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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
These books were a huge part of my childhood, and even though I read them quite a few years ago, I know I must have enjoyed them since I insisted on continuing to read the entire 20-something book series. Therefore, I'm sure I'd recommend them to another horse-loving preteen, but I'm sure not many other people would appreciate them. Still a very good read, and I remember never being able to put them down.
This is another series I got into around the time of Heartland. My aunt bought me the first of this series. I did enjoy the change of scenery from english riding in both Heartland and Thoroughbred and the story of Zanzibar and Sam is every horse lover's dream. However, as the series wore on, I started to grow detached. I have to read the last four books or so, but for the sake of saying I read them all, I will read them. I already own all of them so I won't let my money go to waste, or my mom's money, I should say since she bought a majority of them. I am curious to see how the final book ends.
This series was one of my faves when I was younger so I decided to reread. It's honestly pretty solid. The characters are interesting and I love how focused it is on horses.
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I've decided to reread this series, which my sister and I loved when we were kids. She was the real horse girl between us, while I read anything I could get my hands on (this has not changed). I have fond memories of these books and the nostalgia just kept hitting as I revisited this one! Familiar characters and even turns of phrase had me running to tell my sister, and we've come to the conclusion that this series was literally formative for us. Like, you can trace some of our preferences and personality quirks back to it. It's amazing.
All sentiment aside, the story is a strong one, with Sam returning to River Bend Ranch two years after her accident, seeking to prove she belongs there rather than in the city, and of course protecting the freedom of her horse, Blackie. The descriptions of ranch life and cowboy culture, and of the bond between humans and horses, are as absorbing as they were when I was younger. And I'm excited to watch Sam grow over the course of this series, all over again.
All sentiment aside, the story is a strong one, with Sam returning to River Bend Ranch two years after her accident, seeking to prove she belongs there rather than in the city, and of course protecting the freedom of her horse, Blackie. The descriptions of ranch life and cowboy culture, and of the bond between humans and horses, are as absorbing as they were when I was younger. And I'm excited to watch Sam grow over the course of this series, all over again.
adventurous
lighthearted
Alright I decided to reread this whole series to justify it occupying one of my kitchen shelves instead of like, dishes. So far it has a secure home up there.
Sam returns to her family ranch 2 years after a freak riding accident that caused her family to send her away to resume her life of being a cowgirl. The horse Sam fell off of was her own half-mustang colt that she raised and trained, and spooked as he was he took off for the open range to join the bands of wild horses that roam the Nevada deserts. After a mysterious silver stallion visits Sam in the dead of night, she realizes that her once-black colt turned grey as he grew up, just like his sire. Unfortunately, this flashy silver stallion is the target of some bad-actors who would rather capture him and break his spirit than let him run free. This theme is present through this book and the rest of the series if I remember right.
Something that I think is cool is how this series gives representation of a group of girls who don’t get a lot of good role models in books: 13 year olds. Middle Grade fiction is for the age group of 8-12. Young Adult fiction is heavily dominated by characters that are 15 and older (and are commonly written as if they should be in college, not highschool). and the 13 & 14 year olds get the short end of the stick, for the most part they can read about characters younger than them or characters older, with issues they don’t always relate to. But Sam is 13 at the introduction of this series and she reminds me of myself at that age. Sam is very passionate about what she loves, which is mostly just horses. She understands that owning a ranch is hard work and everyone has to pitch in to get everything done. She does her part with minimal complaining, she does have gripes about chores sometimes but she mostly keeps those to her internal monologue because as much as she hates some work, someone has to do it and it all is a part of the reason she gets to ride a really cool horse every day. Sometimes she is careless, sometimes she doesn’t think about how her actions might impact others, sometimes she gets so excited focusing on one thing that she just forgets about her other responsibilities. She has a pretty good head on her shoulders but the author never lets us forget that she is 13 still and I think it is so well done.
This was one of my absolute favorite series as a kid and I'm so delighted that it is still every bit as magical now that I'm older.
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Sam returns to her family ranch 2 years after a freak riding accident that caused her family to send her away to resume her life of being a cowgirl. The horse Sam fell off of was her own half-mustang colt that she raised and trained, and spooked as he was he took off for the open range to join the bands of wild horses that roam the Nevada deserts. After a mysterious silver stallion visits Sam in the dead of night, she realizes that her once-black colt turned grey as he grew up, just like his sire. Unfortunately, this flashy silver stallion is the target of some bad-actors who would rather capture him and break his spirit than let him run free. This theme is present through this book and the rest of the series if I remember right.
Something that I think is cool is how this series gives representation of a group of girls who don’t get a lot of good role models in books: 13 year olds. Middle Grade fiction is for the age group of 8-12. Young Adult fiction is heavily dominated by characters that are 15 and older (and are commonly written as if they should be in college, not highschool). and the 13 & 14 year olds get the short end of the stick, for the most part they can read about characters younger than them or characters older, with issues they don’t always relate to. But Sam is 13 at the introduction of this series and she reminds me of myself at that age. Sam is very passionate about what she loves, which is mostly just horses. She understands that owning a ranch is hard work and everyone has to pitch in to get everything done. She does her part with minimal complaining, she does have gripes about chores sometimes but she mostly keeps those to her internal monologue because as much as she hates some work, someone has to do it and it all is a part of the reason she gets to ride a really cool horse every day. Sometimes she is careless, sometimes she doesn’t think about how her actions might impact others, sometimes she gets so excited focusing on one thing that she just forgets about her other responsibilities. She has a pretty good head on her shoulders but the author never lets us forget that she is 13 still and I think it is so well done.
This was one of my absolute favorite series as a kid and I'm so delighted that it is still every bit as magical now that I'm older.
Book Blog
Booktok
I loved these books in my preteen years! I was so sad when I wasn't able to find them at my bookstore anymore. As an animal lover, I really connected with the story growing up.