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Dancer #3
Stagestruck
Sixteen-year-old Abby Malone is out for a ride on her favourite horse, Moonlight Sonata. When a flash thunderstorm hits, Abby and Moonie take refuge in what appears to be an abandoned barn. Inside, Abby discovers a wooden stage, velvet seats and an orchestra pit. What on earth is a theatre doing in old barn? And what is that blur of bluish light in the second row from the back? From the author of the bestselling books Dancer and Abby Malone comes Stagestruck-a new story chock-full of adventure, mystery and romance. Featuring a familiar cast of characters-including Hilary 'Mousie' James, the evil Samuel Owens, Cody the coyote and Dancer, Mousie's champion show-jumping horse-Stagestruck begins a few years after Abby Malone left off. With Hilary off at university, Dancer is restless and in need of exercise. Abby jumps at the chance to train this magnificent horse, but soon finds herself caught in a tangle of mysterious events. As Abby prepares Dancer for the prestigious Grand Invitational-and the community comes together to mount a production of Pinocchio at the old theatre-strange things begin to occur. Is someone out to hurt Abby, or is Dancer once again the target of Samuel Owens' wrath? For those familiar with Peterson's earlier work, or for new readers, Stagestruck is an unforgettable story. Shelley Peterson was born in London, Ontario--the second of six children. She was trained in Theatre Arts at the Banff School of Performing Arts. Dalhousie University, and the University of Western Ontario. She has worked as a professional actress, on stage, film and television. Peterson has had a lifelong love of animals big and small, with a particular interest in horses. She has ridden since she was a girl. Peterson divides her time between Toronto and Fox Ridge, a horse farm in the Caledon hills, which she shares with her husband, three children and the family dog.
262 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
2 people are currently reading
115 people want to read
About the author
Shelley Peterson
21 books56 followersShelley Peterson is the best-selling author of numerous young adult novels, including DANCER, ABBY MALONE, SUNDANCER, and MYSTERY AT SADDLE CREEK.
She was born in London, Ontario, and was trained in theatre arts at the Banff School of Performing Arts, Dalhousie University, and the University of Western Ontario.
She works as a professional actress, and has more than 100 stage, film, and television credits to her name. Peterson has had a lifelong love of animals big and small, with particular interest in horses.
She divides her time between Toronto and Fox Ridge, a horse farm in the Caledon hills, which she shares with her husband, three children, and the family dog.
She was born in London, Ontario, and was trained in theatre arts at the Banff School of Performing Arts, Dalhousie University, and the University of Western Ontario.
She works as a professional actress, and has more than 100 stage, film, and television credits to her name. Peterson has had a lifelong love of animals big and small, with particular interest in horses.
She divides her time between Toronto and Fox Ridge, a horse farm in the Caledon hills, which she shares with her husband, three children, and the family dog.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
September 1, 2017
#1 on my TBR for #ARCAugust tag.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Abby Malone, a sixteen-year-old horse lover, is no stranger to a challenge. Growing up with horses, and dedicating much time to growing her skills and relationships with them, Abby has become a capable rider.
When Abby is noticed for her talent, she is chosen to ride Dancer, a "retired" show-jumper stallion to ride at the upcoming Grand Invitational. Taking on Dancer as her new project, Abby didn't realize she also took on a new, ruthless enemy.
Alongside her preparation for the jumping event, some people in the community decide to reopen an old theater and put on a play. Juggling time between horses and the play, Abby begins to realize her love for the stage, with the help of an unlikely friend.
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For not having read the previous two books in this series, I didn't feel lost coming into this installment. Peterson's writing style makes it easy to jump into the series by giving concise explanations of past events that set up, and contribute to the plot in Stagestruck.
Although the plot was easy to understand, there were certain elements that didn't have enough justification. The main antagonist, Samuel Owens, absolutely hates Dancer, the main horse character---so much so, that he repeatedly tries to kill him. It's a bit...extreme.
Every book needs to have an antagonist, but I think that Owens was too strong of a character for not only this plot, but his counter-characters.
I thought this was a unique mix of horses and paranormal. Plots that include horses, whether they are movies, books, stories, etc., are always easy for me to internalize. I grew up reading exclusively horse books, so I tend to eat them up...even if they are under my designated "reading level."
I felt that the paranormal aspect of the story could have been explored more than it was. I felt that it didn't give enough for the reader to really react to the fact that there is a ghost haunting the theater. Furthermore, I found his reason for sticking around to be cheesy.
As I've said, there could have been more explanation in certain aspects. Some characters were underdeveloped, and their motives weren't always clear or had enough reasoning behind them. However, I appreciated that Peterson knew about what she was writing about when it came to horses. It was clear to me that she has experience and knowledge in equine affairs, and that is a MUST when writing about this topic!
Since the story had some holes, I'm only granting it 3 stars. I thought it was creative, but needed more detail throughout.
Vulgarity: Minimal.
Sexual content: Kissing.
Violence: Minimal.
3 stars.
A big thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Abby Malone, a sixteen-year-old horse lover, is no stranger to a challenge. Growing up with horses, and dedicating much time to growing her skills and relationships with them, Abby has become a capable rider.
When Abby is noticed for her talent, she is chosen to ride Dancer, a "retired" show-jumper stallion to ride at the upcoming Grand Invitational. Taking on Dancer as her new project, Abby didn't realize she also took on a new, ruthless enemy.
Alongside her preparation for the jumping event, some people in the community decide to reopen an old theater and put on a play. Juggling time between horses and the play, Abby begins to realize her love for the stage, with the help of an unlikely friend.
-----------------------------------------
For not having read the previous two books in this series, I didn't feel lost coming into this installment. Peterson's writing style makes it easy to jump into the series by giving concise explanations of past events that set up, and contribute to the plot in Stagestruck.
Although the plot was easy to understand, there were certain elements that didn't have enough justification. The main antagonist, Samuel Owens, absolutely hates Dancer, the main horse character---so much so, that he repeatedly tries to kill him. It's a bit...extreme.
Every book needs to have an antagonist, but I think that Owens was too strong of a character for not only this plot, but his counter-characters.
I thought this was a unique mix of horses and paranormal. Plots that include horses, whether they are movies, books, stories, etc., are always easy for me to internalize. I grew up reading exclusively horse books, so I tend to eat them up...even if they are under my designated "reading level."
I felt that the paranormal aspect of the story could have been explored more than it was. I felt that it didn't give enough for the reader to really react to the fact that there is a ghost haunting the theater. Furthermore, I found his reason for sticking around to be cheesy.
As I've said, there could have been more explanation in certain aspects. Some characters were underdeveloped, and their motives weren't always clear or had enough reasoning behind them. However, I appreciated that Peterson knew about what she was writing about when it came to horses. It was clear to me that she has experience and knowledge in equine affairs, and that is a MUST when writing about this topic!
Since the story had some holes, I'm only granting it 3 stars. I thought it was creative, but needed more detail throughout.
Vulgarity: Minimal.
Sexual content: Kissing.
Violence: Minimal.
3 stars.
A big thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!
January 20, 2017
This series was a childhood favorite of mine! I loved it as a kid and it made me appreciate books more and that's what matters.
September 13, 2022
Enjoyable read. Easy to read. Exciting stories.
Not too many words that got you stuck to wonder why would one choose it, when there are so many others that would have been better? A couple of other writing errors that most might not even notice also made me pause.
Many characters to begin with, especially if you had not read the previous books and already were familiar with all of them. Some of the time I lost track of who was the narrator when the storyline jumped from one person to another.
I really enjoyed the parts with the horses and what you could expect to experience when handling them. The Grand Invitational was exciting and easy to follow even for someone with not that much knowledge from these events.
Somewhat surprised of the story including some subjects. Animals behaving like humans and narrating. Communicating with a ghost. Alcoholism. Suicide. Killed by explosion. And in the end so detailed wedding? Might been a way to get the story more exciting? Less might have been enough?
All in all an entertaining read.
Three stars.
Not too many words that got you stuck to wonder why would one choose it, when there are so many others that would have been better? A couple of other writing errors that most might not even notice also made me pause.
Many characters to begin with, especially if you had not read the previous books and already were familiar with all of them. Some of the time I lost track of who was the narrator when the storyline jumped from one person to another.
I really enjoyed the parts with the horses and what you could expect to experience when handling them. The Grand Invitational was exciting and easy to follow even for someone with not that much knowledge from these events.
Somewhat surprised of the story including some subjects. Animals behaving like humans and narrating. Communicating with a ghost. Alcoholism. Suicide. Killed by explosion. And in the end so detailed wedding? Might been a way to get the story more exciting? Less might have been enough?
All in all an entertaining read.
Three stars.
July 20, 2017
I haven't read the first two books in this series, but I still rather enjoyed this, although naturally there were a few things that didn't make complete sense... Samuel Owens' psychotic hatred of Dancer (a horse!) for one thing... what the hell... he was the most insanely over the top cartoon villain ever! Made for exciting stuff though. The play was also fun, but some parts were bogged down by way too much description/simple retelling of the story. (Also the wedding at the end was described in way too much intricate detail for my liking, and the Dancer interruption just seemed silly.)
Lots of characters, a bit hard to keep track of them all, but that's my fault for not having read the first two. The ghost aspect was interesting too at first, but then when Ambrose became an actual character it just turned the book a lot more juvenile than I think was intended.
Lots of characters, a bit hard to keep track of them all, but that's my fault for not having read the first two. The ghost aspect was interesting too at first, but then when Ambrose became an actual character it just turned the book a lot more juvenile than I think was intended.
July 24, 2017
As with “Faults” I jumped at the chance to read a horse book that I hadn’t already read. After reading the description I had my doubts about a “magical horse” but was pleasantly surprised by the story itself. There was plenty of conflict and small storylines to keep things interesting.
While I enjoyed the story overall the characters fell flat. Abby is fairly boring and for a high school student seems to not have serious or thoughtful conversations. Parts of her storyline, like her mom’s addiction, could have added some much needed depth to he story, but instead her parents went to a “spa” for treatment. I feel like they were intentionally written out so that we got to know Joy better, but I feel like it distracted from character building overall.
The “villain” Mr. Owens seemed like a character from Scooby Doo. His elaborate but constantly foiled traps added nothing to the story overall. I kept expecting him to say “And I could’ve gotten away from it too, if not for that meddling coyote.”
Speaking of the coyote, I feel that Cody was a very interesting pet. The chapters told from his “point of view” felt stilted because no other animals in the book had their own point of view chapters, though Dancer is put in danger more often than Cody was.
Enjoy my review? Read all of them at the-pink-moose.com
While I enjoyed the story overall the characters fell flat. Abby is fairly boring and for a high school student seems to not have serious or thoughtful conversations. Parts of her storyline, like her mom’s addiction, could have added some much needed depth to he story, but instead her parents went to a “spa” for treatment. I feel like they were intentionally written out so that we got to know Joy better, but I feel like it distracted from character building overall.
The “villain” Mr. Owens seemed like a character from Scooby Doo. His elaborate but constantly foiled traps added nothing to the story overall. I kept expecting him to say “And I could’ve gotten away from it too, if not for that meddling coyote.”
Speaking of the coyote, I feel that Cody was a very interesting pet. The chapters told from his “point of view” felt stilted because no other animals in the book had their own point of view chapters, though Dancer is put in danger more often than Cody was.
Enjoy my review? Read all of them at the-pink-moose.com
July 7, 2018
Disclaimer up front: one of the rare books I did. It finish. Perhaps it gets better but I couldn't get into it and I am reading it at a time when I don't have time to read books just because I can't leave a page unread. It felt like a book aimed at my daughter but seemed to have adult tones. Maybe I am prejudiced against books about horses after having to read so many pink-backed, cute "stories for girls" but sadly I was instantly turned off this one. I'm sure if you enjoy stories about horses this one will be a good read, but not for me (note to self when reading blurbs in future).
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews