Un cheval pour pleurer

Saddle Club #2

by Bonnie Bryant

Depuis la mort de Typhon, son étalon préféré, Carole veut abandonner l'équitation. Pour Steph et Lisa, il n'en est pas question : si leur amie quitte le Pin creux, ce sera la fin du Club du Grand Galop ! Elles doivent convaincre Carole de revenir sur sa décision. Et, comme d'habitude, elles ne manquent pas d'idées...

Genres: Horses, Childrens, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Animals, Fiction, Juvenile

139 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

American author of children's books. She is best known for creating the intermediate horse book series The Saddle Club, which was published from October 1988 until April 2001. The Saddle Club chronicled the adventures of thirteen-year-old Lisa Atwood and twelve-year-olds Stephanie "Stevie" Lake and Carole Hanson. The series was static in time; the girls never aged in 101 books, 7 special editions, and 3 Inside Stories.

Bonnie Bryant also wrote two spin-off series: Pony Tails, aimed at beginning readers, and Pine Hollow, aimed at teenage readers. The 16 Pony Tails books followed the lives of eight-year-olds May Grover, Corey Takamura, and Jasmine James. Pine Hollow featured Carole, Lisa, Stevie, and their new friends in a series set four years after The Saddle Club. Unlike The Saddle Club, Pine Hollow conformed to a realistic timeline. The 17 books took place over the span of less than a year. Later a television show called The Saddle Club, based on the books, was filmed in Australia.

Bonnie Bryant wrote at least 38 The Saddle Club books and 2 Pine Hollow books herself; after that they were taken over by a team of ghostwriters, a common practice in long-running children's book series. Ghostwriters for the Saddle Club and Pine Hollow books included Caitlin Macy (sometimes credited as Caitlin C. Macy), Catherine Hapka, Sallie Bissell, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, Helen Geraghty, Tina deVaron, Cat Johnston, Minna Jung, and Sheila Prescott-Vessey.

Bonnie Bryant is also the author of many novelizations of movies, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Karate Kid, and Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, written under her married name, B.B. Hiller. She also collaborated in the ghostwriting of The Baby-sitters Club Super Special #14: BSC in the USA, published under the name of its creator, Ann M. Martin.

Bonnie Bryant was born and raised in New York City. She met her husband, Neil W. Hiller, in college, where they both worked on the campus newspaper. They had two sons, Emmons Hiller and Andrew Hiller. Neil Hiller died in 1989. Many of Bonnie's books are dedicated to him.
***from wikipedia.org

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I LOVED these books when I was a kid! Still a great series for girls who love horses!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve decided to review every second book in this series, since my library only offers them as collections of two as opposed to single editions. (This may vary throughout the 101 book series, but that's the general formula I'm going to follow.) I’ve also told myself I’m not allowed to continue with the series until I’m not halfway through three different books, because disregarding all other reading to read The Saddle Club is not a good way to cure a reading slump.

The Saddle Club basically taught me how to write. In my early fiction-writing days as a tween, the first fiction story of which I ever wrote more than ten pages concerned a Saddle-Club style group of friends who rode at a Pine Hollow-style stable, antagonised by a Veronica-style mean girl (and romanced by a handsome, charming blonde of my very own creation). Reading the first two books in the series for the first time in nearly a decade was a strange experience, but a comforting one. It felt nice to revisit something I was so fond of as a child. However, these are definitely children's books. Not in the same way that one might classify Harry Potter or Percy Jackson as children's fiction -- those series' manage to blend demographics not only because of their nostalgia power over readers who grew up with them, but also because their content, themes, and execution transcend traditional categorisation, and their tone matures with each volume, essentially coming of age with the readers who grew up alongside Percy and Harry. (Clearly, it is unwise to get me started on the subjects of Harry Potter or Percy Jackson. Staying on topic? I don't know her.) The Saddle Club, on the other hand, is settled very firmly in its genre. It is very basic in every way; the language is simple, the morals are easy to grasp, and unlike more popular children's fiction (I will not talk about Harry Potter again I will not talk about Harry Potter again), the conflicts and trials that the characters experience are shallow at best, and always cleanly resolved by the end of the book. This by no means makes them bad; they're just aimed at kids, and only at kids, and they aren't meant to be critiqued by 20-year-old English majors who've spent the last four years honing their critical reading skills.

It's pretty hard to rate a book that is aimed at a much younger audience, because the things I look for in a story obviously aren't present. I don't really know how to objectively rate kid's books, and I doubt I will until I've read more books in the series and have more to which I can compare each volume. I gave Horse Crazy and Horse Shy three stars each. They're both cute and fun, and although the characters are VERY trope-y, that's the point, and that's what made them so memorable: Carole is the klutz who only has her shit together at the stable, Stevie is the prankster, Lisa is the straight-A student, Veronica is the spoiled mean girl, etc.. Horse Crazy is a sweet introduction to the girls and their world, and I liked how it started off with the three of them not really getting along and ended with them maturely apologising for the pranks they had pulled on each other and becoming inseparable. Tween girls are SO not like that at ALL, but I thought it was nice that they modeled a way for young girls to work out their differences, instead of being catty and bitchy and ferocious the way teenage girl friendships can be. I thought the part in Horse Shy where Stevie and Lisa were coming up with full-on conspiracy theories about the origin of their riding instructor was very 2018 (watch out, Shane Dawson, Stevie and Lisa are coming for your brand). They are a little bit cheesy, though, which was to be expected but is the reason why I only gave them three stars; I remember reading them as a pre-teen, but the humour and the sickly-sweetness of the dialogue are more suited to something like Doc McStuffins or Dora the Explorer.

These are children's books, and I have spent a solid 90 minutes trying to craft a lucid enough review. Can you tell it's assignment season and I'm procrastinating?

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story, but a bit emotionally charged for a kids' book.

[Renata · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was fine?? If you're a tween who's into horses I could see how you'd be into it...

http://www.frowl.org/worstbestsellers...

[Serge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lexi loves this series. So happy Carole decided to ride again. She is Lexi's hero.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t enjoy the first book, didn’t want to continue reading more in the series, but I bought this one when I got the first one, so I feel like I have to read it.
Stevie really annoyed me and her antics at the beginning of the book made me wanna DNF. It’s an unwritten rule to leave gates the way they were when you found them, and also cutting across someone’s pasture isn’t a good idea, but Stevie convinced them to and as they’re riding their horses through a bull comes charging at them and they all have to jump their horses over the fence, even new rider Lisa. Thankfully this was Stevie’s only stunt in the book.

‘“What has four legs and a trunk,” Stevie asked.
“An elephant going on a trip,” he shot back.
“And what do you call Carole when SHE goes on a trip?” Stevie asked.
“Forgetful!” he said.’

“I’m so hungry, I could eat a—“ Stevie paused. “Elephant,” she said, giggling.’
‘“Well, you know the old joke about how a camel is supposed to be a horse—designed by a committee?”
It meant that when a lot of people get together to accomplish something one person SHOILD do alone, the results are often goofed-up.’

-Their instructor laughing when Lisa fell off her horse was so unprofessional and not funny.
‘She looked at Max. There was something in the way he asked the question—was he worried about her? No, that wasn’t it. Lisa was almost certain he was trying to control a smile—or maybe a laugh.
“I looked pretty silly, didn’t I?” she asked, suddenly getting the full impact of what a funny picture she must have made.
“Well, perhaps a little bit undigni-ni-ni—“ And then, there was an unmistakable snort of Max’s laughter.
Lisa lifted herself up into the saddle and burst into giggles herself. She didn’t hurt anyplace. “I guess both getting back on the horse AND laughing about it are the best cures,” she said when she stopped giggling.
“Only when it’s funny,” he said. And then Lisa realized how fortunate she was!’

-A skunk walks by: “You know, that one’s almost cute,” Stevie said to her friends.
“ALMOST,” Lisa agreed. “But don’t get him angry!”

-“First we have to—Yipes!”
“What is it?” Stevie asked.
“We’ve got to get back to camp and put some clothes on before Max and the boys see us in our pajamas!”

-“That was the best Saddle Club merrier ever had!” Lisa said excitedly.
“I wish they could all be like that,” Stevie agreed.
“So do I,” Carole said. “Gee, remember how beautiful it was when the deer—“
“Stevie!” Max barked. “Your turn to get water for us. Lisa! I need some more kindling! Carole! You’re on oats today!”
He almost broke the mood, but not quite. 0i remember,” Stevie assured Carole. “I’ll always remember.”
“Yeah, forever,” Lisa said. And that was how they all felt.’


Nice mention of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which are in my state!
“You know, I think I could build a nice little lean-to near that bluff we passed this morning. Two lean-tos, one for me, one for Delilah. We’d love there, ride every day, and have a great view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. What do you think of that?” Carole asked.
“I think it’s time to get you back to civilization,” Stevie said matter-of-factly.’

‘“Have a good time,” Max said. “But don’t fall for any of those Nowth Cahalaina howses, yuh heah?!” he teased in a southern accent.’
That was cringe-worthy. He was actually cool until then…

Carole acted pretty unrealistic. Her mom had just died the year before and she’s teasing her dad and pushing him to marry again. And doesn’t seem very sad about her mom.

I couldn’t believe the author killed Cobalt off, the mean girls horse that Carole took care of and wanted for herself. Him breaking his cannon bone, and how it’s almost impossible to keep the horse’s weight off, and how if it’s a million dollar race horse, they might suspend them in a sling long enough for the bone to heal, but it still might never race again, was just like the movie Dreamer.

‘“Look, are we horse crazy, or what?” Stevie asked.
“We’re horse crazy,” Lisa agreed.
“So, our only choice is to keep riding and try to help Carole come around. After all, she’s horse crazy, too, but right now, she’s more crazy than she is horse.”’

-“You’ll be a champion by august.”
“You mean I’ll be as good as you?” Lisa teasers
Stevie, who was very proud of her own hard-earned riding skills, glanced sideways at Lisa. When she saw the sly grin on the older girl’s face, she knew Lisa was joking.
“Oh, that’ll happen about the same day Max sprouts wings!”
“I noticed some feathers on his back today,” Lisa joked.’

-“you know, that’s not the only source we have,” Lisa said after a moment
“Sure, we can check with the crystal ball lady at the fair when she comes to town in august,” Stevie said.
“Crystal balls are supposed to tell the future, not the past,” Lisa said, giggling.’

-“Can’t she do that herself?”
Stevie knew she had to be very careful now. Of course Mrs. Reg could do it herself, but Carole wasn’t to know that. “I’m sure she can. Don’t worry about it. She’ll do it when the pain goes away.”
“Pain?” Carole asked. Her voice was filled with concern.
“She said her arthritis was hurting her all this humidity, you know? She’ll get better when it cools down.” (i)Perfect,(/i) Stevie told herself. (i)You’re doing it perfectly. After all, it wouldn’t cool down for months!(/i)’

-‘When Carole made a promise, she kept it. When somebody needed her help, she got it. And when Carole needed help, her fiends gave it to her—even if she didn’t think she wanted it!’

-“Let’s face it, the man was invisible.”
“Maybe he never existed,” Lisa said. “Should we consider that possibility?”
“No way—not until we’ve exhausted everything else. Besides, if our Max is Max the Third, there HAD to be a Max the First. Right?”
Lisa had to agree that it was logical.’

It finally said the book took place in Virginia.

They’re trying to research Max the First, their riding instructors granddad.
‘At least she wasn’t going to have to read any more about the controversial town sewers!’
‘She bit the end of her pencil, hoping that would help her think. In books and movies, people were always biting the ends of their pencils so they could think better. It didn’t make Stevie think better. It just got pieces of eraser in her mouth. She picked them out carefully. Then she stared into space. Sometimes THAT helped people in books and movies. All it did for Stevie, though, was distract her.’
It was disappointing hearing none of the rumors about Max Regenery were true, he was just a dull man who told his students horse’s don’t speak English and they couldn’t jump within a year, just like their teacher Max does. People just made up stuff about him to sound more interesting.

“Is that a date?”
“Well, I’m not sure I’d call it a date. It’s just sort of, you know, like a—well, a date, I guess.”
Carole laughed at her father’s stammering.’
‘“That’s the John Wayne movie about the Marines in World War Two. I’ll make the popcorn this time. Is it a date?” he asked slyly.
“Well, er, uh,” Carole stammered, teasing her father. “I’m not, uh, exactly, well, sure I’d call it a—er—DATE.”
“Okay, then YOU make the popcorn. I’ll see you later, you rascal.”’

It seems like max should have known Delilah was pregnant and had Carole switch horses much earlier.
It was funny when Carole comes back to the stables and some girls are telling her Max the Furst was captured by pirates and stole horses and rode with Billy the Kid out west and was a horse rustler. Knowing Stevie and Lisa started those rumors.

I suppose it’s possible Veronica did have an awakening after her horse Cobalt died but it didn’t seem believable, her studying up on jumps AFTER she repeatedly rode hers recklessly, ignoring her teacher’s instructions which ended up killing her horse. She should be banned from riding. Max is seriously stupid where she’s concerned. Just because her dad is rich and owns the bank or whatever.

-“I never could have done it without Lisa,” Stevie said. “She had a lot of great research ideas. Burning you ever get curious about a certain Mrs. Rappaport, or the town sewer system, just ask me, okay?”
“You’ll be the first person I’ll ask,” Carole assured her.’

This was pretty funny, much more humorous than I remember the first book being. This took some buckling down to read, I was not interested at all after the first one. The characters were better in this one, mainly Stevie, besides the beginning of the book. I was surprised by a turn the book took but I guess that’s just horse life.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love horses and want to have a story to use as an example this is it. Used it to help the niece get back on the horse.

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the series, but the first crucial book. You dont need to read the first book to figure out what goes on here -- but you do need to read this book in order to understand many of the following books.

Why is this book so crucial? Carole meets the kitten that will eventually be hers. But mainly this book is so important because Cobalt is killed by Veronica. Cobalt -- the wonderful, kind Thoroughbred beloved by Carole ... killed by his ignorant owner, rich bitch Veronica.

And no one confronts Veronica over this. She supposedly feels guilty ... but so what? Like being sorry is going to bring Cobalt back to life. The Saddle Club members should have refused to have anything to do with her or feel any sort of sympathy for her.

Cobalt's death is kind of glossed over. Max and Mrs. Reg certainly don't seem upset about it. Unfortunately, this is realistic. Cobalt was "just" an animal. You're expected to get over it in a week or two, at the most. Professionals in the horse industry outwardly don't publicly mourn, because they still have live horses to care for. Besides, horses are just horses. You can always get more. That's a horse professional's view.

This book has some very good points to it, and has a lot about riding. Unfortunately, it fails to give Cobalt's death proper treatment. Veronica kills her horse for fun and gets away with it ... and no one does anything about it. I just don't understand that.

There's a short explanation in this book as to why Pine Hollow is forced to put up with Veronica. Her father runs the bank that has Pine Hollow's mortgage. The stable has been owned by the same family for three generations and STILL has a mortgage. That's bad.

[Zev · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trigger warning for animal death. I wasn't the intended audience for this. I read this after reading part of a surprisingly stupid book about another animal death. This was more realistic, engaging and enjoyable than the other. It's a great book for horse people and probably people learning to ride. The audience is likely young children but it's educational to anyone. The conflicts and rivalries are believable. There's tons of exposition, weird jokes, stupid jokes, and plot contrivance. But this is one of the times I understood why it was all being done and approved. I'm glad I got ahold of this.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

So with a day off I decided to tackle a bunch of my kindle books namely Saddle Club and its spinoff series. They're short and won't take me long to get through at least. This book takes place mostly during the MTO the girls were excited for in the last book. Once home Veronica has an accident leading to injury and the destruction of a valuable horse which devastates Carole and leads her to not want to ride again. Of course Lisa and Stevie won't hear of it and are determined to get their friend back. Nit a bad read quick and light.

[Sam Wescott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funnily enough, this was my first ebook. The library didn’t have a print copy for some reason, so I read it on my phone. It’s so short that it wasn’t an annoyance at all and I might return to the format in future!

I’ll say again that I’m surprised by how well these books hold up. There’s a good underlying story here about grief and the fear of getting hurt. It’s simple, but I think it’s effective for its intended age group and I still found it moving as an adult.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a bunch of Saddle Club books as a kid. I think possibly #1, #3, and #4, because I don't remember the contents of this at all - I do remember that Cobalt died, but I probably gleaned that from book 3. Anyway, it was lovely to fill in the blank, even if the story was a bit tragic, but no one can argue that this doesn't teach kids good wholesome life lessons, and is pretty realistic about horse life.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Second book in the saddle club series is another average horse tale which has the real focus of being about friendship. It could have actually been the chess club series and had the people learning chess and basically been the same thing, the horses are there as clothes horses for the plot win other words.

[By Book and Bone (Sally) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid sequel in the series. This book kept me sane when I was away from the family farm as a kid. These girls had a much better experience of a riding stables than I did, so I'm glad I had this book as a kid.

[unknown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horse Shy

Horse Shy is the second book in a series and you definitely need to read the first book before this one. Horse Shy is a good book but it also doesn't have as much suspense as some horse books I've read.

[Hanna Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

These books are super cute for young horse lovers. A little emotional. Have to say I got sucked it to the story though.

[The Mockabee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am moving through this series right now and so far, it is amazing! I feel so bad for Carole, oh and don't forget Cobalt, he was such a great horse!

[Brynne Schweigel-Skeers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a wonderful short read for nostalgia after reading these as a kid. Glad to have revisited.

[Margo]

The girls go on an overnight horseback riding trip, Carole gets very upset when a mistake causes the death of one of the horses and wants to quit riding, even though it wasn’t her horse

[Candice Lally · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man I still love this series. It’s fun going back and rereading them.

[Megan Mixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE MOUNTAIN TRAIL OVERNIGHT DOESN'T INCLUDE FIGHTING OFF WILD DOGS??? WHAT DO YOU MEAN COBALT DIES IN BOOK 2???

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stevie and Lisa do their best to support Carole in this book and remind her what The Saddle Club is all about. A rider in the stable makes a terrible mistake, resulting in a very tragic accident that traumatized Carole. She quit coming to the stables, explaining that she was no longer going to ride. It was sad to see someone steer clear of something they loved so much, but seeing the support of her friends was really great. Love this series!

[Chris Comden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Horse Shy by Bonnie Bryant
Series: Yes, Saddle Club #2
Format: Softcover
Stars: 3
Recommend: Yes
Would Reread: Yes


I won the book from a goodreads giveaway.

I give honest reviews and all my opinions are my own.

For more of my reviews go to Heavenly High Seas Books
https://heavenlyhighseasbooks.blogspo...

[Lili C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 out of 5 stars

The story of the Saddle Club continues! Everyone gets to go on the Mountain Trail Overnight, hooray! When they back good news comes to Carole, her favorite horse in the barn, a big black stallion named Cobalt, is hers to care for in Veronica's place. No matter, she loves Cobalt with all her heart! Unfortunately bad things happen, accidents have big and small consequences, and some of those consequences can be matter of life and death. Carole is devastated and swears to never ride again. Will Lisa and Stevie get Carole back up on a horse? Will the Saddle Club remain a trio or only ever be a pair? You will have to read to find out!

This is a somber book, for sure. Not many books made for upper grade school/lower middle school touches on death and loss. For an equestrian we have all felt the loss of one of our beloved four legged friends and so it touches on a very real topic to us. It also touches on the topic very common to equestrians to always get back on, no matter what. I do like that it shows a lot of character growth for our main trio from the last book that had only shallow characters.

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed by Andie Z. for TeensReadToo.com

In HORSE SHY, the second book in THE SADDLE CLUB series, Stevie, Carole, and Lisa finally get to go on the long-awaited Mountain Trail Overnight (or MTO). They have a great time, and things get even better for Carole when she gets back: she gets to care for Veronica's stallion, Cobalt. Veronica may be snobby, but Cobalt is beautiful and Carole loves him.

Then there's a tragic jumping accident and Cobalt is killed. Carole is devastated and swears that she'll never ride again. It's up to Lisa and Stevie to remind Carole how much she loves riding, and that life continues, maybe in ways that nobody expected.

HORSE SHY delves into deeper material than HORSE CRAZY, the first book in the series, with the death of a beloved horse, but Bryant still manages to keep it light for her readers, with a more than happy ending.

[Twyla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carole,Stevie,and Lisa and more girls from pine hollow stables were going on the MTO (Mountain Trail Overnight).Caroles riding horse Delighla was acting a little bit strange and Carole was wondering why.When all of the girls got home from the MTO soon Carole was going to her aunts house for a little bit.When she got home Veronica's horse Cobalt died.Since she really liked Cobalt she was really sad,so she quit riding.When she heard that there were new kittens in the stable,One day she started to ride.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stevie, Carole and Lisa are best friends. They all belong to a club that loves horses, and rides. When a selfish and rich girl in their riding group causes her horse, Cobalt a fine stalion to die, Carole says she is done riding forever. Lisa and Stevie need to get Carole back on a horse.

I loved this book because I love all the saddle club books and I ride 3 times a week. It is a little sad, though not heartbreaking.

[Monisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carole Lisa and Stevie are all learning how to ride at Pine Hollow Stables and are best friends. They have one enemy a rich, snobbish girl Veronica Diangelo who refuses to ride properly and listen to instructions and Carole always takes care of her horse for her. She grows very close to the horse, Cobalt. However, one day veronica carelessly rides him over a jump and he is in a fatal accident. Carole wants to stop riding but Stevie and Lisa try and convince her to stay.

[Anelya · Rating 3 out of 5]

'The Saddle Club' takes a surprising twist for its second book in the series - I didn't remember this happening and was duly shocked. I feel loss like this isn't often handled in children's books, although perhaps more so in books about animals. Nevertheless, it surprised me, but positively. The book shows Carole pulling through and becoming stronger from it. An interesting follow-up to a strong beginning.

[Priscilla Grébert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relecture. Celui-ci est plus triste mais il explore une autre facette de la vie du cavalier, et je trouve que faire lire ça à un enfant ou à un adolescent rencontrant quelques difficultés à se remettre en selle peut l'aider. Encore une fois, c'est court, c'est facile à lire et on n'a pas le temps de se lasser.