ONE LAST RIDE

In Elish’s middle-grade novel, a young boy discovers love, heartbreak, and an unexpected passion for horse riding over the course of one life-changing summer.

Twelve-year-old Jackson Segal attends Flying Eagle summer camp in Vermont in order to give his parents some “alone time”—in other words, time to decide if they are going to get a divorce. Despite Jackson’s anxiety about his parents’ marital woes, he makes quick friends with fellow camper Mateo and develops a wary affection for Major, a difficult but spirited horse who helps Jackson discover his natural talent for riding. As the summer winds down, Jackson’s experiences at camp make a lasting impression: He saves the day when Major stubbornly blocks the campers’ baseball game; opens up to his camp counselor, Doug, about his family worries; shares a hilariously disastrous first kiss with his crush, Luna; and even witnesses a tragedy that shakes the campers to their core. All the while, Jackson continues to foster his out-of-the-box creativity (such as inventing a wild new ride for the camp’s fair) and eventually comes to learn that he possesses more resilience and bravery than he ever realized. Elish tackles various heavy themes to which young readers can relate, including divorce, death, growing independence, and first love: “It isn’t high on the standard macho-guy list to admit, but I’m just not ready. Luna and I had just met. Kissing can wait.” Jackson is a likeable protagonist who provides smooth yet age-appropriate narration, with only the occasional bit of questionable internal dialogue (describing himself as crying “like a brain-damaged idiot” is an unfortunate lapse, both in the words used and the sentiment that crying is something shameful and embarrassing). His time spent at a “throw-back camp” harkens back to less technologically complicated days, but the story manages to address personal and social issues that prove timeless. Elish has crafted a nuanced and perceptive story of a boy on the cusp of teenage-hood that is likely to resonate with older children and young adults.

A sensitively written, bittersweet homage to that moment in childhood when it becomes time to grow up.