Another Kind of Cowboy by Susan Juby

 

Title: Another Kind of Cowboy

Author: Susan Juby

Publish Date: December 2007

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Pages: 352pp

ISBN: 0060765178

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Annotation: Unlikely pair, Alex Ford and Cleo O'Shea—both sixteen--become best friends through horsemanship. 

Summary: Alex Ford has loved horses and dressage forever, in fact he even pretends his bicycle is a horse until his father actually wins a real live horse in a poker game.  Alex is elated by this.  Turnip is not the best horse, but together they become a winning team in Western riding.   Having an affinity of dressage, Alex finds out that his father’s girlfriend has a dressage horse that she doesn’t ride.  When a stable opens near his home, Alex begins to take lessons in dressage.  This is when he meets Cleo, an incredibly wealthy dressage riding student with a colorful background involving drugs and alcohol and plenty of rebellion.  Together, they become friends and untangle their life issues: Cleo is looking for love and Alex has been hiding his homosexuality.  Cleo helps him gather self acceptance and strength to be who he is. As Alex gains confidence and self acceptance, his aspirations and his personal relationships seem full of promise.

Personal Response: I liked this book, yet I felt it was extremely predictable and everything seemed to happen so easily—the stable opening up near Alex’s house, the dressage horse that Alex’s father’s girlfriend doesn’t ride, the trainers supporting Alex as they are an elder gay couple.  At the same time, I felt this was an inspiring story for teens to read—it shows the hardships of hiding who you are and explores an unlikely friendship. 

~Reader’s Advisory~

Themes: Self-discovery, Fitting in

Age Range: 12 and up

Subjects: Friendships, Homosexuality, Relationships, Humor, Family Relationships, Dysfunctional Family, High School, Horsey, Dressage, Alcohol, Drugs, Self Discovery, Fitting In,

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Odd Man Out by Sarah Ellis

Title: Odd Man Out

Author: Sarah Ellis

Publish Date: February 2008

Publisher: Groundwood Books

Pages: 162pp

ISBN: 0888997035

Classification: Fiction

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Annotation: When Kip’s mother remarries, he is sent to stay with his grandmother for the summer, along with five of his girl cousins. During his stay, Kip finds a notebook made by his late father when he was a teenager, things begin to change as Kip becomes entranced by the story as it leads him to self discovery.

Plot Summary: While Kip’s mother vacations on her honeymoon, he is sent away for the summer to stay with his Grandma and five girl cousins. At first, Kip finds himself struggling to find his place as he is not used to being around a spirited group of girls, and so he spends a lot of time in his attic bedroom where he discovers a notebook his late father had kept as a teen. As he begins to read the notebook, he becomes engrossed by the story, in which leads Kip to learning about his past, present, and what the future might hold.

Personal Response: An insightful story about the growing pains of an almost teenage boy, Kip. As the protagonist, Kip is easy to identify with, along with the additional characters consisting of the five girl cousins –although we don’t get too much depth of their views as we stay with Kip throughout the entire novel. The illustrations within the novel are detailed pertinent to the story.

~Reader’s Advisory~

Themes: Growing up and accepting change.

Age Range: 9 through 13

Subjects: Deceased Father, Identity, Family, Coming of Age, Mental Illness, Grandmother, Mystery, Death, Remarriage, Acceptance, Change, Fitting In, Mental Illness

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