Blue Ribbon Summer (2)

Ponies of Chincoteague #2

by Catherine Hapka

Brooke brings her pony to summer camp in this second book in a contemporary middle grade series in the tradition of Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague .

Brooke Rhodes is excited to go to sleepaway riding camp for two weeks with her Chincoteague pony, Foxy. However, camp doesn’t turn out to be quite as fun as Brooke expected. The other girls all know each other already, and they don’t seem interested in bringing a newbie into their group. Besides that, they’re all riding tall, fancy, super well-trained show horses—not scruffy young Chincoteague ponies. Then Brooke overhears that this might be the last summer for the camp. She asks for help from her online Pony Post friends—Maddie Martinez, Hayley Duncan, and Nina Peralt—but she still has to will everyone work together to save the camp, or will this summer be their last hurrah?

Genres: Horses, Animals

208 pages, Hardcover

First published July 8, 2014

About the author

Catherine (Cathy) Hapka has written more than one hundred books for children and adults, as a ghostwriter for series as well as original titles, including the Romantic Comedies Something Borrowed, The Twelve Date of Christmas, and Love on Cue. She lives in Pennsylvania.

Reviews

[Brooklyn Esh · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a really fun mid-grade book really enjoyed it 🤩

[Jenna Marie ~Scheming Scribbler~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This whole series was amazing, and I loved them all as a kid, but this book will forever be my favorite. Brooke's character was so good, and I love how she had her horse in her backyard. After years of dreaming to have a horse in my backyard and go to horse summer camps, this book was literally my dream come true. Brooke's reaction to the camp and upscale horse stables life was excellently portrayed, and I sympathized with her so much. To top it off, the climax was amazing. Overall, this book was perfection to the horse lover I was (and still am!).

[Ava]

I LOVE Brooke and Foxy! So cute together! Brooke does face some problems, but luckily, Foxy is always there for her.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was better than the first book in the series -- and that was a good little read. There were several complex characters in a book aimed for 12 year old American girls, especially the stepfather. This book also faces two problems common to kids with ponies or who love riding:

1) People inexplicably leave anything having to do with horses behind (including you)
2) Anyone with land large enough for a stable is going to be heavily pressured to sell it, especially with America's overpopulation problem.

This time around, we get to learn about the featured Chincoteague pony more than in the previous book. Lucky Brooke is the only pony owner in the series that bought her pony at Chincoteague itself, during the famous Pony Penning Week. Unlike the other ponies in this series, Foxy is a solid color -- a chestnut with a flaxen mane and tail. She's actually darker than the pony on the cover.

Despite the title, there is almost nothing to do with a horse show. The blue ribbon is more of a metaphor here.

I've been reading books like this for over 40 years, so it's rare when I can't predict how it will end or be pleasantly surprised by the twists and turns. Our Protagonist Brooke is a far more sympathetic character than Maddie was in the last book. She's clever, not snobby, but prone to procrastination. She quite rightly feels like a fish out of water when she's first exposed to the one percent at Camp Pocamoke, and does something about it.

I just hope she never discovers boys.

Looking forward to the next book in the series.

[Natalie Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very sweet story, (And Brook is my favorite in the series) it was so much fun to read over the summer, and the cover is so pretty and sweet.

I recommend this to all horse lovers, young and old, as a book to read when you take a road trip through the countryside, or when you visit your grandparent's farm for a summer, or just outside on the lawn.

[Addy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love it it’s pretty real I just wish there was a tad more action but I can relate! Love it must read

[Debbie Tink · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's cute Brooke go's of to riding camp, and her and her fellow campers try to save there camp from being sold.

[Kati Polodna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like it as much as the first one because it felt like there was less "horse talk" in it.