About the author
Kelly McKain has worked as a pre-prep teacher and as a copywriter. She now writes full time, and has written for teenagers as well as younger age groups. She has written several children’s series: Fairy House, Totally Lucy, Mermaid Rock and Quentin Quirk (under the pseudonym Matt McKain). For teenagers, she’s written the Goddess books.
Her Pony Camp Diaries series, reviewed below, is written in the breathless (and to an adult ear, relentless) style that many children’s television programmes are delivered in. The series is set in Sunnyside Stables, which takes girls for holidays and gives them a pony of their own for a week. Each book tells the story of a different girl and pony, and of the other girls she meets on her stay. The books are written in diary form (a form she likes: she’s used it for Half a Sister).
Finding the books:
All are still in print.
Sources and links
Kelly McKain’s website
Series
Pony Camp Diaries
Megan and Mischief
Poppy and Prince
Chloe and Cracker
Sophie and Shine
Charlie and Charm
Emily and Emerald
Jessica and Jewel
Lauren and Lucky
Hannah and Hope
Millie and Magic
Amy and Amber
Daisy and Dancer
Bibliography
Megan and Mischief
Stripes, London, 2006, 93 pp.
Megan gets a challenge when her pony for the week is Mischief.
Poppy and Prince
Stripes, London, 2006, 95 pp.
Poppy has had a bad fall, but nevertheless, she’s still come away on a riding holiday. Unfortunately she really has lost her confidence. Can kind pony Prince help her get it back?
Chloe and Cracker
Stripes, London, 2007, 92 pp.
Chloe has promised her father that she’ll get a clear round in the show jumping competition. Unfortunately, the pony she’s been allotted for the week, Cracker, looks like he has other ideas.
Sophie and Shine
Stripes, London, 2007, 95 pp.
Sophie is really looking forward to her holiday, and at first it seems like a dream come true. Then things start disappearing from the girls’ room, and from the stables. Is there a thief on holiday with them?
Fairy Riding School
Scholastic, London, 2007, 84 pp.
Reprinted Scholastic, London, 2009
Part of the Fairy House series, Katie is in trouble – can Rosehip and her magic ponies help out?
Charlie and Charm
Stripes, London, 2008, 95 pp.
Charlie misses her old pony Apple. She hopes that by coming away on a riding holiday it will help her get over him, particularly as there’s a chance to try cross country riding.
Emily and Emerald
Stripes, London, 2008, 95 pp.
Emily loves Emerald the first time she lays eyes on him: unfortunately he doesn’t have much confidence, and Emily has lost her nerve.
Jessica and Jewel
Stripes, London, 2009, 94 pp.
Jessica is really looking forward to her holiday, with the chance to camp out. Unfortunately, her sister won’t stop hanging around.
Lauren and Lucky
Stripes, London, 2009, 94 pp.
Lauren loves dressage: particularly dressage to music. There’s a competition at the end of her week’s holiday, so she has her work cut out to sort out a routine.
Hannah and Hope
Stripes, London, 2010, 95 pp.
Hope is a rescue pony, and she needs the love and care that Hannah can give her. Not only that, Hannah plans to help the rescue centre Hope came from too.
Millie and Magic
Stripes, London, 2010, 94 pp.
Millie’s Mum wants her to try out a new pony for a week, but Millie’s very attached to Tally, and she hatches a risky plan to keep him.
Amy and Amber
Stripes, London, 2011, 91 pp.
Sunnyside Stables wants a film to go on its website, and they ask Amy to take part. She spends so long looking after lovely pony Amber, and thinking about the film, that she forgets all about her best friend Kayla.
Daisy and Dancer
Stripes, London, 2011, 94 pp.
Daisy loves pony camp: she loves the pony she’s been given, Dancer, and she gets on really well with her room mates too. After the girls see a wonderful trick riding display, they decide to do one of their own. Daisy’s room mates are very good gymnasts. Daisy isn’t, and she and Dancer find the whole thing really difficult.
The Case of the Secret Pony (Animal SOS series)
Little Tiger Press, London, 2013.
Leah and Amy are opposites, but they’re great together when it comes to rescuing animals.Things start to go missing at White Horse Stables. When they discover the culprit behind the thefts they find a hidden pony, but what is his secret?
