Bull Rider

July 1, 2003
Gr 9 Up-In spite of his father's death at the National Finals six years earlier, Layne is determined to become an award-winning bull rider. His mother is adamant that he not ride, so the 16-year-old must practice in secret at a friend's family arena. When a rogue bull, Rhino, nearly finishes him off, Jana's grandfather agrees to train Layne. A convenient wedding gets his mom out of the way so that the teen can ride in the local rodeo, predictably, on Rhino. He survives, his mom loves him anyway, and he gets a nice kiss from Jana. Halvorson portrays her protagonist as an everyteen hero with fair success: he gets angry, gets hurt, takes responsibility for his actions, and shows brotherly affection for his younger sister on several occasions. The author also highlights the often-overlooked sport of rodeo riding without dramatizing the very real dangers or flooding readers with unwanted details.-Linda Bindner, Truman State University, Kirksville, MO

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