Ride On

by Faith Erin Hicks

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Horse lovers unite! This sweet middle graphic novel is perfect for the equine fan in your life. Coupled with gorgeous illustrations, Ride On is a charming story of friendship, self-discovery, and of course, plenty of horses.

In Ride On, this middle grade graphic novel from Faith Erin Hicks, twelve-year-old Victoria is burned out from the high-pressure world or riding competitions. Can she get back to basics and rekindle her love of horses? Perfect for fans of Best Friends and Stargazing!

Victoria has always loved horses. But riding in competitions is high stakes, high stress, and shockingly expensive. And even though Victoria’s best friend Taylor loves competing, Victoria has lost her taste for it.

After a heartbreaking fight with Taylor, Victoria needs a new start—at a new stables. A place where she doesn’t have to worry about anything other than riding. No competition, no drama, no friends.

Just horses.

Edgewood Stables seems ideal. There are plenty of horses to ride, and Victoria is perfectly happy giving the other riders the cold shoulder.

But can she truly be happy with no friends?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250772824
Publisher:	First Second
Publication date:	08/16/2022
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	32,552
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 5.50(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	10 - 14 Years

About the Author

Faith Erin Hicks is a writer and artist who lives in Vancouver, Canada. Her published works include Friends with Boys, The Adventures of Superhero Girl, The Last of Us: American Dreams (with Neil Druckmann), The Nameless City trilogy, Comics Will Break Your Heart, and the New York Times bestselling Pumpkinheads (with Rainbow Rowell).

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/04/2022

Strong characterizations and polished digital art distinguish Hicks’s pleasurable graphic novel of building friendship through shared devotion. As summer ends, best friends Hazel and Norrie, along with laid-back Sam, the only boy rider at Edgewood Stables, are intrigued by the arrival of a skilled new rider, Victoria, to Edgewood. Droll, quiet Hazel recognizes Victoria from a schooling show at upscale Waverly Stables, prompting chatty Norrie to conclude that Victoria was sent to infiltrate Edgewood. Indifferent to Norrie’s welcome (“I’m here to ride, that’s it”) and subsequent irritation and shunning, Victoria remains focused on training a young gelding while healing from a friendship breakup with a privileged and demanding Waverly rider. When the Edgewood trio discovers that Victoria shares their fondness for vintage sci-fi show Beyond the Galaxy, Victoria’s iciness begins to thaw, and the riders bond while discovering strength in supporting each other. Featuring funny dialogue (“Let the shunning commence!”) and Hicks’s (Comics Will Break Your Heart) signature art—including sharply rendered horses in motion—this attentively layered, low-stakes graphic novel is told with an insider’s understanding of both stable culture and fandom. Sam reads as Black, Norrie cues as South Asian, and Hazel and Victoria present as white. Ages 10–14. Agent: Bernadette Baker-Baughman, Victoria Sanders & Assoc. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

2022-05-25
The arrival of a new girl creates drama at a riding stable.

Drama is the last thing Victoria needs: She arrives at Edgewood Stables from rival Waverly Stables following a blowup with former best friend Taylor that leaves her shaken. Taylor has her own horse and takes riding and showing very seriously. Victoria is a good rider, but she understands that her accountant mom will never be able to buy her a horse, and she wants to have time for other things, like watching her favorite science-fiction show, Beyond the Galaxy. Despite a rocky start at Edgewood, she develops friendships with the other middle schoolers in the barn: uber-extrovert Norrie, quiet Hazel, and Sam, who is the only boy. Her new friends are not only Beyond the Galaxy fans, they also help her regain her own confidence in herself and around horses. The story is told from both Victoria’s and Norrie’s points of view, with flashbacks to Victoria’s friendship with Taylor. The emotional arc is realistic and finely developed, with the underlying message, emphasized by illustrations depicting riders with a broad range of skin tones and body types, that there are many ways to be a rider. Norrie is cued as South Asian; Sam reads as Black, and the other main characters appear White. The horses are well done, too. The clean, jewel-toned artwork is especially strong at portraying emotions through facial expressions and body language.

Combines sensitive character exploration with horses: a blue-ribbon winner. (Graphic fiction. 9-14)

Kirkus Reviews

A Junior Library Guild selection

"Featuring funny dialogue and Hicks’s signature art—including sharply rendered horses in motion—this attentively layered, low-stakes graphic novel is told with an insider’s understanding of both stable culture and fandom." —Publisher's Weekly, starred review

"Hicks gives her uncommon depth, thanks to multifaceted and distinctive characters, nuanced conversations about passion and privilege, and heartening emotional growth. A solid, well-wrought comic for fans of character-driven stories and, naturally, anyone obsessed with riding horses." —Booklist, starred review

"A 'perfect ride' of a graphic ­novel that shows that there really is something special about horse friends."—School Library Journal, starred review

"With snappy dialogue and spot-on pacing, the pages fly by, making this breezy read appealing to horse lovers, sci-fi-fandom aficionados, and those who live for excellent graphic novels alike." —Horn Book

"Hold on to your horses, because this book will be flying off the shelves!"— Jennifer L. Holm, NY Times-bestselling author and co-creator of Sunny Side Up

"A charming, satisfying and relatable read. I loved spending time with every one of the characters." — Hope Larson, author of All Summer Long

"Ride On is a heartfelt coming-of-age story that will be treasured by any horse lover. Faith Erin Hicks has made a beautiful graphic novel about facing your fears, making friends, and following your heart." —Kristen Gudsnuk, author of Making Friends.

From the Publisher

★ 08/01/2022

Gr 5–8—After a fight with her best friend, Victoria leaves fancy Waverly Stables for lower key Edgewood, where her plan is to focus on riding, not friendship. She rebuffs unofficial assistant barn manager Norrie's warm welcome, infuriating Norrie, who tries to get her best friend Hazel and "the only boy," Sam, to shun Victoria too. But when Victoria discovers that all three of them are fans of an old sci-fi show called Beyond the Galaxy, she apologizes to Norrie and becomes friends with all three—and explains her behavior. Vic's ex-best friend Taylor gave her the cold shoulder when Victoria said she loved horses but no longer wanted to compete—partly because of the expense, which her family couldn't afford. Hicks uses flashbacks effectively to show what happened between Victoria and Taylor, as well as Victoria's parents' divorce. Secondary characters, including horse friends and siblings, are well developed with different personalities, interests, and problems of their own. The Edgewood friends support one another, and through good listening and wise advice, they make one another braver. There is also something romantic simmering between Victoria and Sam, but it's mostly eye contact and blushes. Norrie and Sam have brown skin and dark hair; Hazel and Victoria have light skin and freckles. Three to five panels per page, often horizontal to accommodate the horses, result in passages with excellent pacing. VERDICT A "perfect ride" of a graphic novel that shows that there really is something special about horse friends.—Jenny Arch

School Library Journal