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
An insightful, action-packed, and thought-provoking adventure.
In a dystopian future ravaged by climate change, a 12-year-old tech genius must save her community from an evil government.
Raised on her family’s strawberry farm in the Valley, Yolanda Cicerón, who has Cuban roots, aspires to become a neurolink surgeon, install computer chips in human skulls, and live in Silo, the most developed city around. But Camila, Yoly’s older sister and her guardian since their parents’ exile, can’t afford the tuition. After Yoly secretly accepts a scholarship from Silo’s Mayor Blackburn to fund her studies—against Cami’s explicit wishes—she realizes the scholarship’s terms require her to go on Retreat, a life-threatening mission in territory plagued by extreme weather disasters. Terrified, Cami finally shares secret family history that explains her mistrust of the mayor. Yoly belatedly understands that the System that purportedly keeps everyone safe from nature is actually oppressive and is spying on them. Looking for a way to pay off the scholarship and avoid the Retreat, Yoly and Cami discover a honeybee colony on their farm and recognize that the bees can pollinate fields and thereby reduce people’s dependence on Silo. But questioning and innovation are dangerous under an authoritarian regime, and when people dear to Yoly are taken away, she must fight to save them and bring down the whole corrupt System. Readers will root for Yoly, who is as kind and brave as she is smart, in this page-turning story that deals with all-too-relevant themes.
An insightful, action-packed, and thought-provoking adventure. (Fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-06-300655-3
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A multicultural title with obvious appeal for animal-loving middle graders.
When a Bengali boy finds and saves a tiger cub from a man who wants to sell her on the black market, he realizes that the schoolwork he resents could lead to a career protecting his beloved Sunderbans island home.
When the not-yet-weaned cub escapes from a nearby reserve, Neel and many of his neighbors join the search. But some are in the pay of greedy Gupta, a shady entrepreneur who’s recently settled in their community. Even Neel’s father is tempted by Gupta’s money, although he knows that Gupta doesn’t plan to take the cub back to the refuge. Neel and his sister use the boy’s extensive knowledge of the island’s swampy interior to find the cub’s hiding place and lure it out so it can be returned to its mother. The Kolkota-born author visited the remote Sunderbans in the course of her research. She lovingly depicts this beautiful tropical forest in the context of Neel’s efforts to find the cub and his reluctance to leave his familiar world. While the conflicts resolve a bit too easily, the sense of place is strong and the tiger cub’s rescue very satisfying. Pastel illustrations will help readers envision the story.
A multicultural title with obvious appeal for animal-loving middle graders. (author's note, organizations, glossary) (Fiction. 8-11)Pub Date: April 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-58089-660-3
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Jan. 9, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2015
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
