About the author
Matt Christopher is the American equivalent of Michael Hardcastle; a prolific writer of children’s books based on sport. If you want to read about baseball, Matt Christopher is your man; and indeed if you want to read about the big American sports, he can provide you with a story about it. His first novel, The Lucky Baseball Bat, was written in 1954, based to some extent on his own experiences. He was the eldest of nine children, and said “I’ve lived through a lot of problems many children live through, and I find these problems excellent examples to include in my books.” Although he’s now “well beyond playing age”, he still watches a lot of sport!
He has written two horse books: Earthquake and Devil Pony.
Finding the books
The books are easy to find in the USA, and were not published in sthe UK.
Links and sources
Matt Christopher’s website
Many thanks to Lisa Catz for the photograph and summary.
Bibliography (horse books only)
Earthquake
Little, Brown, Boston, 1975, 111 pp, illus Ted Lewin
Scholastic, pb, 1975
Greenhaven Press, MI, 1989
Jeff travels through the Adirondack wilderness on his horse Red. He knew the journey would be dangerous, but then he is trapped by an earthquake.
Devil Pony
Little, Brown, Boston, 1977, illus Lorence Bjorklund, 103 pp.
Midnight is a Morgan colt, whom Stu was promised. But when Stu gets on Midnight for the first time, Midnight immediately throws him, but allows his cousin, Wilbur to ride him. Other strange things are happening, like a vase falling and breaking, and a saddle suddenly falling off its rack. Wilbur believes it is the Bancroft ghost. Stu’s love for Midnight makes him determined to find the reasons behind these mysterious events.
