For Sale or Swap

Shelby #1

by Alyssa Brugman

Shelby is convinced her reliable but ugly pony, Blue, is holding her back at Pony Club. If only she had a beautiful horse, everyone would see what a great rider she is. But how can Shelby buy a new horse when her parents can't even afford to pay her Pony Club fees? When she sees an ad for an eye-catching brown pony for sale or swap, Shelby thinks she's found the answer to all her problems. Maxshine Celtic Copper—otherwise known as Brat—seems perfect. But swapping a pony who's your best friend for a highly strung horse whose beautiful brown coat washes out with shampoo turns out to be a really bad idea.  The race is on for Shelby and her friends to catch a horse thief, find her beloved Blue and return Brat to her rightful owners.

Genres: Horses, Fiction, Juvenile, Animals

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Alyssa Brugman was born in Rathmines, Lake Macquarie, Australia in May 1974. She attended five public schools before completing a Marketing Degree at the University of Newcastle.

Alyssa has worked as an after-school tutor for Aboriginal children. She taught management, accounting and marketing at a business college, worked for a home improvements company and then worked in Public Relations before becoming a full-time writer.

Reviews

[Christopher Hachet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Things I loved about this book-

Very believable character in Shelby-she really seems to be 12 years old, has nuance, growth and integrity. Loved the MC.

Loved the personality of Blue, her horse, and his reactions.

Also, minor characters were well written, believable, and interesting.

Plot was smooth, well developed, appropriate for the story.

Wanted a simple book about a girl and her horse, this filled that itch in spades, bravo.

[Mev · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love this series. It's down-to-earth and believable, and shows an interesting side to horse ownership. It's also very Australian, which is refreshing, given that a lot of books are based in the US. Brugman's voice is clear, and Shelby is a good protagonist.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

For Sale or Swap (Shelby and Blue) by Alyssa Brugman (2005)

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember loving this series so much at school when I was about 15. I thought it was an amazing series. I was instantly glued to it

[Ramajana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book since i was 12, loved it so much in fact i stole it from my school library haha but yeah this book brings back good memories

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the excitement and drama. It always made me want to read more. It got me started on the 3 books

[Riverina Regional Library]

Members of Riverina Regional Library reserve your copy now

[Christine Meunier · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great realistic and down to earth horse novel. More at http://equus-blog.com/for-sale-or-swap/