Ana & Frog

'Ana & Frog' are best friends as well as being cousins. One of their favourite pastimes is riding Minty, an elderly horse that belongs to their friend Whaea McCready. When Minty goes missing from her paddock under mysterious circumstances, Ana and Frog use their initiative as they turn detective to try to find out what has happened to her.

The plot is set in rural New Zealand in a close knit community and as a result relationships feature strongly in this book; Ana and Frog’s relationship with each other, their relationship to their school mates and also with the adults in their lives. It also stresses the importance of not assuming the worst of people, even though sometimes that might be the easiest thing to do. By the end of the book, Ana and Frog have a much better idea of the motivations that have caused all the mayhem in their town and have more of an understanding and acceptance of the people involved.