr. Conner has never been around horses. Does he just expect them not to spook? And now Charm is supposed to be on his best behavior? Please explain that to a horse. Apparently they have these Canterwood horses drugged [read: trained] so well that they literally have no survival instincts left and behave perfectly constantly. And “noises like that never scare Charm,” regardless of the fact that he’s in a brand new place and he’s a fairly young horse that probably has a lot of energy… But obviously that means nothing.
And now Sasha is panic-calling her old trainer who can’t do a single thing about the situation other than try to reason with Sasha and tell her that horses will be horses and surely Mr. Conner will understand (even though he clearly doesn’t). Also she failed to mention what happened with Charm to her parents because she’s embarrassed… I’d tell my mom before I called my old trainer??? But maybe that’s just me. Besides, my old trainer wouldn’t particularly care anyways. She’d tell me to get over it and call her with any real problems I might have.
Enter the weirdness of the dorms- stupid name, crazy dorm advisor, and ridiculously lavish rooms. I’m pretty sure not even Harvard has dorms like that. It’s just not a thing. Also her parents seem scarily unconcerned that they are leaving their seventh grade daughter alone at a boarding school? I would be freaking out if it was my kid. Sasha doesn’t seem to be too concerned either. Hell, I still cry every time my parents leave after visiting and I’m a sophomore in college. Apparently Sasha has no emotions, which is not the case later on in the book, as she turns into a nervous wreck. But her parents leaving is no big deal. As a seventh grader in that situation, I would be losing my mind.
Paige has always been such an odd character to me. She’s too perfect and seems to serve very little purpose whatsoever other than being an outlet for Sasha’s problems and a reliable source of comfort food after Sasha finishes venting about whatever her problems are. Also her parents only let her watch educational television??? How much educational television is there? Wouldn’t it be better to just not watch TV at all? I don’t know. I think it was mostly just a vehicle for JB to give her annoyingly bland characters some “interesting” qualities.
LOL competition is so fierce that some chick paid a girl’s roommate to change her alarm and make her late for the riding team tryouts. Enough said.
So Sasha is like 12, right? Maybe 13? Not 100% sure. But she claims she’s been riding Charm for three years, so that puts her at about 9 or 10 when she got him. And she claims that he was a crazy young 5 year old that needed a firm hand. Ok. JB, please keep in mind the age range of your characters. You tend to get a little out of control. UGH she named him Charm “because he brought [her] luck from the first time [she] petted him.” That’s such an awkward sentence. All I can picture is Sasha awkwardly stroking a horse and looking slightly stoned. Also I just read that Charm used to buck when his girth was too tight???? Wut
GOD SHE HAS A PINK TACK BOX. I HATE YOU SASHA SILVER.
Sasha, you’ve been struggling with keeping Charm’s head down so you automatically think that you should stick a standing martingale on him? Why don’t you just fix your riding, sweetheart? It’s called inside leg to outside rein. Alison, you do have a point that people overuse standing martingales, but I don’t see how preventing seventh graders from using them is going to do anything?
“I stood in silence, staring at the glittering case. Charm and I could make it to the Rolex Kentucky-- a pre-Olympic event-- one day if we worked hard enough, I knew it.” Sasha. Sasha, no. It’s not going to work out, honey. I really can’t handle this book.
I’m not going to even comment on Sasha’s academic struggles. I don’t care about them. This is seventh grade. Even if you do go to some ridiculous prep school, I can assure you that it isn’t that bad. Pull yourself together, Silver.
Also can we talk about whatever the YENT team is? Youth Equestrian National Team? Doesn’t that sound like a super made up organization? It does. Because it is. There’s no “Junior Olympic-caliber team for riders in eighth grade and high school.” The closest thing we’ve got in real life are the NAJYRC zone teams. Charm and Sasha do not have a shot at the Olympics in college if they make the YENT. Charm is eight. That would be six years from now. Charm would be 14 and past his prime. Maybe if he was exceptionally well bred. Maybe.
I’m also highly annoyed that they constantly refer to show jumping as “stadium jumping” and that Sasha is clearly one of the best stadium jumpers there… As a jumper rider myself, please, I’m begging you, CAN YOU NOT?
I’m also not going to mention Sasha’s boy troubles. They don’t concern me at all. I don’t care about Jacob. We’re going to stick to the ponies here.
OKAY, so Sasha shows up to her lesson late therefore everyone has to do the lesson on foot because that is super productive. Okay. Makes sense. Sure.
Wow. Apparently people don’t know how to claim jumps and Heather is insane and we just averted a disaster. Mr. Conner, please get a hold of your students, my GOD.
We’ll save commenting on Lauren Towers for a later date. There’s too much to go into there.
Canterwood’s showing system makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. I don’t seem to care that Charm’s braids were chewed off by Aristocrat, because Sasha is asking for it and that doesn’t make any sense anyways. Sasha’s just ridiculously annoying and I can’t blame Heather for antagonizing her because I probably would too.
The miniature horse auction was a way of wasting time and showing us that Heather is not actually just a psychopathic megalomaniac like we thought. Nice plot device, JB.
OMG CALLIE IS PRACTICING WITHOUT SASHA BECAUSE SASHA IS TOO BUSY STUDYING AND CLEARLY DOESN’T PRACTICE ENOUGH ANYWAYS AND THAT’S WHY SHE SUCKS.
Lol Sasha. Your horse doesn’t know how to do a flying change. How have you made it this far to the level that you are at? Do you not do 3ft courses regularly? Do you just do simple changes in your jumper course or do you rely entirely on getting the correct lead off the jump? That just isn’t plausible, honey.
I’m going to break my code and comment once about Jacob. Sasha and Jacob’s conversations are ridiculously short and boring? Like when I’m talking to a guy that I like we usually actually talk for an extended period of time? Not just exchange like three texts and call that a conversation?
And, finally, Sasha makes the advanced team for whatever reason. I thought Canterwood had like a bunch of older students? Wouldn’t the high schoolers be on that team? I clearly just don’t understand whatever is going on. I don’t think it’s my fault though. Because JB didn’t think this out at all. Also I was able to easily predict who would be on the team. NO SURPRISES THERE.
THE END. I can’t possibly write any more. I’m too annoyed.
Jessica Burkhart, you may want to cover your eyes because things are about to get a little nasty. Also, please do note that despite whatever I say about these books in my reviews, they were a part of my childhood and I will still blindly love them with all my soul despite their blunders.
The first thing I would like to address is the title of the first chapter: "Our Fantabulous Entrance. Not." The use of the
The entire first chapter basically seems like it was written by a middle schooler, rather than for a middle schooler. And I'm not just referencing the title. It's the weird tween angst and the obsessive application of lip gloss (which to this day, I still do not understand). Also it's completely predictable that her horse chooses to flip out while coming off the trailer at her first day at this super prestigious school... Hasn't he gone to thousands of shows before? Shouldn't he be over this? Just saying. Also why do they park so far away from the stable that she has to walk him so far that he has time to bolt? That's just not good horse handling as well as poor setup on the part of this state of the art equine facility.
Of course Charm chooses to nearly run over the snottiest girl in the barn because that's the way life works. I would also like to question how exactly Sasha instinctively knows that the horse the girl is riding is a Thoroughbred? Like Aristocrat is supposed to be super nice, so he probably doesn't look like a typical TB. Sasha, do you have mind reading skills that I'm not aware of? I also like that it was the cones that fell over that spooked the horse so badly- not the galloping beast.
Honestly though, it’s like Mr. Conner has never been around horses. Does he just expect them not to spook? And now Charm is supposed to be on his best behavior? Please explain that to a horse. Apparently they have these Canterwood horses drugged [read: trained] so well that they literally have no survival instincts left and behave perfectly constantly. And “noises like that never scare Charm,” regardless of the fact that he’s in a brand new place and he’s a fairly young horse that probably has a lot of energy… But obviously that means nothing.
And now Sasha is panic-calling her old trainer who can’t do a single thing about the situation other than try to reason with Sasha and tell her that horses will be horses and surely Mr. Conner will understand (even though he clearly doesn’t). Also she failed to mention what happened with Charm to her parents because she’s embarrassed… I’d tell my mom before I called my old trainer??? But maybe that’s just me. Besides, my old trainer wouldn’t particularly care anyways. She’d tell me to get over it and call her with any real problems I might have.
Enter the weirdness of the dorms- stupid name, crazy dorm advisor, and ridiculously lavish rooms. I’m pretty sure not even Harvard has dorms like that. It’s just not a thing. Also her parents seem scarily unconcerned that they are leaving their seventh grade daughter alone at a boarding school? I would be freaking out if it was my kid. Sasha doesn’t seem to be too concerned either. Hell, I still cry every time my parents leave after visiting and I’m a sophomore in college. Apparently Sasha has no emotions, which is not the case later on in the book, as she turns into a nervous wreck. But her parents leaving is no big deal. As a seventh grader in that situation, I would be losing my mind.
Paige has always been such an odd character to me. She’s too perfect and seems to serve very little purpose whatsoever other than being an outlet for Sasha’s problems and a reliable source of comfort food after Sasha finishes venting about whatever her problems are. Also her parents only let her watch educational television??? How much educational television is there? Wouldn’t it be better to just not watch TV at all? I don’t know. I think it was mostly just a vehicle for JB to give her annoyingly bland characters some “interesting” qualities.
LOL competition is so fierce that some chick paid a girl’s roommate to change her alarm and make her late for the riding team tryouts. Enough said.
So Sasha is like 12, right? Maybe 13? Not 100% sure. But she claims she’s been riding Charm for three years, so that puts her at about 9 or 10 when she got him. And she claims that he was a crazy young 5 year old that needed a firm hand. Ok. JB, please keep in mind the age range of your characters. You tend to get a little out of control. UGH she named him Charm “because he brought [her] luck from the first time [she] petted him.” That’s such an awkward sentence. All I can picture is Sasha awkwardly stroking a horse and looking slightly stoned. Also I just read that Charm used to buck when his girth was too tight???? Wut
GOD SHE HAS A PINK TACK BOX. I HATE YOU SASHA SILVER.
Sasha, you’ve been struggling with keeping Charm’s head down so you automatically think that you should stick a standing martingale on him? Why don’t you just fix your riding, sweetheart? It’s called inside leg to outside rein. Alison, you do have a point that people overuse standing martingales, but I don’t see how preventing seventh graders from using them is going to do anything?
“I stood in silence, staring at the glittering case. Charm and I could make it to the Rolex Kentucky-- a pre-Olympic event-- one day if we worked hard enough, I knew it.” Sasha. Sasha, no. It’s not going to work out, honey. I really can’t handle this book.
I’m not going to even comment on Sasha’s academic struggles. I don’t care about them. This is seventh grade. Even if you do go to some ridiculous prep school, I can assure you that it isn’t that bad. Pull yourself together, Silver.
Also can we talk about whatever the YENT team is? Youth Equestrian National Team? Doesn’t that sound like a super made up organization? It does. Because it is. There’s no “Junior Olympic-caliber team for riders in eighth grade and high school.” The closest thing we’ve got in real life are the NAJYRC zone teams. Charm and Sasha do not have a shot at the Olympics in college if they make the YENT. Charm is eight. That would be six years from now. Charm would be 14 and past his prime. Maybe if he was exceptionally well bred. Maybe.
I’m also highly annoyed that they constantly refer to show jumping as “stadium jumping” and that Sasha is clearly one of the best stadium jumpers there… As a jumper rider myself, please, I’m begging you, CAN YOU NOT?
I’m also not going to mention Sasha’s boy troubles. They don’t concern me at all. I don’t care about Jacob. We’re going to stick to the ponies here.
OKAY, so Sasha shows up to her lesson late therefore everyone has to do the lesson on foot because that is super productive. Okay. Makes sense. Sure.
Wow. Apparently people don’t know how to claim jumps and Heather is insane and we just averted a disaster. Mr. Conner, please get a hold of your students, my GOD.
We’ll save commenting on Lauren Towers for a later date. There’s too much to go into there.
Canterwood’s showing system makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. I don’t seem to care that Charm’s braids were chewed off by Aristocrat, because Sasha is asking for it and that doesn’t make any sense anyways. Sasha’s just ridiculously annoying and I can’t blame Heather for antagonizing her because I probably would too.
The miniature horse auction was a way of wasting time and showing us that Heather is not actually just a psychopathic megalomaniac like we thought. Nice plot device, JB.
OMG CALLIE IS PRACTICING WITHOUT SASHA BECAUSE SASHA IS TOO BUSY STUDYING AND CLEARLY DOESN’T PRACTICE ENOUGH ANYWAYS AND THAT’S WHY SHE SUCKS.
Lol Sasha. Your horse doesn’t know how to do a flying change. How have you made it this far to the level that you are at? Do you not do 3ft courses regularly? Do you just do simple changes in your jumper course or do you rely entirely on getting the correct lead off the jump? That just isn’t plausible, honey.
I’m going to break my code and comment once about Jacob. Sasha and Jacob’s conversations are ridiculously short and boring? Like when I’m talking to a guy that I like we usually actually talk for an extended period of time? Not just exchange like three texts and call that a conversation?
And, finally, Sasha makes the advanced team for whatever reason. I thought Canterwood had like a bunch of older students? Wouldn’t the high schoolers be on that team? I clearly just don’t understand whatever is going on. I don’t think it’s my fault though. Because JB didn’t think this out at all. Also I was able to easily predict who would be on the team. NO SURPRISES THERE.
THE END. I can’t possibly write any more. I’m too annoyed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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October 14, 2025Pretend you didn’t see this.
Can’t a gal be nostalgic and reread a fave series from elementary school?
Can’t a gal be nostalgic and reread a fave series from elementary school?
January 10, 2012
I'm not sure if the fact that I don't usually read equestrian novels affects my judgement, but I found this a quite typical series. The same girl goes to an academy and it's not all that cracked up to be, makes a few enemies, makes a few friends, fall in love, and lose a few friends that we see in most indie series. Testament to this is how it barely made an impact on me because I don't even remember the details or even much of the story and characters save the general idea and plot. I probably enjoyed it back then because I fell for the romance bit, but now that I've cleared my mind and I'm rationally thinking, it wasn't all that I thought it to be.
If you're a young teenage girl looking for a series to fan over, then this one's for you. But if you're an avid reader and are serious and picky with the things you read, then I suggest you put this book down. It's good as a distraction and as a way to pass time when you're bored, but not when you're actually looking for something to read and delve into.
If you're a young teenage girl looking for a series to fan over, then this one's for you. But if you're an avid reader and are serious and picky with the things you read, then I suggest you put this book down. It's good as a distraction and as a way to pass time when you're bored, but not when you're actually looking for something to read and delve into.
May 8, 2023
to jest cudowne. Chyba 10 reread, pierwszy raz czytałam jak miałam 9lat? tersz jak mam prawie 16 i cały czas ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
September 6, 2023
this series is going to be incredible for my good reads challenge
April 2, 2024
am very ill and thought reading this for nostalgia would make me feel better but think it made me worse
May 11, 2020
This is a lovely young adults book I bought to give to my granddaughter. She has read the whole of the Starlight Stables series by Soraya Nicholas, and is mad about horses so this combination fits well.
I think in comparison, the Starlight Stables covers are very similar although the glamour model version of the heroine in Canterwood Crest is a little less natural than the Starlight versions.
The story is set in a very upmarket school Canterwood Crest Academy, with strict rules and training regime. Sasha Silver and her horse Charm are coming from a small town riding school to the big league where getting selected in the Advanced Team means being able to compete competitions that could lead to Olympic selection.
The life at the boarding school is very high brow too. The dorm rooms sound like hotel suites and the fact that they had to bring their basic needs with them to make it more liveable. I’ve never been to a boarding school, so I’m not sure if this is odd. Sasha and Paige, her roommate, have the option to move beds and stack desks and side tables. Their moms even work out a floor plan to make the room more comfortable. Paiges parents run a restaurant and she is as star chef in the making. While Sasha concentrates on her horse Charm, and getting through the elite school courses to get the required A grades to be in the running for selection in the Advanced grade, Paige bakes up great treats to get them through the school semester.
The horse riding training, and competitions were well written and described. The stables and tack rooms are grand in comparison to the small town set up Sasha has come from. Her first three weeks drag until she can go home. Her parents visit the school and comment on Charms generous spot in the stables.
The story also touches on Sasha as a grade seven girl meeting a boy and the awkwardness of a school dance is easy to feel.
If my granddaughter likes this book I’ll be getting her more of the series.
I think in comparison, the Starlight Stables covers are very similar although the glamour model version of the heroine in Canterwood Crest is a little less natural than the Starlight versions.
The story is set in a very upmarket school Canterwood Crest Academy, with strict rules and training regime. Sasha Silver and her horse Charm are coming from a small town riding school to the big league where getting selected in the Advanced Team means being able to compete competitions that could lead to Olympic selection.
The life at the boarding school is very high brow too. The dorm rooms sound like hotel suites and the fact that they had to bring their basic needs with them to make it more liveable. I’ve never been to a boarding school, so I’m not sure if this is odd. Sasha and Paige, her roommate, have the option to move beds and stack desks and side tables. Their moms even work out a floor plan to make the room more comfortable. Paiges parents run a restaurant and she is as star chef in the making. While Sasha concentrates on her horse Charm, and getting through the elite school courses to get the required A grades to be in the running for selection in the Advanced grade, Paige bakes up great treats to get them through the school semester.
The horse riding training, and competitions were well written and described. The stables and tack rooms are grand in comparison to the small town set up Sasha has come from. Her first three weeks drag until she can go home. Her parents visit the school and comment on Charms generous spot in the stables.
The story also touches on Sasha as a grade seven girl meeting a boy and the awkwardness of a school dance is easy to feel.
If my granddaughter likes this book I’ll be getting her more of the series.
January 12, 2017
I really enjoyed reading Take the Reins. It shows you what it's like to own a horse and all the responsibilities that come with it. It doesn't just show what it likes to be an equestrian, but what it's like to be a normal teenager. It shows you how hard it can be to fit in with others. It also shows how hard it is to make new friends and enemies. My favorite part is when Sasha tries out for her school's equestrian team. I think this a good book for all teens, especially those who love horses.
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January 15, 2023this book is like a horse girl video game where every character is an npc you have to interact with to pass to the next levels...anyways 8 year old me had no idea what was going on, their school system makes zero sense, this is SO 2009, and I realize this is where I got all my horse knowledge from
October 14, 2009
a very good book!!!
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January 12, 2011i loved it it was sooooo great i finished it in like 2 days max. it is a great read for anyone that like horses drama and a great read
March 5, 2011
Canterwood Crest: Take The Reins, was a really fun book. It was funny, real, and very enjoyable.I'm excited to read the rest of the series!!
August 14, 2012
My friend Ashley told me about this book and I read it! It is a fun book for girls.
April 7, 2023
honestly it's impressive how well these are written considering it's a soapy kids series. i love the aura of canterwood and the ~drama~ and also heather is gay
March 9, 2024
“I had seven types of lip gloss in my purse and not one was Canterwood Crest Academy worthy. Peach and lime—too summery. Marshmallow and sugar cookie—too Christmassy. Reluctantly, I settled on strawberry.”
I absolutely love this series. I craved a nostalgic throwback and this is hitting the spot (ugh, I remember reading these books at Sasha’s age and stocking up on lip gloss to be like her, and wanting to attend a school like Canterwood Crest)! Exactly what I needed to keep my mind off the stresses of school - horses, drama (that doesn’t involve me), and an easy to read and follow series. Binge-reading has entered the chat.
My only note is some of the finer details related to the realism of the riding - practicing 25hrs/week (and jumping nonetheless? Save the legs…) and not being proficient in flying changes but still jumping 3ft+? Hmm… I won’t critique anything else as the series was written a handful of years ago, but overall, still very enjoyable!
I absolutely love this series. I craved a nostalgic throwback and this is hitting the spot (ugh, I remember reading these books at Sasha’s age and stocking up on lip gloss to be like her, and wanting to attend a school like Canterwood Crest)! Exactly what I needed to keep my mind off the stresses of school - horses, drama (that doesn’t involve me), and an easy to read and follow series. Binge-reading has entered the chat.
My only note is some of the finer details related to the realism of the riding - practicing 25hrs/week (and jumping nonetheless? Save the legs…) and not being proficient in flying changes but still jumping 3ft+? Hmm… I won’t critique anything else as the series was written a handful of years ago, but overall, still very enjoyable!
April 5, 2021
I’ve been an equestrian for several years now, but I haven’t read any equestrian fiction until this book. Though it’s clearly meant for pre-teens (as evidenced by the overused trope of “mean girl constantly sabotages main character” and lack of complicated detail in the writing), this book does an amazing job of illustrating aspects of riding horses and introducing the reader to equestrian fiction. I will definitely read more from this series and expand my reading list to include more advanced equestrian/horse books.
January 27, 2024
This was very much a guilty pleasure read. It wasn’t *good* really, but parts of it were fun and I enjoyed its easy flow. The author was clearly a very young equestrian when she wrote it, but at least her riding experience came through—even if she could’ve given more in depth descriptions and feelings about the riding itself. I read the first half in one night and the rest was a bit of a slog. A bit too trope-y and catty. It was, however, much better than her latest book, which I tried to read first, and had to DNF, so there’s that.
November 23, 2017
I think this book is amazing. Canterwood crest is now my favourite series!!!
May 22, 2024
I DONT CARE THAT ITS MEANT FOR TWELVE YEAR OLDS I LOVE THIS SERIES AND WANT TO GO THERE SO BAD
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