Calling all Horse Girls! Are you currently or were you obsessed with horses in the past? In my middle grade days I was drawing horses and had them up on a pedestal in comparison to other animals. Fortunately my family lived on a farm and we had horses and ponies we could ride frequently. I never had formal lessons, but spent hours on the back of my pony Trudy. This new graphic novel from Faith Erin Hicks is perfect for all those kids who have been enjoying the works of Raina Telgemeier, Jennifer L. Holm, Shannon Hale, and Kayla Miller. Victoria switches from one riding stable to another. She just wants to ride without the pressure of competition. Along the way she meets learns some life lessons about making new friends and learning to embrace additional hobbies. The anxiety of competition is also addressed in helpful and realistic ways. Love the colorful art and the inclusion of the retro sci-fi show in the plot.

Thank you to First Second Books and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

I have to admit, I was never really horse girl, but I picked this up because I like the author and I think my students would like this one. After reading, I was right on both accounts. Faith Erin Hicks draws likable characters and understands the highs and lows of teenage feelings. And while the horse stuff isn't for me, I know younger readers will enjoy it.

We follow Victoria as she starts riding at a new stable. She makes new friends, trains a new horse, and learns how to love riding again. There are also some fandom elements that are fun and relatable. I liked Victoria's journey and the message that, sometimes, you can just do things for fun. It was just really sweet.

I don't have much more to say about this. I like the art style, and I will be requesting this for my library. I think young readers will connect to it and learn from it. And maybe, some horse girls will get to live vicariously through it.

**I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Like most girls, I grew up LOVING horses! I was going to own horses, work with horses, have a horse filled future. Sadly that did not come to pass, but I could see/feel myself in the characters in this story. Though I don't think that you need to be horsey to enjoy the message of this book. It is a great story of growing up, friendship, change, and all those other challenges that come in middle school and beyond.

Reading this book truly reminded me of my younger horse-crazy self as well as forming new friendships with fellow like-minded people. It also showed just how difficult being he "new girl" can be as well as just how difficult growing up can be when as you and your friends change and can either grow up together or apart. I thoroughly enjoyed the artwork and storyline, this was a fun and fantastic read!

This was a fun new graphic novel which, in the spirit of Roller Girl, describes how a girl deals with losing one of her best friends because their interests are not in alignment. Victoria likes horses, but her ex-bestie feels that competing in horse competition is the only way to go. Victoria can't put that much of herself into it, even though she really enjoys riding.
Even readers who not into horses should be able to make connections to this, whether they think of another activity or sport. Horse lovers will really appreciate the art and the parts of the story that take place at a stable.
The way that characters learn to handle having different interests from a friend or sibling made for a great resolution.

Ride On is sure to have a wide appeal amongst tween and teen readers. The relationship that develop in this story and the idea of activities as a pursuit of joy instead of extrinsic reward (aka winning) is one that I think will resonate with a lot of kids.

So what do you do when a shared advocation with a best friend become’s their vocation?

And you aren’t friends anymore.

This is where Victoria finds herself after a fight with he best friend over their future in dressage. Victoria’s response is to move to a new riding stable—where she and the teenagers working and riding there have equally negative reactions.

What they all discover is that very rarely do things stay the same, and while finding common non-horse interests helps to have all become friends over the ensuing year, other relationships still need a resolution. And when you find a relationship can’t be repaired, the best bet is to “ride on”.

Highly recommended: 5 stars

Thank you to First Second Books and NetGalley for the advanced electronic review copy of this lovely book. This is a wonderful middle-grade story, beautiful illustrations, and important lessons that reader learns along the way (friendships, sibling relationships, change in things you like is part of growing up). Looking forward to sharing this book with my upper elementary students.

Ride On is a fantastic graphic novel by Faith Erin Hicks. This story follows a group of middle school students who share a common love of riding and a soon to be rebooted sci-fi tv show. They navigate friendships, school work and those oh so fun teenage emotions. Great addition to any library serving teens!!

"Ride On" is a cute story about a group of middle schoolers who are sorting through the meaning of friendship. Victoria is a girl who loves horses, but is not interested in competing due to the high costs it takes to do so. After a falling out with a friend she leaves her competitive riding stable for Edgewood, a more calm and relaxing one. She meets three new kids there and after a rocky first encounter, she makes friends with them and comes to terms with her negative past experiences. I very much enjoyed the art of this book and the story was really pleasant.

After a fight with her best friend Taylor, Victoria has lost her desire for horse riding. Taylor was getting more focused on competitions and Victoria doesn’t want the high stakes anymore. So, Victoria has decided to get a fresh start at a new horse stable. One where she doesn’t have to feel the pressure of competition. And one where she doesn’t plan on making friends.

However, her fellow riders are suspcious of that at first. Victoria doesn’t mind getting shunned. It just means that she can’t get hurt again. Until she realizes that there can be more to friendships than just horses. And maybe going friendless isn’t the perfect solution she thought it was.

Thanks to NetGalley and First Second for an advanced copy of Ride On by Faith Erin Hicks to review! I’m a huge fan of Hicks’ art and writing, so I was excited to pick this one up. I am happy to say that I wasn’t disappointed!

Let’s be honest, almost every girl had a horse phase growing up, right? You read all the horse books, imagined having your own. Maybe even riding lessons! This graphic novel fufills all those fantasies. Honestly, this works so well as a middle grade graphic novel because of the themes. Middle school is such a trying time, and changing friendships is one of those reasons. Victoria learns the hard way that all friendships aren’t meant to last.

Additionally, the new friendships she makes are adorable. Not only do they bond over horses, but also their favorite sci-fi show! Each of the side characters also has their own journey, making them feel fully fleshed out. I loved the little group they formed, and I’m sure readers will too!

Hicks’ art style is also one of my favorites. It is so unique, and lends itself well to this story.

All in all, you’ll definitely want to pick this one up when it comes out next month!

Ride On tells the story of Victoria, a competitive horseback rider who switches stables to get a fresh start. There she meets a group of teens who try to befriend her through common interests. Faith Erin Hicks tells a compelling story with lovely art. One of the details I loved was Victoria growing her hair out distinguishing between present and flashbacks.

Ride On follows a young girl Victoria who stepped away from horse riding competitions because she didn't like the competitive aspect of it. It causes a falling out between her and a friend. Near the beginning of the story, we see Victoria getting a fresh start at a new stables. I think that Faith Erin Hicks does a great job immersing the reader and sharing her appreciation of horses themselves. It was a good story and would be enjoyed by anyone ages 10 and up! 4/5

Miigweetch to Netgalley and First Second Books for the DRC.

Like the author, I too was a Horse Kid, with a childhood immersed in Breyer and My Little Pony toys. I devoured the “Thoroughbred'' series and any book written by Marguerite Henry. The highlight of my summer were the two weeks I got to spend at Girl Scout riding camp, a rare opportunity for this city-slicker to interact with my favorite animal. When I saw this title, I was immediately drawn to it. The art style is clean and bold. Fans of Molly Knox Ostertag and ND Stevenson would probably like this comic too.

This charming middle-grade graphic novel centers on Victoria and her transfer to a new riding stable after a falling-out with her best friend Taylor. We know this from the very beginning of the story, but details that are revealed later really pack an emotional wallop.

The characters are well developed, and their interactions felt genuine and realistic. I especially enjoyed the side story about Sam, the only boy rider at Victoria’s new stable. Sam is often harassed by his brothers for his love of horses and friendships with girls, so it was really cool to see that arc play out to an incredibly satisfying conclusion. Also: hooray for acknowledging and celebrating platonic friendships; I am so happy to see more of this represented!

In conclusion, I loved this book. I blazed through it in an afternoon - it was such a pleasure to read! I recommend it to horse-lovers of all ages, as well as fans of stories about growing up, healthy friendships, strong female protagonists, and slice-of-life comics.

Excellently illustrated and a staple of consistency in innovation and technique from this excellent graphic novelist! I can't wait to see what comes next.

This one brought me back to high school. It was so nostalgic. Victoria is horse obsessed just about how much I was horse obsessed. Except she's also into a Star Trek like show and I was into Star Wars.

Victoria changes stables to Edgewood and immediately Norrie wants to know all the tea about her and where she came from and why she's there. Sam and Hazel are loyal to Norrie and when she decides to shun Victoria for not making friends........ they shun her too. But Victoria is done with stable friends because her last bestie Taylor left her in the dust. But once Victoria gets to know the new stable and the trio, she regrets not taking the olive branch at the start of her time at the barn.

What I loved most:
The horses
The mix of horses, comps and science fiction
The siblings in this one are very realistic and great

When new girl Victoria starts riding at Edgewood Stables, it puts Norrie in a tizzy. Victoria used to ride at Waverly, Edgewood's rival until a fight with her best friend made her never want to be friends with horse people. But through the love of an old sci-fi show, Victoria decides to befriend Norrie, and along with a few others at the barn, they deal with old friendships, annoying brothers, school troubles, and confidence issues.

As a former horse girl myself, I completely saw myself in Victoria and the others. This had all the elements of my favorite horse book series when I was a kid. There's always the divide between those riders who have money and those who have to work for it. And having the confidence to compete was a big one. And there was a boy rider, which is rare! The art was fun and there were plenty of pictures of horses even if not as much technical info about riding (that was always something I looked for in the horse books, the actual describing how to ride). Overall this was a fun read and sure to please the middle school horse-obsessed crowd.

**Disclaimer: I received a free early access copy of Ride On by Faith Erin Hicks through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this opportunity.

Ride On by Faith Erin Hicks is a middle grade graphic novel about a young girl who likes to ride horses.  She switches the stable she is riding at, and encounters a new group of horse kids.  It is set to be published on August 16th, 2022.  I rated it 4 stars on Goodreads.


Here's the summary from Goodreads:

In Ride On, this middle grade graphic novel from Faith Erin Hicks, twelve-year-old Victoria is burned out from the high-pressure world or riding competitions. Can she get back to basics and rekindle her love of horses? Perfect for fans of Best Friends and Stargazing!
VIctoria has always loved horses. But riding in competitions is high stakes, high stress, and shockingly expensive. And even though Victoria’s best friend Taylor loves competing, Victoria has lost her taste for it.
After a heartbreaking fight with Taylor, Victoria needs a new start—at a new stables. A place where she doesn’t have to worry about anything other than riding. No competition, no drama, no friends.
Just horses.
Edgewood Stables seems ideal. There are plenty of horses to ride, and Victoria is perfectly happy giving the other riders the cold shoulder.
But can she truly be happy with no friends?

This was the first time I ever got one of my NetGalley wishes granted, and I had to say I was pretty excited about it.  It was definitely a worthwhile rade.

I really enjoyed the art style.  The characters were well designed and it was really easy to figure out which character was which.  The colours were lovely, and I felt that there was a great attention to detail.  She clearly put a lot of thought into her character design, which I really appreciated.  I loved the vivid colours.  I really felt like I was there with the characters as they moved through the story.

The storyline was really sweet.  I felt for Victoria as she tried to make new friends after what she dealt with at her old stable.  It's hard when you're young to sometimes traverse complicated situations.  How do you deal with conflict with your friends? How do you keep yourself from getting hurt again?  I thought the story dealt really well with those particular topics.  Victoria really grows as a character as she really opens herself up to being friends with some new people.

The storyline was really well done, and overall, it was a really great story.  I highly recommend that you check it out when it comes out in August.

I really loved this graphic novel! I liked all the characters and how they became friends.
I felt that the illustrations for perfectly for the characters and the setting. I liked that Nat decided to make friends and open herself up to this new group.
I really liked how they found that they had moor in common than just horses.
I will definitely read more of these friends in the future.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC!

A lovely graphic novel about horses and friendship. I'm definitely going to recommend it to our readers!