Saturday, November 9, 2013

Stolen! A Pony Called Pebbles by Wendy Orr -- ESSENTIAL

Orr, Wendy Stolen! A Pony Called Pebbles (Rainbow Street Shelter #5), illustrated by Patricia Castelao, 121 pgs. Henry Holt and Company, 2012.

Amy has always loved horses, but she knows she'll never be able to have one. Not only would it be too big to fit in her backyard, but it would be too expensive, too. But when she finds a dirty, starving horse trapped inside a rusty, makeshift corral, she sees her chance to help out -- while also finally fulfilling her dream of riding a horse.

I enjoyed this one very much and can see it being popular with the horse-loving crowd. The plot had enough twists to keep it suspenseful, and I found myself rooting for both Amy and Pebbles the whole way. Yes, the ending is extremely sappy and a bit unrealistic, but the wish-fulfillment is part of the fun. It was also interesting to learn a little more about horses throughout. Although it is part of the Rainbow Street Shelter series, it stands on its own quite nicely, which I appreciated.

EL -- ESSENTIAL. Reviewer: Caryn.

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