About the author
Catherine Hapka is a prolific author of children’s stories. Name your iconic Disney movie, and she’s written a story on it: Shrek, High School Musical, Lilo and Stitch and The Lion King are just a few. If you’ve seen any Disney movies over the last few years, it’s unlikely you’ll have seen one for which she has not produced the novelisation.
Her first horsey YA series was based on the Disney series Wildfire, which features a heroine who’s emerged from detention and is taken on by a ranch after her ability with horses is recognised. Catherine Hapka has also worked as a ghost writer on Chestnut Hill (Lauren Brooke) and the Saddle Club (Bonnie Bryant).
Hapka has gone on to take on most incarnations of the pony story: she’s flirted with princesses and ponies in Royal Champions, written for the very youngest (and included unicorns) in Sofia Finds a Friend (2013) and a series for newly confident readers, Pony Scouts, which is beautifully illustrated by Anne Kennedy. Hapka has not left the YA world behind: with Georgina Bloomberg, daughter of New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, she wrote the A Circuit series, in which wealthy teenagers compete on glossy and expensive horses. She’s also written a continuation of Marguerite Henry’s Misty books, the Ponies of Chincoteague series.
There is little biographical information available on Hapka: she lives on a farm in Pennsylvania, where she has three horses, and a menagerie of other animals. She has riding lessons twice a week; no doubt giving her plenty of material for future books.
Finding the books
Most are in print, or easy to find. The exceptions are the last two Wildfire novels, Riding Lessons and Racing Away.
Links and sources
Catherine Hapka on HarperCollins
Catherine Hapka at Bloomsbury
Georgina Bloomberg at Bloomsbury
Wildfire on IMDb
Series
Wildfire
Show Off
Track Record
Riding Lessons
Racing Away
The A Circuit
The A Circuit
My Favorite Mistake
Off Course
Rein It In
Pony Scouts
Pony Crazy
Really Riding
Back in the Saddle
At the Show
The Trail Ride
Runaway Ponies
The New Pony
Blue Ribbon Day
Pony Party
Ponies of Chincoteague
Maddie’s Dream
Blue Ribbon Summer
Chasing GoldMoonlight Mile
Bibliography (horse books only)
Flicka – A Friend for Katy
HarperCollins, New York, 2006
Junior novelisation of the film, in which the original hero Ken is replaced by Katie. The horse is allowed to stay the same.
Show-off
Disney Press, New York, 236 pp, 2006
The blurb:
A young woman finds a friend in a horse named Wildfire and learns lessons about life while working at a horse ranch.
Track Record
Disney Press, New York, 2007
Riding lessons
Disney Press, New York, 2007
Racing Away
Disney Press, New York, 2007
Royal Champions
Disney Press, New York, 2008, 112 pp, illus the Disney Storybook Artists
Disney heroines do horses.
Pony Crazy
Harper, New York, 2008, 32 pp, illus Anne Kennedy
The blurb:
Meg has pony books, pony toys, and pony clothes. And on her first day at a new school, Meg meets two girls who are as pony crazy as she is.
Elska
Random House, New York, 2009, 113 pp, illus Ruth Sanderson
The blurb:
Around the year 1000, the Icelandic horse named Elska is born and learns about life and her role in the herd, as well as love and friendship, when she rescues the girl to whom she originallybelonged. Includes facts about Icelandic horses and Iceland.
Really Riding!
Harper, New York, 2009, 32 pp, illus Anne Kennedy
The blurb:
With a riding lesson and a sleepover all planned out, the Pony Scouts couldn’t be any happier . . . until they discover a big surprise.
Back in the Saddle
Harper, New York, 2011, 32 pp, illus Anne Kennedy
The blurb:
When Annie falls off her pony Splash at a riding lesson, she must decide whether or not to get back in the saddle.
Yatimah
Random House, New York, 2011, 153 pp, illus Ruth Sanderson
The blurb:
In a mid-ninth-century Bedouin camp in the Arabian Desert, a horse is born to a prized Arabian war mare who dies during the birth. The foal is raised with dreams of continuing her mother’s glory as a war mare. Includes facts about Arabian horses and their importance to Bedouin tribes.
The A Circuit
(With Georgina Bloomberg) Bloomsbury, New York 2011, 250 pp
At Pelham Lane Stables outside New York City, the teen riders are some of the top competitors on the circuit. Tommi is an heiress; Kate a working student; Zara is the wild child of a rock star, who causes chaos when she descends on Pelham Lane. Fitz is the barn’s resident Casanova and he just wants Kate to give him a chance. But the real challenge comes when the drama on the ground starts spilling into the show ring.
At the Show
Harper, New York, 2011, 29 pp, illus Anne Kennedy
The blurb:
The Pony Scouts can hardly wait – Jill and Apples are going to compete at the horse show! But when Jill catches a glimpse of the competition, she starts to get nervous.
Off Course
Bloomsbury, New York, 2012, 247 pp
The blurb:
Tommi, Kate, and Zara, teen equestrians on horseback riding’s elite A circuit, should be preparing for the biggest show of the season, but boyfriend problems, a road trip, and a gossip blog interfere with their training.
My Favorite Mistake
Bloomsbury, New York, 2012, 248 pp.
The blurb:
Tommi is training a young horse to prove she can make horses a real career. But when her new beau, Alex, convinces her to skip a horse show to party in the Hamptons, the results could be disastrous. Zara, the celebutante wild child, is finally taking her riding seriously. Until the new “nanny” her dad hires threatens to upstage Zara’s party girl status. Then there’s Kate. She doesn’t have money to burn like the others, but she does have Fitz, the barn’s resident hot guy. But when the pressure of being a working student builds, Kate’s perfectionist tendencies threaten to get in the way of her relationship and her riding.
The Trail Ride
Harper, New York, 2012, illus Anne Kennedy
Meg, Jill, and Annie know how to ride their ponies. But when they decide to go out on the trail alone, will they be able to find their way home?
Runaway Ponies!
Harper, New York, 2012, 32 pp, illus Anne Kennedy
The blurb:
Staying with fellow Pony Scout Jill while her parents are away for the weekend, Meg looksf orward to spending time with her friends and caring for Jill’s ponies until an unlatched stall leads to a dramatic rescue effort.
The New Pony
HarperCollins, New York, 2013
The Pony Scouts are becoming better at riding with every lesson. But just when they think they’ve seen it all, a new horse arrives on Jill’s farm – one who hasn’t been ridden before! Taffy is a beautiful palomino pony that needs Jill’s help.
Rein it In
Bloomsbury, New York, 2013
The blurb:
Only the best of the best qualify for “Indoors,” a series of fall horse shows. And of course, Tommi, Kate, and Zara are the best. Still, it’s not exactly convenient that this show series starts up just as school is back in session.
Blue Ribbon Day
HarperCollins, New York, 2013
The blurb:
Meg, Jill, and Amy are thrilled to be going to the county fair. They get to help Jill’s mom prepare the ponies for the driving class competition. And they’ll have plenty of time to enjoy lots of fair funand try the yummy treats.
Pony Party
HarperCollins, New York, 2013
The Pony Scouts are helping throw a pony party for a little girl’s birthday. But when the birthday girl isn’t having fun, it’s up to Meg, Jill, and Annie to save the day.
Sofia Makes a Friend
Disney Press, 2013
Sofia is excitedly awaiting the arrival of a visitor at the castle: a beautiful baby unicorn named Pearl. Sofia and her step-siblings want to play with their special guest, but Pearl ruins their games and makes a mess. Sofia is determined to find an activity they can all enjoy together.
Maddie’s Dream
Aladdin, New York, 2014
Maddie rides Cloudy every week, and is devastated when she finds the pony’s former owners want to buy her back. Maddie tries to come up with a way for her to buy Cloudy herself.
Blue Ribbon Summer
Aladdin, New York, 2014
Brooke Rhodes is going on a riding camp for two weeks with her Chincoteague pony, Foxy. Camp isn’t quite what Brooke expected, as the other girls all know each other and leave her out. And they have fancy show horses, not ponies. Brooke then learns the camp’s survival is threatened, and wonders if she can get the camp to pull together.
Chasing Gold
Aladdin, New York, 2014
Haley Duncan has been saving up to ride her pony Wings in a clinic with a world-famous event rider. She’s also training hard for the clinic, and in the process ignoring her friends, and the very first school dance. There’s plenty of other things she looks like missing too. Haley’s overscheduled existence and exhaustion cause an accident, and she may have to say goodbye to her dreams.
Moonlight Mile
Aladdin, New York, 2015
Nina’s barn will be putting on a show this autumn, and she wants to take part, on her pony, Breezy. However, everything goes wrong for Nina, and she starts to wonder if a ghost might be to blame. Is she being haunted by the ghost of an angry ancestor?
