Another Kind of Cowboy

February 1, 2008
Gr 8-10-Alex Ford has always wanted a horse but never expected that his father would win one in a poker game. Turnip is definitely not a dream horse, but he does reciprocate the kindness that Alex shows him by performing to the best of his ability. They become a winning team in Western riding, but Alex has always dreamed of studying dressage. Several fortuitous circumstances help to make this a reality. A woman who is smitten with his father happens to have a dressage horse that she doesn't ride. A stable opens near him with two dressage trainers. He meets a girl, Cleo, who also becomes a dressage student and eventually a friend. The story alternates between Alex and Cleo. Cleo is privileged and rebellious; Alex is talented and self-effacing. He is also gay and has spent his teen years quietly struggling to understand and accept who he is but is concerned that his orientation will be unacceptable to his family and friends. He gradually becomes more confident, and, with the support of those who really care about him, his aspirations and his personal relationships seem full of promise. This is a well-written contemporary story with touches of humor and well-drawn, empathetic characters."Carol Schene, formerly at Taunton Public Schools, MA"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2007
The author of Alice, I Think (2003) offers a change of pace in this charming story. Alex Ford fell in love with horses at agesix, and then with the sport of dressage. But Alex knows that Turnip, the sturdy horse his dadwon in apoker game, will never manage dressage, andresigns himself to becoming a cowboy.When a new horse enters his life, Alex, by now 16 and struggling with his sexuality, finds himself in a dressage class. The only other member of the class is Cleo, a spoiled American who wassent tothe Vancouver riding school after getting in trouble at home. The two lonely teens develop a friendship that eventually helps them realize their identities and strengths. Wry humor infuses this quiet story with a gentle warmth, and the secondary characters are well developed. Juby clearly knows horses and dressage, andher portrait of this world adds to the book's appeal. Readers don?t have to be horse lovers to find this a winning read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)