Riding Lessons

December 15, 2017
A young rider named Ellen Leinsdorf takes the reins in this first part of a trilogy set in the same California town as Smiley's series aimed at slightly older readers, the Horses of Oak Valley Ranch.Ellen, who is depicted as white on the book's cover (there seem to be no people of color in the book), takes riding lessons every week from teenager Abby Lovitt, sometimes at the stable in the unnamed coastal town where she lives and sometimes at Abby's family's ranch farther inland. Ned, a recently retired racehorse, comes to live at Abby's farm, and Ellen realizes she can talk to him--in person and also sometimes from her bedroom. Ellen also discovers both that her parents are about to adopt a baby girl and that she herself is adopted. Ellen's age--9--isn't revealed until about halfway through, and before that readers might think she's older; her voice feels more an adult's version of a child's voice than authentically childlike. Her chattiness and distractibility are told about instead of shown, and when Ellen's teacher asks her to focus more in class and follow directions, she instantly becomes a model student. Ellen's third-person narration is stuffed with detail but features little insight or action. Readers who don't already know Abby Lovitt will not realize the story is set in the 1960s but might wonder at some of the seemingly anachronistic family structures.A disappointing outing with a lauded author. (Historical fiction. 8-10)

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February 1, 2018

Gr 3-5-Pulitzer Prize-winning author Smiley pens the first book in a new series set in the 60s about a fourth-grade girl who loves riding and horses. Ned is a retired racehorse who Ellen meets at her riding lesson and they instantly have a magical connection; she can see and hear him even when they are far apart. Ellen soon finds out that she was adopted and that her parents are adopting another baby girl. Ellen is precocious and has to work on following rules and not speaking out of turn. She learns discipline through the riding lessons with her instructor and by observing other girls in her class. Ellen and Ned help each other navigate their surroundings through their telepathic communication. VERDICT A quiet work of historical fiction for horse lovers. A secondary purchase.-Sarah Wilsman, Bainbridge Library, Chagrin Falls, OH

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2018
Grades 3-6 Ellen is an imaginative, lively, and horse-crazy fourth-grader who is fortunate enough to actually have riding lessons, though she'll only be permitted to continue on the condition that she behave well both at home and at school, which is difficult since impulsive Ellen tends to speak first and think later. As the first-person narrator, Ellen shares her thoughts about everything, from her parents adopting a new baby to what makes some of her classmates tick. When she meets Ned, a former racehorse sidelined by an injury, at her riding instructor Abby's house, she feels an instant connection. Later, she finds she can have conversations with him in her imagination, where she sometimes sorts out the issues that confuse her. The pace of the story is leisurely and packed with lots of details about riding and jumping, which makes this book especially interesting for the horse-obsessed set. At the same time, Ellen is beginning to make the transition into tweenhood, and her explorations are thoughtful and thought-provoking, a combination that raises the bar for young readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)