Gib Rides Home

All Gib ever wanted was to be adopted, but life with a family isn't quite what he thought it would be

Gib was sent to an orphanage when he was six years old, and with each year, he knows it becomes less likely that he will be adopted into a loving family. As kids get older, they are more likely to be adopted onto a farm, meaning a hard life of unpaid labor. And after seeing a friend come back battered and near death, Gib is understandably worried.

When his turn for adoption finally comes, Gib is surprised to learn that life on the farm isn't too difficult. His new "parents," the Thorntons, are kind to him, and his job in the stables is fun and interesting. It is as close to the home of his dreams as he could possibly imagine. And though Gib doesn't remember much of his past before the orphanage, as time passes, Gib realizes that his new family may be more connected to his real family than he ever imagined. This smart, touching novel is based on the life of author Zilpha Keatley Snyder's father and his experience as an orphan in the 1900s.