Helping Hands

Vet Volunteers #15

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Jules and Josh are so excited when their parents hire ponies to attract customers to their sidewalk sale. But the Vet Volunteers notice that the ponies don't seem to be very healthy, and after an examination, they learn that the handler, Gus, has been mistreating them. Can the Vet Volunteers help the ponies get well and find a better life for them?

Genres: Fiction, Horses, Animals

144 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2013

About the author

UPDATE! Rebellion 1776 is out! The New York Times wrote, "Filled with immersive detail, expert delineations of complex characters, and both harsh and loving reality, Rebellion 1776 provides young readers with a true experience of a historic moment in time that resonates with today's world." Huzzah!

Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author of many award-winning books including the groundbreaking, modern classic Speak, a National Book Award finalist which has sold over 3.5 million copies and been translated into 35 languages.

In 2023, Anderson was named the Laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, long considered to be the de facto 'Nobel Prize for Children's Literature.'

A passionate spokesperson for the need to combat censorship, she has been honored for her battles for intellectual freedom by the National Coalition Against Censorship and the National Council of Teachers of English. She lives near Philadelphia. Go Birds!

Follow Laurie on Bluesky at @halseanderson.bsky.social, Instagram at halseanderson, and Facebook at lauriehalseanderson, or by visiting her website, madwomanintheforest.com.

Reviews

[Itzae]

Vet Volunteers-Helping Hands is fiction by Laurie Halse Anderson. I think children should read this book because it taught me to help others in need. This could also help people to help others in need. This book is about 7 middle school kids that help 2 ponies with a problem that they have. They had to go threw alot to help the two ponies. I think it was a good book because I love horses and animals. I think everyone should help someone in need. The book has 125 pages and includes 1 chapter of another about vet volunteers.

[Khayla Random · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was so great. I'm so glad ms.mandler let me read almost the whole vet volunteers book.I want to thank her so much because kept ordering those books for me. This encouraged me to read better and just love to read.

love khayla

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm reading these books with my daughter as our own little book club kind of a thing. I really enjoyed this one. I enjoyed it mostly because I feel it has some points in it that really relates to my daughter. I would definitely recommend this book to young kids who are interested in animals. This is the 3rd book in the series that I have read so far (we are reading them out of order) and we are really enjoying these books!

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love these stories. This one centers around the volunteers trying to help some make streamed ponies. It’s a good story to show how anyone can help even if they’re not exactly sure how. The characters and writing are great as usual.

Sometimes we can help
Simply by speaking out when
We see something wrong.

[Books Kids Like · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jules and Josh suggest that their parents host a free pony ride during their sidewalk sale at the hardware store. The rides bring a large crowd of children, but there are problems from the very start. The man delivers the ponies late. The horse trailer is filthy, and there is no hay or oats to feed the ponies during the day. Then, the man leaves all of the work to David and Josh while he takes a nap. The boys set up the corral and curry and saddle the ponies. They even have to put the children on the horses and lead them around the ring. Towards the end of the day, one of the ponies becomes lame. When the man comes back, David and Josh tell him about his hurt pony. The man becomes belligerent and refuses to get help for the horse. The next morning, the poor pony is worse. David and Josh get help from Josh’s dad and Dr. Gabe to protect both ponies from their abusive owner.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com

[Teresa Khranovska · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is called Vet volunteers Helping Hands. It was written by Laurie Halse Anderson. This book is abut vet and vet volunteers saving two ponies.The two ponies were kept by an old man. He kept them near his house (probably in a trailer or a garage). David's mom and dad kept a shop. They made a deal with the old man that he will bring the ponies so that the children will have fun and their parents can buy something at the shop. When ponies arrive Davis recognizes taht the ponies are weak and weren't fed because the ponies tried to escape and eat the plants. The rest of the story is about vet and vet volunteers helping the ponies.

[Cassandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok book. I could see how I would have loved it as a pre-teen. This was my first exposure to this series and I felt lost. I was dropped into the middle with no introduction to any of the characters. Maybe the author expects you to start with book one and work your way through. My daughter just picked up one in the middle and asked if I would read a horse story. The story was ok. Character development was ok. I just felt lost and like the author expected me to know all the characters and their back story.

[Amandal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, i think i love it because i love horses. It was sad at some parts and funny at other parts. So bring tissues when you read the book.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

See the first book in the series for a full review.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute series for upper elementary kids that love animals

[Sofia]

this book is about some very amazing kids who volunteer their time to help animals.in this book, the twins dad is going to rent horses for kids to ride so that their parents check out the store to get money to read the book to find out what happens.