Changes

''Cactus Annie'' is a sweet tale, with plenty of enjoyable elements. The tough time at school theme is handled lightly, and with the focus on cowgirl school, rather than school in general. Any young 'uns just starting school and struggling a little will be able to draw parallels, but it won't sow any unwanted seeds in the minds of others. The moral of believing in yourself is handled equally lightly - it's there, but isn't hammered home. It's a little predictable - as are all such books of this ilk - but not unpleasantly so. If you want to treat it as a light-hearted cowgirl adventure, that's perfectly possible. If you want to use it to boost the confidence of someone new at school, that's there too.