The Thunderbolt Pony

I love animal stories. And I love stories of girls overcoming hardship which helps them grow into accomplished women. The Thunderbolt Pony is a fulfilling story of trust, friendship, willpower, and understanding between a girl and her three pets.At first, I seemed to have nothing in common with Evie. She is young, she lives on a farm in New Zealand, which I know nothing about. And she has OCD, a mental disorder often brought on by trauma. But, I found as the story progressed that I related very strongly to Evie. She struggles with things anyone who has ever been 12 can relate to. She feels that she doesn't fit in, she feels that she's to blame for bad things happening, and she has a dream that she doesn't know how to fulfil. Her animals bring her courage through a devastating earthquake, and in turn, she refuses to be evacuated herself if it means leaving her best friend, her pony Gus.So begins her harrowing journey over miles and miles of rugged backcountry New Zealand to get to the harbor where the rescue ship will be waiting. Some of the adventures the four go through reminded me very much of The Longest Journey. The teamwork, fierce loyalty and determination of all of them is just as inspiring.I found Evie to be the most courageous after it seems she has reached her goal, then hits one more major obstacle.This is a very well-written heartwarming tale of four inseparable friends. It's not just for girls who love horses.

This book fulls you up with mixed emotions, happiness sadness and scaredness. This book builds up your excitement and you find yourself saying, "whats going to happen next" or " its to exciting" or " why am I crying" and then they crash the excitement on you and you find yourself with a wet pillow. This book could defiantly keep someone awake all night reading it. Stacy gregg has never failed to write an exciting sad or just an absolutely excellent book and I don't think she ever will.

Not for young children. Starts with a teenage in a therapy appointment. My daughter is 5, so we changed to a more appropriate book.

This book is perfect for any animal loving young readers out there, particularly horse-adoring girls. Not only because of Evie’s amazing journey with her three animal friends, across the earthquake torn South Island of New Zealand, but because it also delves deeper.There is plenty of excitement to be faced as Evie, her pony Gus, her dog Jock and her incredible cat Moxy travel alone, but there are other things to also face – such as Evie’s OCD. I thought this was handled incredibly well, from the causes through to her therapy and how it impacted her life. Evie’s been through a lot, even before the earthquake crushes her house, injures her mother and leaves her traveling for days all on her own, but this story tells it brilliantly in a mix of flashbacks and present adventure, with a lot of Greek mythology thrown in for good measure.I really enjoyed this. Evie’s troubles are sensitively handled and all of her animal friends have distinct personalities. Gus is steady and Jock is friendly, but I loved Moxy the most. That cat definitely lives up to her name.Packed with adventure and danger, heartache and excitement, this book is about more than one incredible journey. It’s about friendship and loyalty, mental health and grief, and also the kind of determination that saves lives and changes worlds. I loved it, and if you know any animal-loving young (and not so young) readers, chances are they’ll enjoy it too.(ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.)

Good read.

The book entitled TheFire Stallion was missing from the package delivered.

My daughter is in love with all her (Stacy Gregg) books.