Barbara Van Tuyl & Pat Johnson

Barbara Van Tuyl was an American author. She wrote one very popular pony series, the first two books in the series written with co-author Pat Johnson. She also wrote quite a few non-fictional equine works. I don't know anything at all about her fellow author Pat Johnson however.

The Bonnie series has recently been re-printed in a revised/updated edition which apparently includes modern technology such as cell phones! Added to this is also the fact that the book's covers are pretty awful. I would therefore advise against these and stick to the original copies if you can get hold of them!

Bonnie series:
Series about racehorse Bonnie (Sunbonnet) and her rider Julie. A combination of racing stories and mysteries. Suitable for older teens and adults as the heroine has left school. A series well-loved by many American horse mad teenagers!

1) SWEET RUNNING FILLY
(With Pat Johnson)
(SIGNET PB 1971)
Reprinted by Poppet Press in paperback in 2010 (revised/updated).
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition, Poppet Press edition.
SUMMARY: Julie has left school and is working in her father's antique shop, though she dreams of a life with horses. On a trip to a junk yard looking for stock they instead find a neglected filly from a junk yard and rescue her. Julie then becomes involved in a mystery when she finds out Bonnie is actually a stolen racehorse.
PONYMAD RATING: 4 HORSESHOES

2) A HORSE CALLED BONNIE
(With Pat Johnson)
(SIGNET PB 1971)
Reprinted by Poppet Press in paperback in 2010 (revised/updated).
EDITIONS PICTURED: Poppet Press edition.
SUMMARY: Julie has discovered that Bonnie has talent as a racehorse. When her father is injured and needs money to pay for treatment, Julie decides to try and win the money by entering her filly in a claiming race. But the risk is that another trainer will claim her if she wins...

3) SUNBONNET: FILLY OF THE YEAR
(SIGNET PB 1973)
Reprinted by Poppet Press in paperback in 2010 (revised/updated).
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition, Poppet Press edition.
SUMMARY: Bonnie is about to compete in the prestigious Bridal Stakes! However more mystery and mayhem threaten Bonnie and Julie's racing career.

4) BONNIE AND THE HAUNTED FARM
(SIGNET PB 1974)
Reprinted by Poppet Press in paperback in 2010 (revised/updated).
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition, Poppet Press edition.
SUMMARY: Julie now has two horses and another on the way! But strange happenings and ghostly goings on start to threaten her happiness. Is the farm really haunted or is there another explanation?

5) THE BETRAYAL OF BONNIE
(SIGNET PB 1975)
Reprinted by Poppet Press in paperback in 2010 (revised/updated).
EDITIONS PICTURED: 1st edition, Poppet Press edition.
SUMMARY: Bonnie stages a successful comeback to racing, but ulie is shocked when Bonnie then tests positive for drugs and they and their trainer are banned. Who has been doping her favourite racehorse?

Other editions:

THE BONNIE BOOKS FOR GIRLS OF ALL AGES
(Boxed set)
(SIGNET 1975)
EDITION PICTURED: Presentation box from the set.
SUMMARY: Boxed set containing all five books in the series.
Rare.

FOUR VOLUME SET IN SLIPCASE
(Boxed set)
(SIGNET 1975)
SUMMARY: Contains all the books in the series except for The Sweet Running Filly in a presentation slipcase.
Rare.

Collectors info:
Published in paperback only. These have recently all been reprinted and are at the moment still in print and available new in the USA and UK(although the newer editions have been updated and modernised). Second hand copies are also reasonably easy to find in America, but unfortunately rarely seen in the UK. It may however be worth hunting down the older copies if you are not a fan of revised and updated books.

There is also a boxed set containing all the books in the series and a four volume set in a slip-case. These are rare, even in the USA. There was possibly also a paperback omnibus edition of some or all of the series, however this needs confirmation.