A solid if uncomplicated read for knowledgeable lovers of horses and horseback riding.
Penny has arrived at a weeklong pony camp, but is she ready to ride again after her fall at a local horse show?
Penny’s broken arm has healed, but she hasn’t regained her confidence. Unsure how much riding she is ready to do at camp, she hides the fact that she is a mature rider from her fellow campers to avoid setting an expectation she’s scared to meet. Penny gets paired with a piebald cob pony named Prince, and she instantly falls in love with him. She finds a friend in Prince and constantly confides in him. Prince is perfect for Penny’s comfort level, and trusting him helps Penny become ready to challenge herself again. Along the way, she learns to get along with her truly annoying roommate and learns that she didn’t have to hide her experience from her friends. Penny leaves camp knowing that she’ll be back in the horse shows again soon. In the co-publishing Megan and Mischief, Megan comes to camp ready for a challenge after riding mostly slow ponies at her barn. All of the campers appear to be white except for Amita, “a beautiful Indian girl” and fellow camper; Penny’s father appears to be slightly darker than the others. The text assumes familiarity with horses, but a glossary helps motivated readers, and believable emotions make the story accessible to all.
A solid if uncomplicated read for knowledgeable lovers of horses and horseback riding. (tips, quiz) (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68010-425-7
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
A fun little adventure brimming with Disney intellectual-property synergy.
A young mouse earns her place among a secret society of world-savers.
Bernadette is a small rodent with big ambitions: joining the Mouse Watch, an elite team of mice that protect the world from evil while keeping themselves secret from humans. Bernie has long dreamed of joining her idol, Gadget Hackwrench (the female lead of Disney’s popular cartoon Chip & Dale: Rescue Rangers), and going on gizmo-filled, adrenaline-fueled adventures. As a new recruit of the Watch, Bernie befriends Jarvis, a sensitive rat with puzzle-solving skills to spare. The two rodents flit from set piece to set piece, uncovering a dastardly plot concocted by the devilish Dr. Thornpaw that could turn the world upside down. Readers familiar with Rescue Rangers will find similar rhythms here: a precise blend of jokes, action, and plucky young heroes ambitious to prove themselves. The novel is smartly paced, keeping readers pushing forward but with just enough assurance that everything will turn out OK in the end. It’s a comfort read, one that tees up a sequel in its final pages and points back just enough to Rescue Rangers that young readers interested in exploring more of this world won’t be disappointed (provided their families have subscribed to Disney +).
A fun little adventure brimming with Disney intellectual-property synergy. (Fantasy. 8-12)Pub Date: April 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-368-05218-4
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Slick sleuthing punctuated by action on the boards and insights into differences that matter—and those that don’t.
Brothers, one neurodivergent, team up to shoot baskets and find a thief.
With the coach spit-bellowing at him to play better or get out, basketball tryouts are such a disaster for 11-year-old Green that he pelts out of the gym—becoming the chief suspect to everyone except his fiercely protective older brother, Cedar, when a valuable ring vanishes from the coach’s office. Used to being misunderstood, Green is less affected by the assumption of his guilt than Cedar, whose violent reactions risk his suspension. Switching narrative duties in alternating first-person chapters, the brothers join forces to search for clues to the real thief—amassing notes, eliminating possibilities (only with reluctance does Green discard Ringwraiths from his exhaustive list of possible perps), and, on the way to an ingenious denouement, discovering several schoolmates and grown-ups who, like Cedar, see Green as his own unique self, not just another “special needs” kid. In an author’s note, King writes that he based his title characters on family members, adding an element of conviction to his portrayals of Green as a smart, unathletic tween with a wry sense of humor and of Cedar’s attachment to him as founded in real affection, not just duty. Ultimately, the author finds positive qualities to accentuate in most of the rest of the cast too, ending on a tide of apologies and fence-mendings. Cedar and Green default to White.
Slick sleuthing punctuated by action on the boards and insights into differences that matter—and those that don’t. (Fiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-66590-261-8
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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