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Post by Claire on Apr 5, 2013 11:35:26 GMT 1
Hi all, something a bit different this month. If you have been reading the next month's author thread you will know that, because a lot of British forum members hadn't read that many American authors, it was thought that it would be quite hard to feature a particular one. So we decided instead to feature all USA authors and books. So what are your fav American authors, stories and characters? What books would our American friends recommend we not miss. Are there any differences between British and USA pony books? Do you prefer USA or UK stories and if so why? If you're a Brit, have you read many USA pony books and if not why? And anything else related to American horse stories you'd like to discuss... The reading circle book this month will also be a bit different. Susan suggested we all pick an American horse story of our own choosing, then in the reading circle thread say what we liked/disliked about it. It will be a little like a mini version of the summer reading programme we did last year. I've set up the thread on the link below: USA books reading circle threadI'll also be adding a quiz later on today. EDIT - we already have polls for top USA authors and books from the days we did the top 10s. Here are links if you didn't vote at the time or you would like to change your vote: Top 10 USA books pollTop 10 USA authors poll
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2013 14:15:39 GMT 1
I guess I haven't read many American books because there are so many British ones I still want to read.
A friend of mine looked at my bookshelves and said, "blimey you must have every pony book ever written!"
Er.... no, there are millions of them out there! I only have a small collection too!
If only I had a library and pots of money...I'd soon fill it ;D
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Post by Claire on Apr 5, 2013 16:15:30 GMT 1
A friend of mine looked at my bookshelves and said, "blimey you must have every pony book ever written!" Er.... no, there are millions of them out there! I only have a small collection too! Hehe Rosie, my friend said exactly the same thing to me! Which USA authors have you read Rosie - did you enjoy them? Until I started this forum/website I hadn't read that many American ones either, just those that were popular in the UK, like the Black Stallion series, Marguerite Henry's Misty books, Mary O'Hara, etc. In fact I didnt realise the genre was so popular in the USA. There are perhaps even more USA horse books than British ones!
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2013 18:27:28 GMT 1
The only ones I've read are some of the black stallions, the misty ones, and Mary O'Hara. I didn't like any of them The only others I have read are Horse in the House, love it! and the one I'm doing for the reading circle Afraid to Ride. I haven't even read all the PT sisters books yet or Monica Edwards and there's tons of them! I'm sure I will read more American books at some point, it's good to know I'll never run out of pony books to read anyway ;D
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Post by Claire on Apr 5, 2013 19:58:49 GMT 1
Surprised you didn't like the Misty books Rosie, although I know the Black Stallions & Mary O'Haras are not to everyone's taste. What didn't you like about them?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2013 20:12:38 GMT 1
Surprised you didn't like the Misty books Rosie, although I know the Black Stallions & Mary O'Haras are not to everyone's taste. What didn't you like about them? I think I'm getting a bit confused! I haven't read the Misty books, I was thinking of the Silver Brumby ones and they aren't American Doh! I'm not keen on wild horse stories, don't know why they just don't appeal to me.
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Post by Claire on Apr 5, 2013 20:50:10 GMT 1
I think you'll like the Misty books then rosie!
There are more wild horse stories in American books than British ones (in fact there are hardly any Brit ones I suppose as we don't have the open countryside like USA and Oz do) In fact one of the most popular themes is the young boy captures and tames wild horse story which I am not always keen on, as in a lot of cases I would rather the poor horse stayed free. I didn't used to like 'ranch' type stories much but then I started to find a few I really liked such as the Golden Stallion books.
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Post by Claire on Apr 8, 2013 12:53:03 GMT 1
Hi all, as some Brits who like traditional pony stories are put off trying American horse stories because there are so many of the ranch/wild horse/cowboy and other elements which are quite different, I thought it would be nice if we could compile a list of USA books which are very similar to British pony stories, ie. more orientated around a pony club type of scene, riding schools, gymkhanas, horse rescue and what not. I hope our American friends can come up with a few suggestions. Here's some of my own:
Jean Slaughter Doty - Summer Pony, Winter Pony, Can I get there by Candlelight
Jane McIlvaine - the Cammie series
Selma Hudnut - A Horse of Her Own
Alison Hart - Shadow Horse, Whirlwind, Riding Academy series
Chris St. John - Blue Ribbon series
Marguerite Henry - Misty series
Sharon Wagner - Gypsy series
Virginia Vail - If Wishes Were Horses
Patsey Gray - Jumping Jack
Marion Holland - The Secret Horse
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Post by rallycairn on Apr 8, 2013 13:28:29 GMT 1
Although I love them, the Sharon Wagner Gypsy books are set out west, though they are still a lot of fun! And though they ride western, they ride to have adventures and practice for gymkhanas and such rather than ropin' and herdin' and so forth. Patsey Gray -- I'd add Blue Ribbon Summer (my fave of hers) and Horsepower, both very English riding and show-oriented. Lavinia Davis's Hobby Horse Hill or Sandy's Spurs -- great fun, lots of horsey care and knowledge worked in without being bombastic, lots of emphasis on putting the horse first and loving the horse rather than winning the show or whatever (tho there are shows and competitions). Strong sense of place/setting. These are older books now that reflect their time, but also refer back to earlier times with their strong/historical settings, especially Sandy's Spurs. Barbara Holland's The Pony Problem -- though more about the struggles to just have a pony and to fit in in the suburbanized world than about riding and training, this is an excellent book! And there is some good horsey stuff, such as our heroine and her pony getting into scrapes and having to jump out of an above-ground swimming pool! If you know the song "Little Boxes," this is like a horse story with the same theme. ("Little boxes on the hillside, little boxes made of ticky tacky, little boxes on the hillside, little boxes all the same.") Sam Savitt's Vicky books (Vicky and the Black Horse; Vicky and the Brown Mare) -- both excellent and very much about schooling, showing, foxhunting, etc. Claire already mentioned McIlvaine's Cammie books, but really anything by her is going to be strongly about English riding. I like Cintra's Challenge and, slightly less, Copper's Chance. I think of Cintra's Challenge as my fave of her books, but don't have a copy and haven't read it since childhood, so an adult re-read might make me change my mind. Still I'm confident that it's worth a try, however, and check out the absolutely gorgeous cover on the original edition. www.janebadgerbooks.co.uk/usa/mcilvainebib1.html Will you forgive me if I trot out my Connie's Conundrum joke again? (poking a bit of fun at her alliterative titles -- I think Connie's Conundrum is about the only thing she left out, and she already used "challenge" twice! lol)
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Post by susanb on Apr 8, 2013 14:43:24 GMT 1
So many to add!
I'd start with three we've done for the reading circle, for those who missed them...check out the threads for details!:
Horse in the House by William Corbin Dark Horse of Woodfield by Florence Hightower The Perfect Distance by Kim Ablon Whitney
Jessie Haas: Keeping Barney - trials, tribulations and joys of girl caring for/riding a borrowed horse A Horse Like Barney - girl searching for horse of her own..must be JUST LIKE Barney. Or not? Working Trot - 18 year old boy forgoes college (against parents wishes) to train professionally for dressage
Suzanne Wilding: Dream Pony for Robin - girl wants to graduate from donkey to pony...but is she ready? Big Jump for Robin - girls family falls on hard times, she sells her pony to help out, and winds up teaching the pony's new owner to ride Harlequin Horse - Wendy, Robin's older sister, takes on a horse in trouble, from an equally troubled owner *a note, this trilogy is unusual in that the books are for progressively older readers: the first is an early reader, the second a middle grade, the last for teens...K.M. Peyton-ish in fact
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Post by susanb on Apr 8, 2013 14:55:08 GMT 1
For mystery lovers:
Claire Birch's Galloping Detective series - girl trains for Maclay Medal (the top junior equitation award in the US) on catch rides (borrowed horses), while solving mysteries that crop up. Don't let the absolutely horrid covers put you off, it's really a good series
Triple Threat Tight Spot Collision Course Double Danger False Lead Near Miss High Stakes
Pat Johnson & Barbara van Tuyl's Bonnie series - girl rescues Thoroughbred filly and discovers she is more than what she seems . For an older reader: mystery, racing, a touch of romance
The Sweet Running Filly A Horse Called Bonnie Sunbonnet: Filly of the Year Bonnie and the Haunted Farm The Betrayal of Bonnie
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Post by susanb on Apr 8, 2013 15:04:24 GMT 1
Believe it or not:
Horsemasters by Don Stanford - boys and girls study for their Horsemasters certificate
Holiday Summer by Decie Merwin - girl from Virginia spends summer holiday on farm in England. Original US title Somerhaze Farm.
People tend to think these books are British, but they're not....both are set in England, but they're American books!
Horsemasters tends to be a tough find, and expensive (even given that it had two hardcover and three paperback editions!)
Holiday Summer is actually easier to find in the UK than the US, as it had a Collins Seagull Library printing and a Children's Press edition
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2013 15:05:32 GMT 1
Sorry just butting in here to say I've just remembered I've read Jean Slaughter Doty's Can I get there by candlelight and loved it! And my favourite book of all time is Don Stanford's Horsemasters. I read Cammie's Challenge and hated it I've read more American authors than I thought! Great lists Claire rally and susan, a lot of food for thought so far
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Post by susanb on Apr 8, 2013 15:07:07 GMT 1
btw, rally, I love that Cintra's Challenge cover too...it's by Manning dev Lee
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Post by susanb on Apr 8, 2013 15:10:10 GMT 1
I loved almost all of Jean Slaughter Doty's work, rosie...the only one that left me cold was If Wishes Were Horses...and if I remember correctly, Claire liked that one! I think it goes to show that you really don't know what you'll like till you try it...not just from one country's authors to another, but from one book to another by the same author! For instance, I LOVE most all of Patricia Leitch's stand alone books, but the Jinny series...not so much
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Post by susanb on Apr 8, 2013 15:56:44 GMT 1
For those who love historic settings:
Diane Lee Wilson
I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade - Mongolian Steppes Firehorse - Boston
Both in print and available from Book Depository or Amazon UK - in paperback or as ebooks
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Post by Claire on Apr 23, 2013 19:45:51 GMT 1
Hi all, just wondered if anyone has any views on what they consider the differences between UK and USA pony books (if any). For me I think the main difference is the fact that horse stories in the USA are far less female orientated than ours. Although the PTs were pretty good with male heroes and important characters, most of our pony stories had female characters and were aimed at females. Whereas there were loads of American pony books aimed at boys. Also more male pony book authors! Obviously this reflects the different attitude with riding being seen as macho in the USA (no doubt coming from the cowboy era) whereas here it has often been thought a bit sissy and girlish. I must day when I look at old annual type/story books aimed at boys from the 1950s, etc, there are no horse stories, its all football, cricket, mysteries, etc, but similar books from the USA have lots of horse stories in them. This also gets into a whole larger area about whether kids books need to be aimed at the same sex as the character, which I think is worthy of a thread of its own! (If you are interested in this question the thread is hereObviously there is also the Western and ranch type story too, which we dont have at all! I didn't used to like these much but after reading a few I found myself warming to them. Thirdly, USA books have much much more books about wild horses. Again I suppose its a geographic thing, with so many mustangs around. Unfortunately a lot of the stories are pretty much the same, with some young boy seeing a magnificent wild horse and wanting to tame it. Why they can't just appreciate the creature in its natural habitat I don't know but I guess its a man thing!
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Post by susanb on Apr 23, 2013 20:47:49 GMT 1
I'd agree that geography plain and simple does account for some of the differences (more open spaces)....but I'd disagree on the "why can't they just appreciate the creature in it's natural habit" being a) a natural reaction, b) boys only or c) US only......the girl in Stephen Mogridge's New Forest series cannot WAIT to get her hot little hands on one of the wild foals! And the siblings in CPT's Phantom Horse are barely in the country before they're tracking him down!
In the US, Dorothy Lyons girls go after wild horses in Silver Birch and Dark Sunshine, and brother and sister in the Misty books want to capture and tame the Phantom, though in the end they let her go.
And really, who wouldn't want a lovely horse if they saw him/her? And who says nature is all that fab....is the horse better off being adored by a little girl or eaten by a mountain lion? (Full disclosure: I find books about wild horses deadly dull, and often awfully Garden-of-Eden-before-the-snake-implausibly-Utopian)
In general (and there are certainly exceptions to everything), I'd say there are more books featuring boys, and not just in the ranching and racing genres, though I think you're right, the fact that those exist makes it more acceptable for boys to ride, even if they're riding dressage!
There is a wider diversity of riding disciplines - racing (flat, steeplechase, harness, quarter horse), ranching, rodeo, English hunt, dressage, showjumping, polo, endurance, pleasure, backyard ponies, etc.
There is an emphasis on children learning responsibility....not just responsibility for themselves or for caring for their mounts, but to family, community, etc. (I'm guessing this might be why librarians in the US LOVED horse books).
There are probably more books in which children are working with horses rather than having them for pleasure. I'm leaving aside the "lets start our own riding school/treking center/pet service!" type books....I mean the books where kids are expected to work on ranches (Golden Stallion by Rutherford Montgomery), ride in shows on a professional basis (Horsepower, Challenger by Patsey Gray) are professional race riders (Black Stallion) or grooms (Little Vic by Doris Gates, Man o'War by Walter Farley). Again, you can certainly find British books that fit that description, but I think it's somewhat less common.
Hmmm....will have to continue thinking.........
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Post by Claire on Apr 23, 2013 21:32:00 GMT 1
There is an emphasis on children learning responsibility....not just responsibility for themselves or for caring for their mounts, but to family, community, etc. (I'm guessing this might be why librarians in the US LOVED horse books). There are probably more books in which children are working with horses rather than having them for pleasure. I'm leaving aside the "lets start our own riding school/treking center/pet service!" type books....I mean the books where kids are expected to work on ranches (Golden Stallion by Rutherford Montgomery), ride in shows on a professional basis (Horsepower, Challenger by Patsey Gray) are professional race riders (Black Stallion) or grooms (Little Vic by Doris Gates, Man o'War by Walter Farley). Again, you can certainly find British books that fit that description, but I think it's somewhat less common. Hmmm....will have to continue thinking......... Certainly agree with these 2 points. I think Americans put more store on children learning responsibility, doing chores, etc than we do across here. At least back in the heyday of the horse story era. And there does tend to be more of a moral agenda/something beyond the bare bones of a horse story in the US stuff as compared to a lot of Brit books. You know I just thought of a book we should have done for this theme - Riders From Afar by CPT! The whole thing is comparing the British and American child/attitudes/riding etc. Not sure how true it was. I know CPT did visit America, so some of it must have come from her experiences but the American kids did seem to follow all the stereotypes, bigger, louder, more independant & grown up than our kids, etc. Have you read this one susan & rally?
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Post by susanb on Apr 23, 2013 21:40:57 GMT 1
I have read it, and I did think the Americans were a little stereotyped. Though, thinking of it, maybe more for a pony book than for books generally?
I mean, children in US pony books do seem to skew more mature than the UK children of the same age.
But in other books....Drina, of Mabel Esther Allan's series (written as Jean Estoril) is very mature. And Worrals, by W.E. Johns, is far more mature than her 18 year old contemporary Nancy Drew. (Of course, war ages you fast!)
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Post by Claire on Apr 23, 2013 22:44:50 GMT 1
Actually I agree that in those days they probably were more mature in general, due to what you saying about the work ethic, more responsibility round home, etc. But surely the American kids weren't all huge and super-confident compared to the Brits. (Mind you in post war Britain with rationing, could explain the puny size of British children ) But for a really dreadful, stereotyped to the nth degree, American character check out Zerelda in the Malory Towers series by Enid Blyton!
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Post by Claire on May 5, 2013 10:47:18 GMT 1
And really, who wouldn't want a lovely horse if they saw him/her? And who says nature is all that fab....is the horse better off being adored by a little girl or eaten by a mountain lion? Don't totally agree with this. I mean surely people can appreciate animals in the wild without wanting to own them. Yeah, I know what you mean about some people trying to make living in the wild into some sort of Utopia, I know it can be pretty brutal. But bringing all animals into captivity is not the answer. I'd prefer the story to be about someone trying to help the conditions of wild horses - of which there are a few, but not many. I agree that sometimes girls do want to catch the wild horses too (altho with Jean and Phantom he wasn't actually a wild horse but a tame one who had escaped) but there are far more stories about boys seeing magnificent wild stallions and vowing to own them, its almost a sub-genre of its own. BTW not overly keen on wild horse stories myself. They are either of the Utopia variety or if realistic, often violent and unpleasant. And can be deadly dull. Its a hard subject to tackle.
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Post by tintin on Jun 7, 2013 21:22:31 GMT 1
I am just catching up here. Black Horse of Culver was my US book.
I like the Worrals books, but she was a military officer and so had to be a bit mature - at least on duty
I think it is interesting to compare the US Cammie with the British Jackie, both roughly the same age. They are both equally mature and immature, but in different ways.
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