My Thoughts:
As a member of a rather horsey family, of course I was going to request this one! This cute book for elementary-aged students follows Meg and her pony Merlin as they begin competing. There is the subplot of Meg’s interactions with another girl from school, Sam. As the narrative—and competition—continue, we find out that we can’t judge anyone—horse or human—by what we see.
The device of the misunderstood stuck-up classmate isn’t new, but it is handled well here. Of course, adding ponies makes everything better!
We do come to a satisfying conclusion as Meg and Merlin learn and grow along the way.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Childhood disagreements. A little stress.

Who Might Like This Book:
Horse lovers. Although the main (human) characters are girls, I see no reason why a boy couldn’t be interested in this story as well.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for my opinion.

This book also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2023/04/more-books-for-younger-set.html

So cute and perfect for all the horse girlies out there. I have so many young readers coming in looking for a horse story and this is just so good for them. It was cute, heartwarming, and a very quick read.

This is the second book about Meg and Merlin, and whether you’re horsey or not, this book is a reminder to everyone not to judge a book by its cover. Meg loves horses, and while she’s lucky enough to have access to Merlin, she doesn’t have all of the trappings that go with horse-riding, fancy clothes, shiny boots, because the family budget just doesn’t stretch that far. So when she comes face to face with a stuck up girl from school, she’s already decided she doesn’t like her because she’s spoiled and has all of those fancy things, and seems to look down on Meg. Sometimes though, you just need to dig a little deeper, and try to get to know someone a bit better to find out the kind of person they really are.

Aw, this is such a lovely story with some brilliant illustrations! One day while shopping with her dad, Meg spots a poster for The Woodford Show. There are lots of events at the show and Meg thinks she and Merlin the horse could enter the Handy Pony event. On the day of the event Meg is nervous but gets Merlin ready, cleaning him up and plaiting his mane, but when she arrives at the show she spots Sam, a girl from school known as ‘Little Miss Perfect’. Meg doesn’t think she’ll perform well on the show, especially with Sam also competing and watching her, but interesting things are about to happen, and could Meg’s initial feelings about the show and Sam be wrong?

I really enjoyed reading this tale of Meg and Merlin, the first book I’ve read in the series. You don’t have to have read the previous book to enjoy this one though as there’s a brief explanation of Meg and Merlin’s relationship and how they came to know each other. Meg is really excited about the Woodford Show and horse competitions, or classes, that are taking place and decides that she’ll enter the Handy Pony event on the day. I like what happens next when Meg goes to find Merlin on the morning of the Woodford Show. Merlin is in a messy state and it takes Meg ages to clean him up but she’s still excited about the show, at least until she gets there.

I don’t want to go into too much detail as I’ll spoil it, but I like how Meg comes from a non-rich background and doesn’t actually own Merlin. You usually expect someone riding horses to be from a rich background and it’s nice to see the difficulties that face Meg when not coming from this, she feels so relatable and makes you hope that anyone from any background could one day have the dream of riding horses like Meg does! 🙂 On the day of the Handy Pony class though Meg begins to worry about her performance after she sees Sam, the rich girl from school, managing an almost perfect run.

This story is so good and it ends up becoming so special. I really enjoyed how Meg discovers something after the Handy Pony event and how both she and Merlin end up with a really happy and heart-warming surprise at the end of the story. I love how Merlin the horse acts in this story, the fact that you sometimes hear what he’s probably saying to Meg, the way he acts and the way he looks is very cute too. There are illustrations throughout the book, each chapter having a chapter header illustration and then illustrations in black grey and white dotted around the book sometimes on half a page and sometimes on a full page. I especially love these pictures as it shows the expressions on all the characters faces including Merlin’s and I especially love the look of Merlin when he first enters the Woodford Show, or him splashing in some mud!

Being a Barrington Stoke title this book is dyslexia and reluctant reader friendly which means that the book is written in an especially dyslexia friendly font with spaced apart paragraphs, bigger than normal text and the paperback book is printed on thick pages that have a yellowed/creamy colour making it easier to read . It’s also only about 64 pages in the whole book, making it a great and short read for reluctant readers too! I have really enjoyed this book in the Meg and Merlin series and I can’t wait to read more in future. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a quick and heart-warming read about a horse and the girl who loves to ride with him and has a special bond. It’s such a lovely story and one I’ll definitely re-read again in the future!

I loved this book. Its great for children to learn about Learn about friendship between 2 humans and also human and animal. The bond between animal and human are great. Listening to other people is also in this book. Its a very short read but it makes a huge impact on the characters and reader.. Its a children's book but its so good to read for Children and adults, in general.

I received a free copy of the book and is voluntarily leaving a review.

This is a Hi-Lo read for middle grades. High Interest. Low reading level. There is a definite need for books for slower readers who don’t want to read books about 7 and 8 year olds.

This is the second book in the Meg and Merlin series. When Meg sees a flier about a horse competition at the local fair, she decides to enter, even though her gear is a mishmash from charity stores. Things get off to a rough start when she finds Merlin rolling in the mud on competition day, and only gets worse when she runs into her rich classmate, Sam, from school. Meg is self-conscious with Sam watching, but ends up having an almost perfect run. Sam is impressed and asks Meg to join her in the pairs event. Even though they don’t win the competition, they win something even a better: a new friendship.

A good addition for middle grade libraries starting a Hi-Lo collection.

A lovely story for anyone who always wanted a horse as a child and couldn't afford one (me). Short and sweet, it is filled with smiles, bravery, determination and the friendships that can come from the most surprising of places when you scratch the surface and get to know someone.

A lovely and beautiful read about the unexpected friendship between two young equestrians! I enjoyed learning about horse-riding in this engaging tale. The book was shorter than I'd expected but overall, this is a charming story with lots of heart. I'll definitely be following the rest of the series!

A wonderful chapter book! Perfect for reluctant readers. Short chapters, beautiful illustrations, interesting plot, lovely message. I'll definitely recommend this series to our readers.

Meg and Merlin - Showing Off is a fun story about a young girl, Meg, who competes in her first show jumper event and makes some friends along the way! A very cute introductory reader for any young horse lover! Plus it has the addition of showing that you can't always judge a book by its cover.

Thank you to NetGalley and Barrington Stoke for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you, Barrington Stoke, for the advance reading copy.

I love the first book and I wasn't expecting a series! Surprise! This book turns out to be a series with some other ones following up closely.

I love the connection of the horse and the girl. Even though I am not a fan of horse racing and such, the story focuses much on the care the girl gives the horse and more focus is on the girl in this book.

The illustrations are simple yet captivating and much in sync with the story.

Looking forward for the next book. I hope the next upcoming books focuses more on the horse.