Alison Hart aka Alice Leonhardt

Real name Alice Leonhardt. Born in Baltimore in 1950.
She has written many children's books under both her real name and the Alison Hart pen-name, including animal stories, adventures and historical novels. Her pony stories include the well-known Riding Academy series and a modern continuation of the Ann Sheldon Linda Craig series, plus historical horse stories. She was also one of the ghost-writers for the Thoroughbred series.

As well as an author, she is also a teacher of special education, being especially interested in and involved with literacy issues. Her novel writing career began as an attempt to help her special needs students' learn to read. She started writing books with her students as the characters in order to encourage them to take an interest in the stories.

She hopes that her stories will encourage children to get excited about reading. She says: "when I write a book, literacy and aliteracy are very much on my mind. Is my story filled with suspense? Does it hook readers from the first chapter? Can readers relate to my characters? Will the story fill them with a sense of wonder? Will they love reading my book? When young readers tell me they couldn't put my book down, I know I'm on the right track. Obviously, my books will not solve reading literacy problems, but I hope they, and I, can do a small part."

Sources: www.biography.jrank.org

Riding Academy Series:
Pony/school series set in a boarding school in the USA  which has its own riding school, and centring around 4 girls: Mary Beth, Andie, Jina and Lauren. Similar to the later Chestnut Hill series by Lauren Brooke, but I find these a lot more readable.

1) A HORSE FOR MARY BETH
(RANDOM HOUSE 1994)
(UK 1st edition MAMMOTH PB 1996)
SUMMARY: Mary Beth arrives at Foxhall Academy School. She wants her new room-mates to like her, but they are all horse-mad and great riders and she is terrified of horses! Will she be able to overcome her fear and learn to ride?

2) ANDIE OUT OF CONTROL
(RANDOM HOUSE 1994)
(UK 1st edition MAMMOTH PB 1996)
SUMMARY: Troublemaker Andie is always breaking the rules at Foxhall Academy and she doesn't care if she gets expelled. Then Mr. Magic, a horse as wild as Andie herself arrives. She falls in love with the horse and decides to stay and try to train him. But is he too wild even for her?

3) JINA RIDES TO WIN
(RANDOM HOUSE 1994)
(UK 1st edition MAMMOTH PB 1996)

4) LESSONS FOR LAUREN
(RANDOM HOUSE 1994)
(UK 1st edition MAMMOTH PB 1996)
SUMMARY: Lauren's love of riding has caused her school-work to suffer and she is assigned a tutor for extra studying.

5) MARY BETH'S HAUNTED RIDE
(RANDOM HOUSE 1994)
(UK 1st edition MAMMOTH PB 1996)
SUMMARY: Spooky goings on for the friends, with a Halloween party and a haunted trail ride!

6) ANDIE SHOWS OFF
(RANDOM HOUSE 1994)
(UK 1st edition MAMMOTH PB 1996)
SUMMARY: Andie must try and convince her parents that Magic is the horse for her.

7) JINA'S PAIN IN THE NECK PONY
(RANDOM HOUSE 1995)
SUMMARY: Jina agrees to show a troublesome horse called Applejack.

8) THE CRAZIEST HORSE SHOW EVER
(RANDOM HOUSE 1995)
SUMMARY: An upcoming inter-schools riding competition has the girls at Foxhalls Academy bursting with excitement - except for Lauren, who is frightened to be taking part in a jumping class.

9) ANDIE'S RISKY BUSINESS
(RANDOM HOUSE 1995)
SUMMARY: Andie wants to raise money to buy a horse of her own and starts a horse grooming and cleaning business, roping all her unwilling friends into helping.

10) TROUBLE AT FOXHALL
(RANDOM HOUSE 1995)
SUMMARY: Lauren and Mary Beth are competing not only for the same horse but the same boy! Then Lauren disappears from their room and can't be found….

11) FOXHUNT
(RANDOM HOUSE 1995)
SUMMARY: When the four friends spend Thanksgiving break at Jina's house, Jina plans for them to all ride in the local hunt. But Mary-Beth and Lauren are anti-hunt and soon the friends are at loggerheads!

12) LAUREN RIDES TO THE RESCUE
(RANDOM HOUSE 1995)

Other editions:

SUPER SPECIAL:  HAUNTED HORSEBACK HOLIDAY
(RANDOM HOUSE 1996)
SUMMARY: On holiday in Colorada, the friends discover a mysterious wild horse and get mixed up in some ghostly goings-on!

Collectors Info:
The first 6 books were also published in the UK, so are the easiest to find for UK readers. Books 7 to 9 were also supposed to have been published in the same UK series by Mammoth Books, but I have yet to find any of them, so I am not sure if they actually ever were. I am pretty certain however that books 10 onwards weren't ever published in the UK.
They are all quite easy to find in the USA.

Pony Books in the 'New' Linda Craig Series:
The author penned five of the titles in the newer Linda Craig pony mystery series, (as opposed to the earlier original one) although they are marketed under the name of 'Ann Sheldon.'

To see the full Linda Craig series click here

THE SILVER STALLION (no. 3)
(POCKETBOOKS 1988)

THE GLIMMERING GHOST (no. 5)
(POCKETBOOKS 1989)

A HORSE FOR JACKIE (no. 7)
(POCKETBOOKS 1989)

THE RIDING CLUB (no. 9)
(POCKETBOOKS 1989)

KATHY IN CHARGE (no. 12)
(POCKETBOOKS 1990)

Collectors Info:
Not published in the UK. Therefore a lot harder to find for UK buyers than the Riding Academy series. However they are reasonably easy to find in the USA.

Jas Series:
Young teen mystery two-parter. The second book was written recently, quite a while after the first was first published, (apparently due to popular demand!) so it is possible there could be more books to follow

1) SHADOW HORSE
(RANDOM HOUSE [USA] 1999)
Published in paperback by Random House/Laurel Leaf in 2001.
SUMMARY: When her favourite horse Whirlwind is killed, 13 year old Jas suspects the owner of the horse farm is to blame and in a fit of anger attacks him. However this leads to her being placed in a foster home. She tries to make the best of things by helping her new foster mother look after Shadow, an ill-treated horse she buys. But could Shadow be the key to solving the mystery behind Whirlwind's death?
PONYMAD RATING: 5 HORSESHOES

2) WHIRLWIND
(RANDOM HOUSE/LAUREL LEAF PB [USA] 2010)
SUMMARY: Jas now knows the truth behind the mysterious deaths at the horse farm. But this sets her off on a new quest to find a beloved horse which could put her in terrible danger.
PONYMAD RATING: 4 HORSESHOES

Collectors Info:
The first book was originally published in hardback, then reprinted in paperback. The second was published in paperback only. In the USA both books are still in print and are very easy to find either new or used. At the moment they can also be bought new in the UK, though second hand copies are a bit harder to find.

Racing to Freedom (Gabriel) Series:
Young teen historical trilogy set in 19th century America against a backdrop of racing and war.

1) GABRIEL'S HORSES
(PEACHTREE [USA] 2007)
Reprinted by Peachtree in paperback in 2010
In print.
SUMMARY: Recently freed slave Gabriel decides to become a jockey and ride for his former master.

2) GABRIEL'S TRIUMPH
(PEACHTREE [USA] 2007)
Reprinted by Peachtree in paperback in 2010
In print.
SUMMARY: Gabriel's riding skills are making him a popular jockey. When he sets off with a racehorse to travel to the Saratoga Chase, he finds himself and the horse in danger from jealous rivals.

3) GABRIEL'S JOURNEY
(PEACHTREE [USA] 2008)
Due to be reprinted by Peachtree in paperback in 2011
In print in hardback.
SUMMARY: Although he is doing well as a jockey Gabriel longs to join his father in the cavalry of the union army. But he finds war is a far harsher reality than race riding….

Collectors Info:
All in print and easy to find in the USA and the UK. The third book has not as yet been published in paperback.

Other Horse & Pony Books:

ANNA'S BLIZZARD
(PEACHTREE [USA] 2005)
Still n print.
SUMMARY: Historical pony story based on a real-life incident. Young Anna and her classmates are trapped in their school in the notorious 'Children's Blizzard' of 1888.

EMMA'S RIVER
(PEACHTREE [USA] 2010)
ILLUSTRATED BY PAUL BACHEM
In print.
SUMMARY: Historical pony adventure story based on real life events. When Emma, her pregnant mother and their pony get on the steamboat Sally May on the Missouri River in 1852, they walk into danger - for the Sally May is destined to explode, plunging its passengers into the icy waters of the river.

BELL'S STAR
(RANDOM HOUSE PB [USA] 2009)
ILLUSTRATED BY RUTH SANDERSON
SUMMARY: Historical pony point-of-view story. No. 2 in the 'Horse Diaries' series by various authors. Set in 1850s Vermont. Morgan horse Bell's Star tells the story of his involvement with a slave girl.
To see the full Horse Diaries series click here

Collectors Info:
All in print and easy to find in the USA and the UK.

Books in the Thoroughbred series:
Ostensibly by Joanna Campbell, the long running Thoroughbred series was also written by a number of ghost-writers, of whom Alison Hart (writing as Alice Leonhardt) was one. Below are the books from the series which were written by Ms. Hart.

To see the full Thoroughbred series click here

CHRISTINA'S COURAGE (no. 27)
(HARPER COLLINS 1998)

MELANIES LAST RIDE (no. 29)
(HARPER COLLINS 1998)

A HOME FOR MELANIE (no. 31)
(HARPER COLLINS 1998)

DEAD HEAT (no. 35)
(HARPER COLLINS 1999)

STAR IN DANGER (no. 37)
(HARPER COLLINS 1999)

LIVING LEGEND (no. 39)
(HARPER COLLINS 2000)

THE BAD LUCK FILLY (no. 42)
(HARPER COLLINS 2000)

PERFECT IMAGE (no. 44)
(HARPER COLLINS 2000)

STAR'S CHANCE (NO. 45)
(HARPER COLLINS 2001)

RACING IMAGE (no. 46)
(HARPER COLLINS 2001)

TEAM PLAYER (no. 50)
(HARPER COLLINS 2001)

PERFECT CHALLENGE (no. 52)
(HARPER COLLINS 2002)

FAITH IN A LONG SHOT (no. 57)
(HARPER COLLINS 2003)

Collectors Info:
All paperbacks. Some still in print and alll easy to find in the USA.. In the UK, most can be quite easily found second hand on Amazon, etc, although some titles can be elusive for UK buyers.