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Thoroughbred #31
A Home for Melanie
Is Melanie leaving the only place that's ever felt like home?
Melanie Graham expected Whitebrook Farm to be the most boring place in America. And she thought her cousin, Christina Reese, would be a snob.
But after an entire summer at Whitebrook, Melanie has changed her mind. Whitebrook isn't dull--it's amazing! There are so many beautiful horses, especially Trib, her favorite pony. Plus, Christina is totally cool--she's the first true friend Melanie has ever had. Now Melanie can't imagine living anywhere else.
There's just one problem: Melanie's dad wants her to return to New York City. How can she convince him to let her stay at Whitebrook--forever?
Melanie Graham expected Whitebrook Farm to be the most boring place in America. And she thought her cousin, Christina Reese, would be a snob.
But after an entire summer at Whitebrook, Melanie has changed her mind. Whitebrook isn't dull--it's amazing! There are so many beautiful horses, especially Trib, her favorite pony. Plus, Christina is totally cool--she's the first true friend Melanie has ever had. Now Melanie can't imagine living anywhere else.
There's just one problem: Melanie's dad wants her to return to New York City. How can she convince him to let her stay at Whitebrook--forever?
176 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 7, 2024
This was a pretty decent book showcasing Melanie, her stupid father, and one of the best equines in the whole series -- the pinto mixed-breed pony Tribulation, or Trib. Usually, the cover artists get it all wrong, but in this case, the artist got it right -- Trib is a tri-colored pinto, but in this book he is referred to as a piebald (black and white pinto.)
Horses that pop up here include Sterling, Pirate, Leap of Faith, Will o' Wind, Jasper (Kevin's horse, who mysteriously disappears a few books later) and a colt called King Sunday that is not owned by Whitebrook. There was a while where Whitebrook boarded and trained horses for other owners, but then this idea too, disappeared in the series.
The dialogue was suprisingly good for a Thoroughbred book. When Melanie tells Ashleigh that her father is getting married, Ashleigh exclaims, "That was fast!"
"I thought so, too," Melanie shoots back.
Another time, when Christina suggests Melanie should argue with her father to stay, Melanie doubts it would work, because, "You know parents."
Melanie does stick up for herself here, although she does want to a nicer person than before she went to Whitebrook. She puts up with some crap, but reaches her limit in a somewhat realistic way. Alice Leonhardt wasn't that bad of a ghostwriter, at times. She did get worse as the series went on. Publisher HarperCollins preferred bad writers to good ones for this series. Series creator Joanba Campbell (real name Jo Ann Simon) did not like Leonhardt's Thoroughbred books.
I'm glad to say that the stable in New York City described here under another name has shut down years ago. New York City is no place for horses.
As previously mentioned, Trib was a great character, and one of just two non-Thoroughbreds to make the cover of a Thoroughbred book. (The other was Dylan's Quarter Horse, Dakota.) It's a shame that, like Jasper, Trib also would eventually vanish from the series without any explanation. It's one of the series' great downfalls.
Horses that pop up here include Sterling, Pirate, Leap of Faith, Will o' Wind, Jasper (Kevin's horse, who mysteriously disappears a few books later) and a colt called King Sunday that is not owned by Whitebrook. There was a while where Whitebrook boarded and trained horses for other owners, but then this idea too, disappeared in the series.
The dialogue was suprisingly good for a Thoroughbred book. When Melanie tells Ashleigh that her father is getting married, Ashleigh exclaims, "That was fast!"
"I thought so, too," Melanie shoots back.
Another time, when Christina suggests Melanie should argue with her father to stay, Melanie doubts it would work, because, "You know parents."
Melanie does stick up for herself here, although she does want to a nicer person than before she went to Whitebrook. She puts up with some crap, but reaches her limit in a somewhat realistic way. Alice Leonhardt wasn't that bad of a ghostwriter, at times. She did get worse as the series went on. Publisher HarperCollins preferred bad writers to good ones for this series. Series creator Joanba Campbell (real name Jo Ann Simon) did not like Leonhardt's Thoroughbred books.
I'm glad to say that the stable in New York City described here under another name has shut down years ago. New York City is no place for horses.
As previously mentioned, Trib was a great character, and one of just two non-Thoroughbreds to make the cover of a Thoroughbred book. (The other was Dylan's Quarter Horse, Dakota.) It's a shame that, like Jasper, Trib also would eventually vanish from the series without any explanation. It's one of the series' great downfalls.
October 24, 2025
Childhood favourite series, giving all four stars unless it was a favourite.
January 28, 2015
Grade: B-
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews