Thirteen-year old Kate and her friends came up with the perfect way to raise money for her autistic younger brother and others to attend summer camp—a horse scavenger hunt! As local businesses donate money and prizes, Kate keeps the entry fees in her mom’s antique jewelry box.
But when the box and the money disappear, Kate and her friends must unravel the clues, hold on to hope, and solve the mystery along the Blue Ribbon Trail Ride.
I love when a book shocks me with it’s greatness, and that’s exactly what happened with Blue Ribbon Trail Ride. It’s a quality mystery story for tween kids. I love that it contains age-appropriate drama and suspense activity but doesn’t shy away from current events. The world isn’t perfect, and Ferrell doesn’t portray it that way – but she attacks the plot with sensitivity and tact. Drug abuse, hoarding, stealing, and lying are all a part of the story, but so are forgiveness, second chances, and true friendship.
Blue Ribbon Trail Ride is the kind of book I want my kids to read. The kids are flawed but kind. They work hard and aren’t afraid to try new things. They mess up and get into trouble but readily confess and try to make things right. They’re dreamers and planners and believe that the sky is the limit.
That’s what I want for my kids. I don’t want them to see borders and boundaries on what they can do. I want them to dream big ideas for ways that they can make the world a better place and help other people. I want them to see potential friends in everyone, not just those who are very similar to themselves. I want them to see helping other people as an endeavor that’s worthy of hard work and a big time investment, even when they don’t personally directly benefit.
All of these themes are contained in Blue Ribbon Trail Ride, and they’re carried throughout the entire series. I was impressed from the very first page of the very first book with the diversity that they contain. Kate’s little brother is autistic, her best friend is Hispanic, and other friends are former snobs, guys, the elderly, and kiddie nerds. Unlike many commercials, though, it doesn’t feel forced – it feels real. Our world is made up of many kinds of people, and that’s exactly who Kate befriends. She doesn’t always make the kindest friends immediately, which is the next best thing about the book: her consideration of her own actions.
Kate’s not afraid to evaluate her own actions through fresh eyes. She thinks about how her actions make others feel, how they might line up with scripture, what her parents might have to say about them, and considers them from the perspective of other people. That might all sound boring and nerdy, and it’s not like she second-guesses every cookie that she eats, but face it: friends are really important to tween kids, especially ones who are new to the neighborhood and are still settling in. They read too much into body language and word choice and make mistakes; who doesn’t? That’s what makes Kate so special, though: she’s willing to admit to those mistakes and to try to make them right.
If your child hates horses, then s/he might not fall in love with Blue Ribbon Trail Ride as horses are integral to every book in the series; otherwise, s/he should definitely give this book a read.
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Miralee Ferrell is the award-winning author of more than a dozen novels. She and her husband live along the Columbia River Gorge in southern Washington State, where she enjoys riding the wooded trails and spending time with her grown children. In addition to horses and dogs, Miralee once owned two cougars.
Connect with Miralee: website, Twitter, Facebook
I received a free copy of this book from Litfuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.
