Hoofbeats of Danger

American Girl History Mysteries #2

by Holly Hughes

In 1860, eleven-year-old Annie asks Pony Express rider Billy Cody to help her find the person responsible for sabotaging her favorite pony Magpie

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Horses, Historical

130 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Holly Hughes has edited the annual Best Food Writing series since its inception in 2000. The author of Frommer's 500 Places for Food and Wine Lovers, she lives in New York City.

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I know is that when I was young and I read this I really REALLY wanted to be a pony express rider. Since that is literally impossible now, I would take some saddle bags I had, race down the pasture on my pony, race back, and toss it to my friend who would do the same. MAKE YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Historical YA is an untapped resource for well-resourced and inventive stories.

I’m a horse girl named Annie, so this one was always a particular favourite, and it’s apropos as I’m moving west like the main character did—albeit from Boston, not Vermont, and to Colorado, not Wyoming. But the spirit remains.

This series is pretty good, with surprisingly memorable plots. A nice little walk down nostalgia lane.

[Little Seal]

It really is crazy that the Pony Express only lasted 18 months. They truly made it sound like it lasted years while I was in elementary school.

[Jessika Hoover · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was younger, I absolutely ate up any book that the American Girls franchise published. And for good reason! Even after all of these years, when I re-read this one yesterday, I was sucked into this story, and I couldn't really believe how good it was. And when I say good, I mean, if I ever have little girls, these are the kind of books I want them to read.

The mystery was intriguing, the history was enthralling, and the writing was good. It wasn't dumbed down, and it was surprisingly intelligent. As cheesy as it sounds, I owe a lot to these American Girl books, and they really made me the reader I am today.

Annie was a character that you just couldn't help but root for, and I was dying to find out what had happened to her horse! It was also really cool to read about a period of history that I don't remember learning much about in school. I think that's just another appeal of the American Girl books--they cover so many different periods of history that there is bound to be something to spark the interest of young readers.

And like I said about the writing--it was so excellent. It's challenging enough to work the minds of young readers, but easy and addicting enough to have them keep reading. One thing that I especially picked up on was that there was just the right amount of descriptive passages to really work the imagination of young girls, which I think is very important in establishing readers.

Overall, I was very pleased, even reading this again years after my first time reading it, and I know I'll be keeping these books to pass along someday!

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

The History Mysteries series were books that my dad used to surprise me with when I was younger. They're oldies but goodies to me and have quite the sentimental value

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Savannah, if you read this, this one is for you.

When I was nine years old, my house burned in a fire, and I lost basically every book I owned. My best friend knew how much I loved books and horses, and she gave me one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received — five middle-grades horse-girl books that I read from cover to cover until the pages were falling out. Hoofbeats of Danger became an all-time favorite for me and remains a special read even to this day.

Eleven-year-old Annie Dawson is the fearless daughter of a stationmaster for the Overland Express in Red Buttes, Nebraska, in 1860, and her life stays exciting thanks to her friend, Pony Express rider Billy Cody, and her favorite Express horse Magpie. However, trouble strikes on a stormy night when Magpie appears to go loco, just as a stagecoach full of travelers and Overland employees arrive at the Dawson station to assess Annie's father. Annie embarks on a dangerous quest to fetch her friend, a half-Shoshone healer named Redbird Wilson, to help her prove that Magpie is not insane, but their quest proves to be a race against time... and someone desperate to sabotage the Overland Express.

In true American Girl fashion, Holly Hughes' exciting middle-grades story is set with a vivid historical background: in the remote flatlands of Nebraska, at the height of the Pony Express, with a rowdy 14-year-old "Buffalo Bill" Cody as a main character. Hoofbeats of Danger maintains an excellent sense of danger, suspense, and insurmountable odds, all with the literal daydream scenario for an adventurous horse girl. Annie feels like a realistic heroine — fiercely loyal to her family, crazy about her favorite horse, and unafraid of any challenge, but also prone to fearing the worst and making impulsive decisions. The entire Dawson clan (parents James and Effie, little brother Davy, and unrelated farmhand Jeremiah) are surprisingly nuanced for a 130-page horse-girl book, and Redbird's character gets to be a heroine and the catalyst for a commentary on racism against Native Americans. Through her characters and situations, Hughes encourages her young readers to think clearly and logically to solve problems.

As always, it's the bond between girl and horse that drives this story: Hughes knows her audience but never lets the story devolve into corniness. The story moves at a rapid-fire pace and doesn't slow down until literally the last page, which resolves the story satisfyingly but far too quickly. A few plot elements feel a little rushed, and there are some red herrings that don't quite make sense if you think too hard about them. However, though the villain is pretty obvious (Chet Ambrose all but shouts, "I'm the bad guy!" from his first appearance) and the ending scenes a tad contrived, Hughes still weaves a compelling story that teaches kids about a short-lived but much-celebrated period of history. Her historical commentary on the last few pages is insightful, and I love the little illustrations that decorate each chapter title (plus a gorgeous painting at the front of the book showing the layout of the Red Buttes Station!).

Hoofbeats of Danger will always be special to me, if only because it was a book that I devoured literally hundreds of times (I could probably still recite parts of it from memory). With an exciting mystery and a compelling cast of characters, all of whom feel like stock characters from a 1960s western film, Hoofbeats of Danger is an excellent read for any little horse girl who has a taste for historical adventure.

[Lyall]

I loved this book as a little kid. As a young adult revisiting it- meh.
I also had less fun with it than I could have because in the intervening years, I’ve had a traumatic experience involving poisoned horses. That’s not on the book. The nonsensical, fast wrap up of the mystery, on the other hand, is. Thjs could have been a cool, closed room mystery for young readers- all the suspects are at the station, how will Annie solve the case?- instead, we don’t even know the name of the culprit, let alone his motivation, until a random, one paragraph character hands it to Annie. Literally this character only exists for this purpose. It felt lazy- kids deserve better constructed mysteries!!
The horse girl bonding was well done. That’s definitely why I liked it- I don’t think a kid who loved horse could get through this book without wanting to be a pony express rider.
It makes me want to revisit Riding Freedom, another pony express book I loved as a kid.

In short- only read if you’re eight and love horses. Not one I’d seek out for kids unless they’re completionists or super into horses and historical fiction.

[Bulk Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Decent story, but there were next to no clues about the culprit and their motivations. The entire plot took place over the span of 2 days and 1 night, so by the end there was a mad rush to cover all their bases and explain everything. Still, this made the book short and relatively fast-paced, which I liked.

I also liked the complexity of the characters. Annie’s father is a big gruff man who is hard on everyone, but we eventually learn about the struggle he has making a living and anxiety over job security. All of the adults in this story, actually, seemed to be facing hard decisions. I liked the practical, realistic edge the book had.

Still. Something I have learned from reading AG mysteries is that I am very much not a farm girl. An extraordinary amount of AG books are about girls who live on farms, specifically horse girls. I have yet to find any of it that interesting. I love horses, of course, but the lifestyle itself is not appealing to me.

In fact, I’ve started the next book already and it’s also about a farm girl. Lord help me finish this series.

[Gina W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read Hoofbeats of Danger once and really enjoyed it. I recommend this book to kids that like Horses and Mystery. This is the second book in the series but I have not read the first. This book will interest kids if they enjoy mystery and horses. This book is good size, not too big, but not to small. In this book Annie and her family work on a horse farm and her father helps people on the Pony Express. These people come that Annie doesn't know, and that plan to kill their best horse, Magpie. The people don't like the Pony Express, so they try to sabotage.

There is also a few other American Girl books but I have not read them. Younger kids would love this book, but it is also recommended for kids of any age. There are a few twists and Annie has to deal with so many problems and her parents do not care to help. The one person that does help is her friend that lives about a mile away. Annie is very adventurous and loves horses. If you are the same way, I recommend this book.

[Nick · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is SOOOOOO boring. How could it possibly have taken us nearly 3 weeks to read this thing?

It didn't play by the rules of a mystery, got lost on endless tangents, and the characters are bland and lifeless.

I didn't care what happened to the horse, my kids had completely lost interest, and we just kept telling ourselves it wasn't that long of a book.

We should have put this down. It is absolutely terrible.

[Ashley Luxton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the book equivalent of a cheesy Hallmark movie - wholesome, a little bit predictable, and everything turns out ok. It was a fun and easy read. I found the “Peek into the Past” bit at the end the most interesting, I really didn’t know very much about the Pony Express and found this brief historical explanation fascinating.
All in all, it’s a good book and I hope my daughter will find this a great read when she’s a little older.

[Karlesa | FictionInTheFrost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this aloud to my 9 year old – she adores horses, so she was excited about this book. It had her attention from the start, so much so that I had to limit how many chapters we did each night so she would actually go to bed. Great story! The bit of history at the end was really cool, too. My daughter was amazed that Bill Cody was a real person. I didn’t realize the Pony Express only lasted 18 months.

[Katie Merkel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Pony Express has given her father a job and her family a home, but when 11-year-old Annie’s favorite horse goes crazy, her father’s job might be in jeopardy. Annie has one night to try to save the horse and her father’s position. Will Annie be able to figure out what really happened, or will the dawn bring the end of everything Annie loves?

[SFrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book in the series I have read. When I was growing up, I was not aware of the American Girl History Mysteries. The drawings scattered through out are a pleasure to view and go nicely with the story.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read this once before and while I remembered what happened, I didn't remember who did it. The mystery isn't super difficult to solve, but the story is good overall. I love the history and that it's very real in terms of places and people.

[Halen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Worth reading it.

[Grace Lynch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery and fun read!

[Carol Stirling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series for a quick read

[Sophie Spruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent mystery, characters and pacing, but ended abruptly. I’m not a horse girl so I’ll probably never read it again.

[Jessica Kuznicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got to love Buffalo Bill!

[Caity McPhe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A simple, yet exciting mystery. I very much enjoyed it and it's probably my favorite of the ones I've read so far.

[Daulton Kids · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a really good mystery book. I liked it a lot. -Hope

[Danae · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Caitie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This brought back so many memories, but it didn’t feel like the best in the series.

[Charissa Hickenbottom · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 11 year old twins are living these History Mysteries. They give it 5 stars!

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is number two, in the American Girl History Mysteries collection. It is most definitely a fun and entertaining book to read. Designed for girls ages 10 and up, the story is told by the main character, an 11 year old girl named Annie Dawson. Annie lives in Nebraska on Red Butte Territory in the year 1860, her parents run the local Pony Express station. She is friends with a boy named Bill Cody, who is a rider for the Pony Express and will later become known as Wild Bill Cody. Annie’s’ favorite horse is named Magpie, the two are inseparable. Until one night Magpie becomes wild, Annie is devastated. With her father threatening to shoot her favorite horse she tries desperately to find out what caused Magpie to become so sick. She enlists the help of her friend Redbird, who is part of the Shoshone Indian tribe, and is known throughout the territory as a healer. When Redbird is done inspecting Magpie, she comes to the conclusion that the horse has been poisoned, but by who? This is where the story takes off as Annie and young Bill Cody search for the culprit, chasing stage coaches, and swimming across rivers. The story follows the mystery more than it does actual history of the Pony Express but, the back of the book gives a brief history of what the Pony Express was and what a huge part it played in Americas’ history.

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The year is 1860 and involves the Pony Express, a short-lived mail service in the Western U.S. Annie is a young girl living at one of the stations along the route where riders would change horses and stagecoaches would briefly stop.

Annie loves horses and has a favorite one, Magpie. Magpie begins acting extremely strangely when a stagecoach is at the station and Annie’s father says he will have to shoot the horse if it doesn’t get better quickly. Annie knows someone who can help, but that person is not only a young girl like Annie, but she’s Native American, and thus distrusted by many.

Things take an interesting turn when it begins to become apparent to Annie that Magpie is not sick but was actually poisoned. Two questions arise; who did it and would Magpie die before the poison could get out of her system?

Annie is able to figure out who poisoned the horse and she and a friend ride off to catch the departed stagecoach and catch the saboteur (interfering with horses used by the Pony Express would have been a crime), and she has to do this without knowing whether her favorite horse is still alive or not.

It’s an unusual story, covering a period of time not generally dealt with very often. As always, there is a historical section to help the reader better understand the times the event took place in.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh I loved this one! First of all, it helped that right now I'm teaching the kids about the Pony Express so finding a book that gives a little bit of an 'insider' look at life on a home station is a good thing. Also we get to meet Bill Cody as a kid, whom I liked a lot.

This started with a sick horse that had me wondering where in the world the mystery or danger part of anything was coming from. Then as I read the story came together, building the suspense and ending with a bang that is truly worthy of American Girl. Honestly they do very well with their books.

Would I recommend this book? Definitely! Add it to your homeschool curriculum when you're teaching the old west and the days of the pony express. Well worth it!

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Annie Dawson lived at the Red Buttes Pony Express Station in 1860. One of her favorite riders was Bill Cody, and her favorite horse was Magpie. However, one night Magpie became wild and dangerous. The men thought she had gone loco, but Annie was sure something else was wrong. She had to find out what was wrong with Magpie and get her well before the men shot the poor pony.

I like the History Mystery books which are written for girls ages 10 and up. They are exciting and also teach about events of the past.

[Sarah Maddaford · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty good historical mystery. The clues are not too difficulut to figure out and are obvious enough that someone in the time period could have used them. Annie is a historically appropriate mix of tenacious and determined as well as obediant and hard-working. I'm not a big fan of Billy even though he is the only character based on a specific real historical figure. Overall, the story is good especially as a horse mystery for young readers.