Heather Takes the Reins (Magic Attic Club) [Hardcover]

S.Sinykin (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up | Series: Magic Attic Club

A trip to the magic attic and a talk with her father help Heather understand that winning a contest does not depend on only one member of a team.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Magic Attic; 1st edition (May 14, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1575130203
• ISBN-13: 978-1575130200
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,528,608 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in Chicago, but grew up in Sacramento, CA. After I graduated from Stanford University, I worked in the Midwest as a newspaper reporter, a hospital PR director, and the assistant director of a convention and visitors bureau. I began writing books for children when my youngest son was born, and collected 156 rejections before my first book sale six years later. In the 1990s, I published seventeen books for young readers, including eight as lead author of the Magic Attic Club. After a long period of loss and writer's block, I earned my MFA in Writing for Children at Vermont College. My critical thesis was entitled "Good Grief: Making Death and Bereavement Authentic for Middle Grade Readers." GIVING UP THE GHOST is the first published book of my "second career." It was inspired by my mother's eight-and-a-half-year battle with Stage 4B endometrial cancer, my own work as a hospice volunteer, and a love affair with New Orleans that began when our middle son attended Tulane.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for people who are interested in horses., October 8, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Heather Takes the Reins (Magic Attic Club) (Hardcover)

I've read this book six times and I'm still not tired of it!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not For True Horse Lovers, January 13, 2006

By 

Equestrianne365 "Appaloosa lover" (Vermont) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heather Takes the Reins (Magic Attic Club) (Hardcover)

Nice enough for the third grade girl going through a "horses are cool" phase, but not exactly realistic. First of all, the illustrations are really screwed up. The horse looks like a stuffed animal. And also, since when do people ride full show regalia hours before the show? Wouldn't their breeches and jackets get dirty? I share the sentiments of another reviewer, too: dressage is not at all unatural; quite the contrary, actually. it is one of the most natural forms of riding. And the author says western saddles have things to "hold onto". Does she mean the horn? Because that really isn't a handle. And eventing isn't just called eventing at Olympic level! I could go on and on about this parody of dressage and overall horsemanship, but I have better things to do with my time. Go ahead, buy it if you don't care about petty mistakes, but be warned: this book has some issues with truth.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Incorrect Facts, November 9, 2005

By 

Flame_926 "flame_926" (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heather Takes the Reins (Paperback)

The "Learn More About It" section in this book should caution any horse rider who knows dressage from buying this book for a child. It says "Dressage taught [horses] to perform unnatural moves, such as leaping about...". Dressage is definitely NOT unnatural. Horses at play from very young ages do most dressage movements naturally, it is just a matter of a rider associating the movements to cues.

Additionally, some of the horse facts were incorrect in this book such as the main character wearing "pinks" or a red hunt coat used by a hunt master in a fox hunt (or a grand-prix show jumper, normally over the age of twenty-five). As the character wearing the jacket was about eight years old it was a wrong thing to write.

I'd recommend buying a "Pony Tails" book by Bonnie Bryant instead of this one for a child, Bryant is better with facts.