The Great Pony Hassle

by Nancy Springer, Daniel Mark Duffy

Paisley gets her own pony, Noodles, and is delighted to have her, but war breaks out in the Fontecchio house when the other three children fall in love with Noodles too and want their share of Paisley's beloved pet. Reprint.

Genres: Animals, Childrens, Horses, Fiction

76 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 1993

About the author

BIO -- NANCY SPRINGER


Nancy Springer has passed the fifty-book milestone, having written that many novels for adults, young adults and children, in genres including mythic fantasy, contemporary fiction, magical realism, horror, and mystery -- although she did not realize she wrote mystery until she won the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America two years in succession. DARK LIE, recently released from NAL, is her first venture into mass-market psychological suspense.
Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Nancy Springer moved with her family to Gettysburg, of Civil War fame, when she was thirteen. She spent the next forty-six years in Pennsylvania, raising two children (Jonathan, now 38, and Nora, 34), writing, horseback riding, fishing, and birdwatching. In 2007 she surprised her friends and herself by moving with her second husband to an isolated area of the Florida panhandle, where the birdwatching is spectacular and where, when fishing, she occasionally catches an alligator.

Reviews

[Stephanie A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book in elementary school, and today I checked it out to see if it held up. Often they do, but sometimes they don't. This one? Absolutely, despite clocking in at under a hundred pages. The twins vs. twins squabbles are realistic for a fractious blended family, the acquisition of the pony (a sadly neglected creature cut by his barbed-wire fencing) is both heartwarming and exciting in a wish-fulfillment way, "Noodles" is the most adorable name for a silly little pony ever, and the ultimate solution to hotly contested pony-ownership will bring a smile to your face. Adding visual interest to the story are frequent pencil sketches drawn with impressive detail.

[Clair Culberson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve had this book on my shelf for 15+ years, and finally read it today. Not impressed. Awkward dialogue, no real character development, clunky plot… children’s books should have some sort of lesson or something to take away, and this just showed that bratty behavior is rewarded, and sulky behavior also gets rewarded.

[Patrick · Rating 1 out of 5]

it might have been better in english but in swedish it was shit

[Noemi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recommand the book The Great Pony Hassle because its shows how all four twins want the same thing. They all want a palominio pony. Paisley gets her own pony and the other twins are jealous and are being rude to Paisley except Toni. She is more helpful and caring. There is one pony and there are three more girls that want their very own pony.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute, but seems to glamorize irresponsible pet ownership. Also, the illustrations do not seem to match the text.