Janet Lambert

Janet Lambert was an Army wife, and began her writing career by writing stories for her daughter.  Before her marriage, she worked as an actress and playwright with a repertory company touring the US.  After her marriage during World War I to Captain Kent Lambert, her acting career was curtailed.  She wrote widely; with most of her stories being about girls and their families on military bases around the country.  Although some of her other books have horses in them, and characters who appear in different series, only one set, the Dria Meredith trilogy, are truly horse books.  The first two books are set on Dria’s grandmother’s farm in Virginia, where she first meets her horse Star Dream.  The third, High Hurdles, sees Dria at her senior year in High School, with Star Dream entered for the National Horse Show.  

The current publishers of the series, Image Cascade, in their description of the second book, Summer for Seven, say “the group of teens have great fun at Lane Acres as they run the washing machine, help with household chores, plant and weed a garden and sell their produce...” which to my jaundiced eye, sounds more like a scene from fantasy and certainly not like any teenager I know, but maybe it really was all different back then. 

None of the Dria Meredith books were published in the UK, but they are still in print in America (for which please see the link below).  The series was printed originally by E P Dutton, and was later reprinted by Grosset & Dunlap, though sometimes with different cover art.  None of the books are hard to find.  

Many thanks to Susan Bourgeau for providing the information and pictures for this section.

Links and Sources
The Dria Meredith series is in print again: Image Cascade have published it. Details can be found here.

Star Dream

E P Dutton, New York,1951, cover art uncredited
Reprinted by Grosset & Dunlap, New York
Reprinted in pb by Image Cascade

Dria is sent to stay with relatives, and expects she will have a dreadful summer until she discovers the family
have horses:  though they are soon to be sold.

Summer for Seven

E P Dutton, New York, 1952, cover art uncredited
Reprinted by Grosset & Dunlap, New York
Reprinted in pb by Image Cascade

Dria and six of her friends are summering at her grandmother’s.  Dria is schooling Star Dream while her
friends are keeping house.

High Hurdles

E P Dutton, New York, 1955, cover art uncredited
Reprinted by Grosset & Dunlap, New York
Reprinted in pb by Image Cascade

Dria has entered senior year, and is going to edit the school newspaper.  Then her grandmother changes her
plans when she asks her to school Star Dream and go to New York for the National Horse Show.

Everygirls Horse Stories

Grossett & Dunlap, New York, 1956, illus Richard H Burhans

Tall as the Stars appeared in Everygirls’ Horse Stories and

The American Girl Book of Horse Stories

Random House 1963, illus Sam Savitt

Short stories: