Scheme Team (Chestnut Hill Series #5) Book

Dylan knows it isn't always easy being the niece of the new Director of Riding, Ali Carmichael. After the Chestnut Hill girls don't perform as well as they could have at an All-School League Show, Ali treats it as a learning opportunity, but some upperclassmen think the team would have fared better under the old Director, Liz Mitchell. Soon after the show, rumors begin flying that Liz is trying to get her old job back. When a petition to replace Ali with Liz starts to circulate, Dylan and her friends can't believe it! Can they defend Ali from the conspiracy against her?

Children's Literature

In this title, a part of the "Chestnut Hill" series, set in an exclusive Virginia boarding school for girls, readers will follow the smart and gregarious Dylan, her friends, and their horses, of course, through a tough time. Dylan's Aunt Ali is the new Director of Riding, and not everyone is content with the change of control. Many of the girls on the team blame their shoddy performance at an All-School League competition on her, and Dylan does her best to defend her aunt. When a petition is circulated by the dissenting members of the team to oust Aunt Ali, Dylan finds it increasingly difficult to determine who is a friend and who is a foe. Aunt Ali sums it all up neatly with a positive spin near the end of the book when she says, "Team spirit isn't just about riding. It's about being loyal to your teammates, and supporting one another through bad luck and bad riding as well as when things go well." This book will be appreciated by horse lovers (lots of label dropping that only purveyors of riding apparel will understand), but may not be substantive enough to hold the interest of those outside the horsey set. "Chestnut Hill #5."