''A Horse for Mandy'' is a young adult novel by

Lurlene McDaniel Lurlene McDaniel (born 1944 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American author who has written more than 70 young adult books. She is well known for writing about young adults struggling with mortality and chronic illness, a career that began ...

, published in August 2004. It tells the story of a young girl's struggle to find herself through her search for the perfect horse. The novel provides an important message on the dangers of

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

use.

Plot summary

15-year-old Mandy Underwood returns home from

summer camp A summer camp or sleepaway camp is a supervised program for children conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as ''campers''. Summer school is usually a part of the academ ...

to find she no longer feels a connection to her friends and family. After spending a summer playing

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

and meeting new people, she no longer shares the shallow interests of the vapid friends of her small

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

town. She feels most changed by the time she spent with the camp's

Equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

program. Now that she considers herself an adept rider, Mandy feels superior to her former friends Lydia, Patricia, and Elaine. In an effort to win back her affections, Mandy's parents, Lloyd and Melody, decide to purchase a

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...

for Mandy. Mandy accepts their offer, but only on the condition that she can select the horse herself. After visiting a number of

stables A stable is a building in which livestock, especially horses, are kept. It most commonly means a building that is divided into separate stalls for individual animals and livestock. There are many different types of stables in use today; the ...

, Mandy fails to find a horse that meets her standards. Lydia, Patricia, and Elaine try to show their support by throwing a horse-themed party for Mandy and even give her an expensive

saddle The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not kno ...

to celebrate the occasion. Finally, after months of searching, Mandy finds an ideal horse on a farm in

New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. While visiting the farm, she meets Ted, the horse's current owner. Ted quickly informs Mandy that he has no patience for her superior attitude. Mandy finds Ted intriguing and they begin a

long-distance relationship A long-distance relationship (LDR) or long-distance romantic relationship (LDRR) is an intimate relationship between partners who are geographically separated from one another. Partners in LDRs face geographic separation and lack of face-to-face ...

, writing each other daily letters. Mandy even names her horse Teddy in his honor. Unfortunately, after six months of dating, Mandy discovers that Ted has a serious illness that he has kept secret from her. He suffers from

salivary gland cancer Salivary gland tumours, also known as mucous gland adenomas or neoplasms, are tumours that form in the tissues of salivary glands. The salivary glands are classified as major or minor. The major salivary glands consist of the parotid, submandibul ...

, a disease with which he was diagnosed after years of

use. Although Ted quit using

chewing tobacco Chewing tobacco is a type of smokeless tobacco product that is placed between the cheek and lower gum to draw out its flavor. Some users chew it, others do not. It consists of coarsely chopped aged tobacco that is flavored and often sweetened; ...

following his diagnosis, the damage was already severe. Mandy and Ted continue their relationship over the next three years until Ted ultimately succumbs to the effects of his disease. After his funeral, Mandy's friends Lydia, Patricia, and Elaine again extend an offer of friendship, but Mandy knows that they can never ease her suffering. Mandy writes a long note to her parents, apologizing for leaving and, with her beloved horse Teddy, begins a new life in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

Character histories

Mandy Underwood: Mandy Underwood is a demanding, tenacious 13-year-old girl who longs for her own horse. Ted Wirth: Ted battles bravely against cancer and helps Mandy battle the more negative aspects of her personality. Lydia Harrington: One of Mandy's former friends who finds herself snubbed when Mandy returns home from camp. Patricia Kline: One of Mandy's former friends who finds herself snubbed when Mandy returns home from camp. Elaine Lopez: One of Mandy's former friends who finds herself snubbed when Mandy returns home from camp. Lloyd and Melody Underwood: Mandy's parents who indulge her whims in an attempt to keep her happy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horse For Mandy 2004 American novels American young adult novels American romance novels Pony books