Playing for Keeps

Chestnut Hill #4

by Lauren Brooke

Feisty Lani is excited to be back at school after the Christmas holidays. Then she receives a letter from home: because her marks have fallen her parents think she's spending too much time riding. Lani's heartbroken at the thought of leaving Chestnut Hill. How can she change their minds?

Genres: Horses, Middle Grade, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Animals, Boarding School

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Lauren Brooke grew up in a ranch in Virginia and now lives in Leicestershire, England. Her husband is a veterinarian who specializes in horses. Her books have been published by Scholastic since Mid-2000, starting with the first book of the Heartland book series. The first book of her popular Chestnut Hill series was published in 2005.

According to an interview on scholastics' website, Lauren Brooke has been riding since before she could walk. She also said she competes in a few local-level horse shows and events.

There may be some other people in books and movies named Lauren Brooke:
Amazon lists the author of "Book of spiritual regeneration" (1995) as Lauren Brooke.
IMDB.com has a record for an Actress named Lauren Brooke. Her only movie is "Wiseguys vs. Zombies" (2003) as Goat Man's Wife.

Reviews

[Alea M · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cannot tell you the amount of times I've read any book from this series and wanted nothing more than to be in a boarding school with horse riding facilities, despite me never really having an interest in it to begin with. The writing is perfect for a reader being introduced to longer books and the characters are extremely well-rounded. I'd recommend this to anyone below the age of 12 with full confidence in them enjoying it.

[Forest-nymph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Omg i loved this series !!!! i read the first 5 or 6 books and enjoyed every moment of them ! i didnt continue because i needed a change because i read all of them one after the other in a short amount of time because they were so brilliant ! . perfect for horse lovers x

[LadyMuffinchen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Für Kathy bricht eine Welt zusammen: Ihre Eltern denken darüber nach, sie auf eine andere Schule zu schicken, weit weg von Rose Hill und ihrem Lieblingspony Colorado. Doch Kathy will ihren Traum von einem Leben mit Pferden nicht einfach aufgeben. Sie braucht einen Plan und drei gute Freundinnen.

Das vierte Pferdeabenteuer auf Rose Hill hat mir wieder sehr gut gefallen! Kathy kenne ich schon aus den Vorbänden und dort ist sie mir immer positiv aufgefallen. Sie ist eine kluge und einfühlsam Freundin für die Mädchen und daher wundert es mich auch nicht, wie wunderbar ich mich in ihrer Story einfinden konnte. Ihre Handlungen und Gedanken sind gut nachvollziehbar, auch in Anbetracht der Situation. Sie will es allen Recht machen, allen voran gestellt ihren Eltern, damit sie auf Rose Hill bleiben kann. Sie hat mir fast leid getan mit diesem anstrengenden Spagat zwischen Verpflichtungen was die Schule angeht, den Hobbys, die für einen selbst und auch die Eltern wichtig sind (so viel zu den Erwartungen) und die Freizeit mit Freunden zu verbringen.

Das Buch war wieder sehr gut geschrieben und hat ein cozy Gefühl hinterlassen. Immer wieder angenehm zu den Mädels und den Pferden auf Rose Hill zurückzukommen!

[Nicole Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a 28 year old readingtis book it had me hooked pretty early on as I just had to know Would Lani be allowed to stay at Chestnut Hill? I loved to see that even with the fear of haveing to leave her beloved school, friends and horse Colorado she still was abel to with the help of her friends bring herself to put her whole heart into the Rodoe Day fundraiser and even get back on Colorado after a accident early on in the sysmeter to bring in a win for the cowgirl challange that was issued and show her dad why ridinging is just as important to her as her academics and why Chestnut Hill was the right school for and he agreed so she could stay. Just goes to show you can excel at academics and a passion like horseback riding at the same time and still have friends and it all be in balance. I would totally recommend this book and honestly even if you have never read any of the others as thi is book four because I had not read any of the others before this one I had found this at a little free library.

[nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

im emosh

[AubreyS. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this was a amazing book and is well written. I think the story could be true as in it could actually happen. I love how hard Laine works to stay at the school.

[Twyla · Rating 4 out of 5]

my favourite part was when Lani's parents decide to let her stay at Chestnut Hill.

[Lucy Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was good. She was kinda disrespectful in some ways, but I get it.

[Charlene Hios · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoying every word

[Sonbal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good and exiting it was set in an American boarding school.

[Annabel · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5.

[Ruby G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! The suspense i felt reading this! i can finnaly breathe again! 😅

[Annie Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

After a disappointing previous book, this one is back on track again! Of course, like with all the other books the story just continues, you will still hear about previous events, or hear how it went with events that ended in the previous book. So be sure to read all of them in order. The only thing that is different in each book is the narrator.

This book is about Lani, a girl that I found interesting from the start, and who didn't disappoint me at all in this one. We find more about her life, about her parents (strict and annoying), about her sisters, about when she started with horse riding, how she got to be on Chestnut Hill. It was all interesting and it gave so much more depth to the character and I started appreciating her more and more.

And in this book she is in trouble. Her last report card wasn't all that good (though again, 2 A's and a lot of B/B+'s seem to be like a great card to me. Especially considering Lani just started at Chestnut Hill and is still getting used to the flow. It can happen that children just need to adjust, find a balance, and yes, that might mean one not so good report card, but to overreact like the parents did? No. Just no. If that was my kid, I would have said something about the card (considering she normally gets all A's), something like that if it is too hard for her she should tell us, or if she needs help we are there for her. Not immediately go into conversation with the director and saying that the girl can't stay at her new school. What the hell. :| I hate it when parents act like this. I can understand, somewhere, but I just get pissed at it. That they can't understand that these are kids, that this is a totally new surrounding with new responsibilities, and that they might just not adjust in one hit.

But enough of that. Lani is a really strong girl, and even though she went the wrong way in the beginning (by studying to death), she found her balance later on, and did epic stuff. The fundraiser? How great, beautiful she made that? Wow, amazing. She really killed it and showed everyone (especially her parents) that she can and will balance her stuff.

The fundraising event? I loved it, it was so much fun, and it brought a different kind of riding with it. A kind of riding that seems really a lot of fun (even though I had to search for the terms, since I didn't know what they were until I searched for them). After that I could just imagine the girls trying to do Western riding. I can imagine that it wasn't only hard for the riders, but also for the horses.

Lynsey and Patience... the only two characters I truly dislike. Especially Patience, since while Lynsey is bad, Patience is a clone, and will do anything to please Lynsey and show her how great she is.
Add to that the fact what Patience did (to Dylan, to her horse), and sorry, that girl? I hope she either changes or just gets kicked out.

I loved the horses, the riding, the boarding school parts, and I also liked the romance, though it made the girls seem older than they seemingly are. Sorry, the way these girls talk about romance is at times their own age, but at other times way more mature than 11/12-year olds should talk. A bit weird, and also a problem I have with Canterwood Crest, though I have to say it is way worse with that one.

All in all, this was a great book, and I really liked the ending.

Review first posted at http://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book Lani a perfect student and awesome horseback rider, gets her report card and has a couple B's and all A's her parents are dissapointed and want to make her leave her school (which is a boarding school) and go to her sisters and drop the horse riding! Lani is determined to stay. And by that she hosts a huge fundraiser and her dad was impressed and let her stay! YAY!!!!

[Edulissa soto]

So far Im liking and find this book interesting because it talks about a young girl name lani who goes to chestnut hill school in virginia. she don't live with her family, when she sees them enjoy it alot and likes to be with them.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lauren Brooke has done it again! This was an interesting new side to Chestnut Hill and focused more on the girls who enjoy Western saddle than English saddle. Lani is a funny, hip character who fights for what she believes in.

[Chantelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute book of friends working together.

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved it

[Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was by far my favorite book of the Chestnut Hill series. I loved it.

[Scott Williams]

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[Eadrinor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually enjoyed this more the second time around! Quick and fun plot with less whining and more development of the main character and series’s story.

[Samantha chua · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have not finished yet but it is so far good

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS ONE HAS YOU WONDER WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN...UNLESS YOU LOOK AT THE LAST PAGE.