The new book every horsey child needs to read — Sweetbriars: Leaving the City

Eleven-year-old Scarlett Owen reviews this book by Hollie Anne Marsh, perfect for any pony mad child

Sweetbriars: Leaving the City is a charming story about a 12-year old city girl named Cate and her palomino pony, Odette. This book describes the challenges, triumphs, and funny moments as Cate and her pony learn to live in the countryside at a yard named Sweetbriars.

I was completely surprised by some of the happenings, and this book really kept me guessing. My favourite event was the dressage competition — it was very exciting, and for that whole scene, I could not put it down. There is also a small element of mystery concerning a peculiar neighbour, which I liked because I particularly enjoy mystery books. It is not very much of a mystery but is enough to keep me excited the whole way.

I only have a few negative thoughts — I think we should have heard more about Cate’s former life to properly understand why she was so unhappy at her new home. Also, the characters speak in a formal way to each other, even to their closest family. This could be because that is just the characters’ personalities though, so this is not really very obvious. I found that most of Hollie Anne Marsh’s characters seemed pretty real, and there were a few times when I felt like I knew them well. There were only a few who felt were unrealistic.

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