It must be true, I saw it on Youtube, or Pony Pals #36: The Pony and the Haunted Barn

Wanna know what's sad? I started this book A MONTH AGO! IN FEBRUARY! It was so boring, however, that I left the last 30 pages unread and left the book under my dresser, convinced I'd finish it one of these days.
Well, now it's Spring Break, basketball is over, and I actually have some free time, so here we go with this book. I might just summarize it, seing as I don't remember why I marked any of the following 90 pages.



Plot: We all know that Pam Crandall does not believe in ghosts. Yet one day, as the Pony Pals explore an abandoned barn in Morristown, something keeps freaking out the ponies, and one of these "ghosts" touches Pam!
Lulu and Anna are all set to believe that it's the ghost of Mr. Warner, who was so sad after his pony ran away, followed by his house burning down.
Pam, rational as ever, refuses to believe it was a ghost. She suggests all manner of realistic things, such as Tommy and Mike, the wind, and their own twisted 10-year-old minds.
The Pony Pals insist that Pam be "more openminded".
Pam retorts that THEY'RE the ones who aren't openminded, because they won't believe it's NOT a ghost.
Smooth, Pam.
The girls go back to snoop around the barn even more, but they can't find the barn!! They draw maps, retrace their steps, use bloodhounds, but it's no use; the barn just cannot be found!
No worries; the Pony Pals switch directions and head to the Historical Society, where they find out more about Mr. Warner, the "ghost" of the barn they found. It seems that the death of his wife and child, not the loss of his pony, were the reasons for his retreat from society. He died of a heart attack, not of a broken heart.
Finally, the Pony Pals are able to find the barn...or the ruins of the barn. It turns out the Warner barn has been ruined for some time, but the day they visited was the anniversary of the day it burned down. :O Spooky...sort of.
Pam still doesn't believe in ghosts...or so she says. She admits to Lightning that if she ever does meet a ghost, she hopes it's a nice one.

Okay, that was a waste of 20 minutes. Oh well.
I have Madison Finn #13, but I'm hesitant to read it, even though it's due in a couple days.
It's just that I've put 3 other Pony Pals on order, and I might be able to buy MF's #11 and #12, and possibly Pony Pals #25 (FINALLY).
It probably won't happen soon, though, so you'll see #13 in a couople of days, followed by Avalon's #3 and #4 (after which there will be no more Avalons because the rest of the series was never published), then the entire Madison Finn series (practically, anyway). Should be fun. Or not.

Thou shalt not steal, or Pony Pals #20: Stolen Ponies

I do not understand this book. If someone steals your property, the "right thing" to do would be do turn them in, right?? Aaargh.



Plot: The Pony Pals have a secret hideout. It's just so secretly secret that no one will find it.
While hanging out at the Pony Pal Lodge (their lame name for their secrety secret hideout), they see a campfire left burning in the woods. *gasp* FOREST FIRES! They put it out, and are proud of themselves for saving the whole woods.
This happens repeatedly throughout the book.
After much investigation, the Pony Pals discover it was Tommy and Mike who were starting the fires! *gasp* THAT'S ILLEGAL! (didn't know that little tidbit....) They write Tommy and Mike aa anonymous threatening letter that warns them to never light another fire ever again.
But Tommy and Mike figure out it's them and set their secrety secret hideout on fire.
And then THEY STEAL THEIR PONIES!!!
This has gone a little too far, it seems.
It's raining and the brook is overflowing, but the Pony Pals go looking for their ponies anyways. Anna then sees them on the other side of the river/brook/stream and distracts Tommy and Mike while Lulu and Pam save the day. Pam wants to call the police, but Anna and Lulu convince her this is the wrong way to go. After all, they've only broken two laws and destroyed their property. Jail is not where these boys belong.
So the Pony Pals tattle to the Park Ranger and he sends the boys off with a warning. WTH? Justice is done????????? THEY STOLE YOUR FREAKING PONIES WITH NO INTENTION OF GIVING THEM BACK!

More notes:
Lulu makes Tommy and Mike pee their pants. Heh.

Tommy: When are the pests going to grow up and get real horses?
Mike: They're too afraid of real horses.
Is that supposed to be funny? Oh, and they escape on their bikes doing wheelies. Sooo coool.

And then Anna says, "You're the pests, you gonzos!" *sigh*

Anna draws a map to their hideout. Pony Pal trail isn't on the map? But Tommy and Mike's hideout is? How did the girls know they had a hideout? This will become more confusing in the next few chapters.

The Pony Pals have adventures that are just as exciting as living in Africa.

Lighting campfires is illegal?

The one thing I don't like about Vivien Kubbos is that Anna's drawings take a definite turn for the worse.

Because campers are going to listen to a bunch of little girls.

I don't think Wiggins is home of the state forest, girls.

Just like in book #10, the girls are convinced they saved a million animals. But it's raining, right? Couldn't the rain have put the fire out?

Wait. This hideout is totally on your map. It says there, in black and white, "Tommy and Mike's hideout". HOW COME YOU DON'T KNOW WHOSE HIDEOUT THIS IS IF IT'S ON YOUR MAP???

I totally read this one sentence as, "Tommy loves beer." My bad, he loves ROOT beer.

Even people who know nothing about nature can figure out the difference between a bird and a whistle.

Wait. If you're going to describe useless things with utmost detail, you could at least tell me what kind of juice the Pony Pals are drinking.

Yes, it will be easy to scare Tommy and Mike into not lightning fires. Because you're all ten and you're just so scary.

Pam thinks they should report them to the park ranger. But the others don't want to do that because Mike is poor. So being poor justifies a life of crime? How come whenever Pam has a good idea, it is discouraged?

They decide to write an anonymous letter that sounds like an adult. And it sounds semi-believable up until the end:
Sincerely yours,
Someone who is watching you!!!
P.S.
Your hideout is a mess.

No self-respecting adult would write a letter like that.

More talk about Mike being poor and can't afford a big allowance. He has to call his mom "Ma" or "Ma'am".

I think Mike will figure out the note was written by a couple of kids.

They set Anna's drawings on fire and write the Pony Pals a threatening message. Yeah. Not creepy. Let's NOT tell our parents.

How mature:
Pony Pests.
Mind your own business if you know what's good for you. It's a free country. We were here first. Go away. Find another place to play with your little ponies.
OR ELSE.

Wth? They take their PONIES?

OMG IT'S NOT THAT HARD TO RIDE A PONY!

I just really wanted Snow White to get hurt or something. Hate her.

Tommy is wearing a red jacket. I thought he was rich? Why is he wearing a red cotton jacket?

Tommy and Mike's idea of fun is making fun of people. All right, I have a confession to make....

I think she's serious about having you guys arrested....

Anna is honing her acting skills.

Awww, Acorn crosses a brook to be with Anna.

Psh. They just got ambushed by Pony Pals.

And now they're letting the boys die in the woods. Ah, yes.

AAAAAGH, lame. They want to give them another CHANCE. COME ON.

Acorn attacks Tommy.

The main reason for the stealing and threatening was the fact that the Pony Pals had infiltrated the boys' clubhouse thingy. WTH? That's like killing someone for cutting you in line.

Oh, it turns out Tommy is the brains of this operation. Mike is just an innocent bystander.

WHY ARE THEY STOPPING PAM FROM TALKING TO THE RANGER!!!???? Lulu and Anna want to give them another chance. AND THEY USE THE "TWO-AGAINST-ONE" THINGY!!! AAAAAAGH! Forget them, Pam.

Ponies come before turning in criminals. *shakes head*

They feel bad for Mike. Then turn in Tommy, if you must, but you can't seriously tolerate this kind of ridiculousness.

Pam just admitted she's biased against Tommy. Great. This will help their case.

Wait, what??? Now MIKE'S wearing the red jacket??? Did they switch clothes or something?

Lol, Mike and Tommy look like kids from the 50's. "How are we going to get home, Tom?" "Shut up, Dick!"

Mike is afraid of freezing to death more so than jail.

You can't honestly think they're going to apologize. Aagh.

Surprise, surprise. They don't want your help. And they don't apologize.

Jack Stranton = coolest name ever.

The boys get caught doing the campfire thing. OMG!!! TOMMY BLAMES MIKE!!! Little toaster.

THEY GET OFF WITH A WARNING!!!!!

The Pony Pals leave without telling them the way home? Justice is done? What about the police??? HIGH CRIME! HIGH CRIME!!

Ugh. Next one I'll do is the one about sacrifice and horse shows. :P

And they're channeling 40's noir films, or Pony Pals #17: Detective Pony

Lost cats in the woods. Sounds slightly familiar.



Plot: Anna goes to wake up Acorn so they can go riding, but finds him already awake...with a cat by his side. The cat seems to have a weird obsession with Acorn and follows the Pony Pals around. Finally, they can't stand it anymore and take it to Dr. Crandal's.
At the barn sleepover that night, THE BARN SETS ON FIRE! THE KITTY IS IN DANGER! But Acorn smells the fire and all the animals are saved in time. But everyone's favorite cat has gone missing!
The next morning, the Pony Pals go into the woods to search for him and find him in a tree, having been beaten up by a bobcat.
They take him BACK to Dr. Crandal's.
Acorn seems to really love this kitty, and Anna has always wanted a pet, so she tries to convince her mom (WHO IS ALLERGIC TO CATS!!) to let her keep him. Mrs. Harley is about to say no when she sees the kitty laying across Acorn's shoulders. She is so overcome by the cuteness that she agrees to keep him. Anna names the cat Shadow. And all is well.

More notes:
Most people don't put collars on their cats. That's a dog thing.

How convenient. It's winter vacation...AGAIN. Wait, wasn't it summer vacation in books #15 AND #16???? WHAT'S UP?

Read this sentence.
"Pam's father was a veterinarian and he took care of most of the cats, dogs, horses, cows, and pigs in Wiggins."
Since when are there cows and pigs in Wiggins? And it would've been a lot easier to say, "...all the animals in Wiggins."

Wow. Dr. Crandal is actually working on a patient. This never happens.

The Crandals suddenly have a kennel that houses A LOT of animals. This has never been mentioned before.

Oh, and they board horses. Didn't know that either.

Brandy is a girl's name.

Lol, the cat has been ALTERED. ROFL. Trouser snake.

Didn't your sister own a cat, Anna? Your mother was never allergic THEN.

This is about Lulu:
"She lived in tents, rode elephants, and hid behind bushes to watch the monkeys play."
Ah yes. Lulu the wild woman.

There's like 4 pages on Lulu and 2 paragraphs on Anna and Pam. And they're combined.

They're going to bed at 9:30. Right.

You would think they would notice if the animal clinic is in flames.

Dr. Crandal doesn't want the Pony Pals being heroes. But he's allowed to go back into the burning building.

Shouldn't you always have your horse's halter on? Unless he's alone in his stall?

I knew Anna's dad was a firefighter!

They let Lulu go back into a burning barn, but not Anna and Pam? Do the Crandals not like Lulu?

Lol. Mr. Harley looks like Darth Vader. From "Return of the Jedi". Sans helmet.

Heh. Acorn saved a bunch of animals from burning alive. All Lightning has ever done is "protect" a bunch of stupid kittens. And Snow White "saved" forest animals from certain death. Sort of. Not really.

Bad drawing: Lightning is bay and Snow White has huge eyes. After this book, I think Jeanne Betancourt got fed up with Paul Bachem and got a new illustrator.

Pam called Acorn stupid.

How do you mistake raccoon tracks for cat tracks?

Pam and Lulu call Anna stupid and try to force her to go back home. But Anna's all, "You can go home, I'ma keep looking," like Pam did in #9. Ha. And, because they refuse to be seperated for 2 seconds, they go with her.

I don't believe those are bobcat tracks. They're exactly the same size and shape as the regular cat tracks shown in the book.

Oooh, violence.

I thought cats always landed on their feet. If he gets too cold and falls, he'll just land on his feet, Lulu.

The cat is covered in blood.

If a bobcat is four times bigger than a housecat, how come its paws are only two times bigger?

We understand how to clean wounds, Dr. Crandal.

Pam: Could we keep him here?
Dr. Crandal: We aren't adopting any more animals.
You could trade in Fat Cat for this cat. No one likes Fat Cat anyway.

I still can't figure out how Mrs. Harley is suddenly allergic to cats.

"It'll be cold in there." "Hm. Let's put a pillow in it." Pillows make everything better.

Mr. Harley is a firefighter AND a carpenter?

Uh oh, infestation. Instead of investing in a cat, couldn't you just call the exterminator?

Your parents didn't want you to have a pony because you were FAILING SCHOOL, not because they hated animals. Anna, Anna, Anna....

No one sneezes just thinking about cats.

Heh. Mr. Harley likes cats and isn't allergic to them. The exact opposite of my dad.

That's dramatic. "It's my pony. He saved the cat's life."
And yet Pam gets to tell the whole exciting story? Shut up, Pam. It's not your pony. Your pony doesn't do anything cool; it just "saves" kittens.

They manage to convince Mrs. Harley in 2 seconds that they need a cat. She agrees so quickly!

Fuzzy is an awful suggestion, Pam.

They want to make the house 2x1x1. Is that really big enough?

Black Beauty is a stupid suggestion, Lulu.

No one wants a cat named Kitty, Lulu.

Pam, just shut up and stop suggesting things.

Eh. Shadow is better than No Name. *glares at Pam* I would've named him Faithful after the cat in the Tamora Pierce books, but hey. At least it's not Smokey.

Yeah. Not too bad. Anna seemed more tolerable in this one. #18 about the emo abused pony coming up tomorrowish.