Lots of information here about competing in horse shows, although I never really understood the appeal of the animals. Kate is a young woman dealing with mean girls, escaping into work at the stable and competing. Over the course of this book, she gets her period, deals with her best friend not liking horses (due to allergies), and tells her brother his friends are jerks about her weight.

I was surprised when the book ended, as many of the issues raised hadn't really been dealt with in a satisfying way. I know it's semi-autobiographical (not a memoir, the author says), and great story structure may not happen in real life, but it makes this hard to get a grip on or recommend. An author's note at the end puts the goals together with a context I didn't quite get from the story.

The cartoony style is approachable, although it makes Kate's weight less understandable. She draws her younger self with a round face, but the body isn't that different. Perhaps that's the point, although it does lead to a disconnect between the text (where she's telling us how hard life was because of her size) and the art.

Warning for several horse falls, although none have substantial injuries. This is a book definitely carried by the text, with the illustrations supporting most of the time. It's also a series of incidents, a portrait of a series of months in a young life, meant to show kids in similar circumstances "they're not alone".

As someone who went through a strong horse-y phase when I was around 10 - 14 (it never really went away, either), I related to this graphic novel so hard. Only difference was I rode Western, not English - I've only ever ridden English once and no wonder poor Kate is always falling off her horse, how does one even stay on those English saddles??? There's nothing there to stop you from sliding right off! It's kind of ridiculous. Western style forever, man, give me a saddle horn to keep me in place and to loop my reins around in case I ever need to rope a steer or something. English is just too fancy. Anyway! Back to Horse Trouble: if you've ever been a teenage girl with self-esteem issues or weight issues and you've loved horses, then you will relate to this book the same way I did. Kate's troubles are the troubles of all girls at that age, especially if you are on the heavier side (as I was and the fictional Kate is). This is such a wonderful book about growing up, gaining confidence, and learning to love and accept yourself. Also: horses!

Still: Western > English, I will die on this hill, feel free to fight me. I'll be over here, doing some barrel racing.

This book is perfect for middle grade kids who love realistic fiction like the work of Kayla Miller. Fun artwork and told with a sense of humor, this story addresses how money and class differences can be an impediment to expensive hobbies like horseback riding. There are also a good subplots about bullying, body image, and body positivity. Recommended.

Kate LOVES horses. She gets to take lessons 2 days of the week and also works a little at the barn to help pay for some of her lessons. As she gets excited about possibly being able to go to the big horse show this year thanks to her improvement in skill, she deals with school, crushes, her body image as a chubby kid, entering puberty, friends, bullies, and when she has an extra scary fall off a horse, the courage to keep doing what she loves.

This feels like your typical coming of age girl book with worries over body image, first period, wearing a bra, crushes who fall for the best friend, and bullies. This adds to that 3 things: 1) getting Kate’s family to understand what helps and hurts her self-esteem related to her body image, 2) her older brother’s friends who make some inappropriate comments and pinch Kate in a way that is totally not ok and how to deal with that (I do have to say, Kate’s brother grows on you over the book…I love how he comes through for her in the end), 3) all the horse riding and showmanship details. My youngest sister is the horse rider in our family who went on to become an equestrian major and now works full time with horses so through her I was familiar with a lot of the terms and things Kate talks about, but there are great footnotes throughout the book about the equestrian vocabulary for those who aren’t familiar with them. The author talks about how some parts of this are autobiographical and other things are completely made up in a note at the end of the book. You can tell she’s obviously a horse rider herself. And I can see someone like my sister loving this book to literal pieces in middle school. I can take or leave this kind of story, but to horse lovers, this will be gold.

Notes on content: No language issues. No sex scenes. There are some scenes with Kate getting dressed and just in her bra. There’s also talk about her first period. And then there’s the slime ball older teens who say inappropriate things to Kate, ask her bra size, and pinch her love handles after ogling a woman in a TV ad. [Kate eventually tells her brother, he gets quite angry with them, and he ditches those friends in support of her.] Kate falls off of a horse 10 times, though is never seriously hurt. Another rider falls off, and another one talks about a serious fall that broke his arm. Kate is bullied by a girl at the barn, and Kate eventually does something unkind in retaliation. There is a good resolution to all of that.

I received an ARC of this title from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Kate's a middle schooler who loves horses but isn't always the biggest fan of herself. Horse Trouble will appeal to any reader who loves riding while still touching on body image, bullying, and friendship. We get to see Kate, and some of the people in her life, grow throughout the story to a satisfying conclusion.

I really enjoyed this story a whole lot. I wish it had been something I could have read as a fat, horse crazy kid who felt extremely self-conscious and never thin enough. The art in this graphic novel is fantastic too!
My only qualms with this story are the way the riding-teacher never pays attention to or punishes the mean girls at the barn, but the main character gets flack for doing something back at them. It has a very "do no wrong ever and let people keep hurting you" purist vibe that I don't agree with, and unfortunately so many children's shows and books perpetuate this idea. Jana, the main bully, deserved to get pushed in horse-poop after the way she constantly CONSTANTLY made fun of and belittled the main character, Kate. I'm really disturbed that Kate gets called a bully because of this.

Part horseback riding primer, part guide to tween life, Horse Trouble is the story of Kate, a 12-year-old who loves horses and is frustrated by her body. Her best friend is thin and gets the attention of Kate's crush; the mean girls at the riding school and her middle school target her appearance and flaunt their expensive clothes and accessories while looking down on her. Kate is focused on riding - she works at the school to help pay for her lessons - and competing, but when she's home, she's at war with her reflection. Her brother calls her nicknames like "chubbs", and her mother offers to join a weight-loss program with her, but Kate needs to find her confidence before she can see results. She finds that confidence at the riding school and through competition, but even there, she gets angry at the number of times she's thrown from the horses. A strong story of finding one's passion and inner strength, Horse Trouble hits all the right points: self-esteem and body image; coping with bullies; comparing oneself to others both in terms of body size and possessions; coping with crushes; finding mentors, and that connection to friends that we always come back to. Teal-and-white illustrations are appealing, the characters are all likable, and I love the fun character introductions, illustrated with fun facts about each. Each chapter introduction comes with a fun fact about the riding course, and there are great facts about horseback riding and competing throughout the story.

Inspired by Kristin Varner's own tween experiences, Horse Trouble is just great reading. See more of her illustration at h

Loved this graphic novel! The MC was adorable and I'm glad to see her family members finally started seeing how hurtful their comments about Kate's weight were. Horsey me would have devoured this book when I was younger and adult me devoured it too! I'll definitely be posting a more comprehensive review closer to pub date.

Cute graphic novel about a middle school age horse fan who struggles with body image, friendships, and a queen bee-style bully. Foreknowledge about equestrian topics is unnecessary as many pages provide explanatory text. Recurring themes include concerns about extra weight, kindness, and following one's moral compass. I particularly appreciated the inclusion and handling of a very uncomfortable scene when the MC's older brother's friends cross several lines and make humiliating, sexually provocative comments. Far too many preteen girls experience similar situations and it was gratifying to see this behavior called out and rightfully condemned.

Kristin Varner's Horse Trouble is wonderful. Even if you know nothing about horses and horse riding, Kate's struggles with adolescence are infinitely easy to relate to for just about anyone. A really beautifully written and illustrated graphic novel.