School Library Journal Review
Gr 5--8--After a fight with her best friend, Victoria leaves fancy Waverly Stables for lower key Edgewood, where her plan is to focus on riding, not friendship. She rebuffs unofficial assistant barn manager Norrie's warm welcome, infuriating Norrie, who tries to get her best friend Hazel and "the only boy," Sam, to shun Victoria too. But when Victoria discovers that all three of them are fans of an old sci-fi show called Beyond the Galaxy, she apologizes to Norrie and becomes friends with all three--and explains her behavior. Vic's ex-best friend Taylor gave her the cold shoulder when Victoria said she loved horses but no longer wanted to compete--partly because of the expense, which her family couldn't afford. Hicks uses flashbacks effectively to show what happened between Victoria and Taylor, as well as Victoria's parents' divorce. Secondary characters, including horse friends and siblings, are well developed with different personalities, interests, and problems of their own. The Edgewood friends support one another, and through good listening and wise advice, they make one another braver. There is also something romantic simmering between Victoria and Sam, but it's mostly eye contact and blushes. Norrie and Sam have brown skin and dark hair; Hazel and Victoria have light skin and freckles. Three to five panels per page, often horizontal to accommodate the horses, result in passages with excellent pacing. VERDICT A "perfect ride" of a graphic novel that shows that there really is something special about horse friends.--Jenny Arch
Publisher's Weekly Review
Strong characterizations and polished digital art distinguish Hicks's pleasurable graphic novel of building friendship through shared devotion. As summer ends, best friends Hazel and Norrie, along with laid-back Sam, the only boy rider at Edgewood Stables, are intrigued by the arrival of a skilled new rider, Victoria, to Edgewood. Droll, quiet Hazel recognizes Victoria from a schooling show at upscale Waverly Stables, prompting chatty Norrie to conclude that Victoria was sent to infiltrate Edgewood. Indifferent to Norrie's welcome ("I'm here to ride, that's it") and subsequent irritation and shunning, Victoria remains focused on training a young gelding while healing from a friendship breakup with a privileged and demanding Waverly rider. When the Edgewood trio discovers that Victoria shares their fondness for vintage sci-fi show Beyond the Galaxy, Victoria's iciness begins to thaw, and the riders bond while discovering strength in supporting each other. Featuring funny dialogue ("Let the shunning commence!") and Hicks's (Comics Will Break Your Heart) signature art--including sharply rendered horses in motion--this attentively layered, low-stakes graphic novel is told with an insider's understanding of both stable culture and fandom. Sam reads as Black, Norrie cues as South Asian, and Hazel and Victoria present as white. Ages 10--14. Agent: Bernadette Baker-Baughman, Victoria Sanders & Assoc. (Aug.)
