Pamela Reynolds

Horseshoe Hill

Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co., New York,1965, illus Harold Berson

“Tibby found it hard being the tallest girl in her seventh grade class, but it was harder still when
the Bennett family moved from New York City to an old farm on Horseshoe Hill Road in Dutchess
County. Would the children in the country school like her, Tibby wondered? And most important -
would they make fun of her height? That first night on Horseshoe Hill, Tibby thought she saw
something moving in the stable behind the house. The “something” turned out to be Warlord,
an unwanted old horse, skinny and unkempt, left behind by the former owner who could find no
buyer for him. Tibby -- who has never before had a pet bigger than a goldfish -- takes an interest.”

A Different Kind of Sister

Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Co. 1968, New York, cover art by Rob Howard

“Sally’s hand rested on the clothes rack as she stared into the closet. She wanted to look just right, in case the girls
at Gun Hill should see her riding Whim today. The whole summer rolled out before her -- full of adventures, all of them
on horseback, all of them with Amy Whitlowe and her friends…. But then the nagging thought came again, draining
her energy, darkening her hopes. What would they say if they knew about her sister? At Gun Hill there was no excuse
for imperfection. How then would she, a newcomer, explain this sister of hers -- who looked like a grown woman but
had the mind of a child? And was the bond of sisterhood enough to compensate for the losses she knew were
inevitable? “

Pamela Reynolds wrote two horse books. She and her family (she had three children) owned three at the time her books were written, for whom they acted as “stable hands, grooms, and occasionally nursemaids.” Pamela Reynolds also painted, and worked at her local library in “a program designed to revive the art of storytelling to children.”

Many thanks to Susan Bourgeau for all her help with the content of this page.

Finding the books: Horseshoe Hill is easy to find, and generally cheap; A Different Kind of Star is very easy to find, and is very rarely expensive.

Links and Sources:

Dustjackets of the books

There’s a review of A Different Kind of Sister here.