April 1, 2025
A 10-year-old Black girl faces a lot of difficult changes when she moves to a rural town. When her mom gets a new job, Nora Wright leaves behind her three best friends, Ava, Anna, and Emma (drawn as nearly identical slender blond white girls) and the posh stable where she boards her horse, Hay Fever, to move to Creaky Acres. Although her current trainer recommends the place, Nora instantly despises it, calling it "a dump." Horses are well cared for at Creaky Acres, but so are possums and a goat--and the white kids riding there are scruffy and don't go to horse shows. Nora's rude to them. She endures frequent racial microaggressions from kids and adults alike at her new school, where she's the only Black student. She's struggling with her riding, too. Nora is appealing and sympathetic, and the overall message that friendship and a love of horses transcend race and class divisions is a good one, but it's undermined by the depiction of the rich riders as thin and neat and the poorer ones as plump and untidy, images that perpetuate stereotypes about body size and socioeconomic class. Confusingly, "eventing," which is a specific sort of competition, is used repeatedly as a synonym for "horse show," and some elements of the story strain credulity. The cartoonlike artwork is expressive and highlights the characters' feelings. An unevenly executed story with a strong message about personal growth.(Graphic fiction. 8-12)
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April 4, 2025
Gr 4-8-Moving to a new town and settling in is hard, especially when the old spaces and routines provide happiness and comfort. Proud of her accomplishments and skills, newcomer Nora is unimpressed by the facilities, the other riders, and the general lack of spiffiness around Creaky Acres, her new riding stable. One horse looks an awful lot like a mule, and the resident cow, goat, and passel of opossums have more run of the place than might typically be the case in a posh establishment. The new school is also a struggle, with a string of microaggressions from classmates and teachers that leave Nora feeling like she will never fit in. With guidance from her parents, support from her new riding teacher, and encouragement from a new friend, Nora finds a way to connect with the kids at Creaky Acres, share her gifts, and help the whole team shine. Magruder's depictions of human and animal characters are expressive. The bright, saturated colors and skillful use of shifting perspective give the story energy and a zippy pace. There is enough technical information and detail to satisfy horse lovers, but not so much as to overwhelm readers who might not have riding experience. Nora and her parents are Black; all other characters are white. VERDICT While barn life is at the core of this story, it is also about seeing and being seen beyond first impressions and outward appearances. A first purchase for middle grade graphic collections.-Jennifer Costa
Copyright 2025 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
April 1, 2025
Grades 4-7 Blue-ribbon winner Nora has always thrived in the structure of her barn and the eventing community, but when her family moves to a new town, she and her horse, Hay Fever, must find a new routine among opossums and oddballs at a different kind of barn in this endearing middle-grade graphic novel. As if being the new kid wasn't hard enough, Nora finds she's also the only Black student at her school and faces daily microaggressions from students and faculty. The art style blends realism and cartoon elements, shining when capturing facial expressions--like Nora's incredulous horror at the state of her new barn--and the personalities of her fellow Creaky Acres students. The illustrations feature diagrams and tips on proper eventing etiquette, giving the reader a crash course in all things horse. Even the barn animals come alive, each with their own distinct mannerisms. Little by little, Nora learns to trust herself, to keep her eyes up, and that sometimes a little bit of weirdness is exactly what you need to grow.
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