Hay Ride

Saddle Club #31

by Bonnie Bryant

It's Carole's birthday, and the Saddle Club is planning an extra-special celebration. They're having their first boy-girl party, which will include a romantic moonlit hayride. When snooty Veronica diAngelo hears about their plans, she assumes she isn't invited. And now Veronica is determined to wreck the party—and steal one of the Saddle Club's boyfriends!

Genres: Horses, Childrens, Young Adult, Middle Grade

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1993

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

[Kerri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book follows the girls as they plan Carole's birthday party. It's one of the few Saddle Club books that feels more focused on their social lives, and fledgling dating lives, but it's all sweet and fun. The Carole/Cam friendship continues, Stevie and Phil are as strong as ever (I realized during the reading of this that they are actually one of my favourite literary couples, they are just so sweet!), and Lisa likes a sweet but forgettable boy called Bob, which leads to another of my favourite Stevie Lake lines:
' "Oh, Stevie, Lisa breathed, watching him leave. Can you believe he baby-sits? How adorable!"
"My mother always says it's important for a man to have a job," Stevie pointed out.
"He's perfect," Lisa said with a loud sigh.'

I'm not sure why that exchange tickles me so much, but it always makes me laugh. I love when Stevie wisely deals out love advice. This is one of her less profound observations, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Also, a hayride birthday party sounds quite fun! 🎂🎁🎈🍕

[Stefanie Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book, the crew is planning a moonlight hayride for Carole's birthday. Boys will also be present at this first co-ed party. The barn pest, Veronica, is throwing a little fit. Nothing new about that. She is going to try to crash the party, and also plans to swipe someone's boyfriend. I can't stand that girl. Decent book.

[Berita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the Norwegian edition.

[Sarah Tummey]

A very quick read. Saddle Club came from my childhood, but growing up, I didn't get beyond the firs 30 books. This was fun.

[Aurora Brett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hay ride

I really liked this book because it was still really about horses but also had romance I can not wait not read the next book 😀

[Anita Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great!

I chose this book because i love the saddle club books. This book was a good. I would recommend it to ages 9-13.

[Jenn Puggini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book about friendship and planning the perfect party for their best friend, while also finding the perfect present as well. Good read!

[Margo]

the girls plan a hayride for Carole's birthday, Carole injures her ankle prior to it and is on crutches for her birthday, there are booooys in this book

[Sue Ann Dashnaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series
love the horse stories
and the characters

[Jemma:) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was super good, it was about Carole planing her hayride birthday party

[Hazel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good series for horse crazy young teens. I loved it when I was younger.