Review by Booklist Review
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.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
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) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
