Elizabeth Lindsay

Jane Badger Books

Elizabeth Lindsay

Elizabeth Lindsay had an adventurous childhood: she used to ride the Corporation horses bareback in their field in Southampton, where she grew up. She didn’t fall off the horses, but extended operations to bullocks, which wasn’t such a success, as she was bucked off. Road investigations weren’t a success either: she explored a hole in the road and ended up with a cut that needed 14 stitches. She has a much less adventurous life now, and no longer rides or explores holes. After training as a teacher at the Central School of Speech and Drama, she became a puppeteer in the TV series Pipkins, playing Topov the monkey, and Octavia the ostrich. She wrote two series of Heggarty Heggarty, and has recently written for The Hoobs.

Elizabeth Lindsay has written two pony series: the first, the Midnight Dancer series, is a traditional pony series, where the heroine, Mory, gets a pony and then has a series of adventures. Midnight Dancer was based on her own first pony, acquired as an adult, Hot Shot. She lived for a while in Wales, which provided the background for the books. Her more recent series, Magic Pony, follow the modern fashion of combining fantasy with ponies.

Finding the books: All the Midnight Dancer books are all out of print, but are easy to find, and not at all expensive. The Magic Pony series is still in print.

Sources and links:
Elizabeth Lindsay’s website
A profile of Elizabeth Lindsay
A short review

Midnight Dancer: To Catch a Thief

Scholastic, London, 1993, illus Linda Boddy, 154 pp.

“Mory, Josh and Cara are convinced that Royden Jones is a burglar, but how can they prove it? When it looks as though Royden is about to seal Mory’s Mother’s sapphire nechlace, Mory has to rely on her wits, and Midnight Dancer, to save the day.”

Midnight Dancer

Scholastic, London, 1993, illus Linda Boddy, 154 pp.

Mory is thrilled when she finds a pony which doesn't seem to belong to anyone, and she is determined to keep it.
However, the pony does have an owner: t he nasty Mr Lewis.

Midnight Dancer: Running Free

Scholastic, pb, 1995. 177 pp. Illus Linda Boddy.

“It’s an exciting time for Mory and Midnight Dancer. They’re preparing for the Penyworlod Show, and Mory
is determined to show Caroline Spencer that Dancer is the best pony, and the best jumper, in the whole
world! But preparation for the show is overshadowed when a dog starts worrying Uncle Glyn’s sheep. Mory
must get to the bottom of it, and prove that Lionel’s new dog Ben is not guilty.”

Midnight Dancer: Fireraisers

Scholastic, pb, 1995, 170 pp. Illus Linda Boddy.

“Mory’s finding life at the farm pretty interesting this summer. First there’s Felix. Mory knows he’s bad
news - a liar and a troublemaker. Then there are the backpackers, camping on Uncle Glyn’s farm.
They must follow his strict rules, otherwise they’re out. But one of them, Hickman, doesn’t care about
rules. And he loves playing with fire... “

Midnight Dancer: Joyriders

Scholastic, pb, 1997, 180 pp. Illus Linda Boddy

“Things are looking bad for Mory. Her old enemy, Caroline, has got her twin cousins to stay and the three of them
seem determined to make Mory's life a misery. However, when one of the twins' tricks goes wrong, it's down to
Mory and Midnight Dancer to face the danger and get them out of trouble.”

Midnight Dancer: Ride by Night

Scholastic, pb, 1997, 185 pp. Illus Linda Boddy.

“Mory’s best friend Hannah has come to stay, and Mory’s looking forward to a fantastic time. Riding
Midnight Ddancer, exploring the hills with Hannah and her other friends.... Then Uncle Glyn’s sheep
start to go missing. Mory and her friends set out to find the thieves. But this time they may have
Bitten off more than they can chew.”