A Blue for Beware

From School Library Journal Grade 3-5?A horse show is intrinsically exciting for any child who has ever experienced one, and for Lily, who is showing her mare, Beware, for the first time, the day is filled with emotion. Her family is there to root her on; her best friend is showing, as well. All of the ups and downs of the competition are here. Lily is frustrated in an early class when an excellent performance and a competitor's missteps are overlooked by the judge. In a jumping class, her perfect round is too slow to win the blue. She finally does place first in barrel racing, but her real triumph is learning to accept whatever the day brings and maintaining her friendship with Mandy despite the sometimes heated competition between them. Although the junior horse-show scenario is almost a cliche in the horse-story genre, Haas handles it well?it seems neither predictable nor hackneyed. The characterization is good, the plot is involving, and the writing is smooth. Although this is a sequel to Beware the Mare (Greenwillow, 1993), the book stands on its own. A satisfying story that should please young readers and riders.?Louise L. Sherman, Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Scientific American A satisfying story of friendship. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.