Scan barcode
libscote's review against another edition
4.0
Loved this book and I'm not even a horse person! I loved that it was based on actual urban horse farms, which I had no idea actually existed. If you get a chance to listen to the audiobook, it's quite good.
beergeekgirl's review against another edition
5.0
This was a wonderful book from beginning to end. Of course, I'm always a sucker for a book set in Philly. And when you offer me a slice of Philly that I have completely missed, even better. (And throw in a little line of, "Philly girls is hot!" and you've got me completely!)
Cole's voice was so well written. I will admit to being so much of a grammar geek that I often have trouble reading books that are written in any kind of local voice. This is where JD Jackson's narration hits his first home run. What would have been difficult for me to read, was very easy to listen to. Jackson is spot on with his delivery of all characters.
The adults are flawed, but well rounded. I truly appreciated the fact that Harper wasn't a deadbeat dad, but rather, just a guy who had trouble balancing the different parts of his life.
For a shorter book, even the supporting players were well drawn and fleshed out.
About the only criticism I have is that Cole's turnaround happened rather quickly... only two days in and he's so committed to the horses, he's hanging up on his mom . But the story was so well written, that it feels like a quibble.
It was particularly interesting to listen to this right after listening to Scorpio Races. Harper as the Sean Kendrick of North Philly?
Cole's voice was so well written. I will admit to being so much of a grammar geek that I often have trouble reading books that are written in any kind of local voice. This is where JD Jackson's narration hits his first home run. What would have been difficult for me to read, was very easy to listen to. Jackson is spot on with his delivery of all characters.
The adults are flawed, but well rounded. I truly appreciated the fact that Harper wasn't a deadbeat dad, but rather, just a guy who had trouble balancing the different parts of his life.
For a shorter book, even the supporting players were well drawn and fleshed out.
About the only criticism I have is that Cole's turnaround happened rather quickly...
It was particularly interesting to listen to this right after listening to Scorpio Races. Harper as the Sean Kendrick of North Philly?
margothere's review against another edition
4.0
4.25. Started reading and didn't stop until the story was done. Compelling characters, story, and history. I want to know more about the history of the real Black Cowboys of Philadelphia (and Brooklyn); yes, a unique part of history that should be celebrated (127).
beecheralyson's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book a lot. Neri did a great job connecting the reader with the characters and with the setting. Based on real life urban cowboys in North Philly, the story looks at both the plight of maintaining horses in an urban envrionment, as well as, the relationship between a boy and his formerly estranged father. Might have wrapped up a little too perfectly at the end but still a great story.
sandyd's review
4.0
Engaging story based on traditional black urban horsemen of North Philadelphia (no girls or women? hmpf). Great for kids age 10+ - mild violence, mention of gangbangers, and lots about the Cowboy Way.
ejderwood's review
4.0
This was a really interesting if quick read. I would've liked to have seen more about the history of black cowboys and how the stables in Philly came about, but I suppose that's what actual history is for as opposed to a middle grade novel.
leecalliope's review
4.0
This book is charming and sweet and a fun read. The narrative arc is extremely typical for a horse book - troubled boy sent away from home, meets a troubled horse + they fall in love + the horse teaches him how to deal with his issues. However, in this case our protagonist, Cole, is sent away from Detroit by his mother to Philadelphia, to live with his father he's never met. The horses being a part of this very urban landscape is very exciting to me. Obviously Philly is a pretty good city for horses, and I am very interested in the real-world inspiration for the setting. There are some sources in the author's note at the end that I'm excited to look into.
Beyond that, it's just a nice book. It's always nice to read a book written in a dialect that isn't historical. I think it's much easier to read and makes the characters feel more alive. Cole is a typical Troubled Kid, who wants to be good, but isn't trying quite hard enough. I enjoyed his growth as he extended the circle of people he cared about from himself and his mother to include the horse, his father, and then all the members of his community. It's nice to read these stories where things work out well in the end.
The primary tension in this story is between the community of cowboys in the neighborhood, and the city government of Philadelphia, who wants to take and develop the land they've been keeping the horses on. I've been reading a lot of books recently whose premise is "what if the cops were good actually," and it is refreshing to have a book dealing with the fact that they are not.
The one thing that gave me some pause is Cole's relationship with his mother. It's depicted well in the beginning, with Cole telling us that he feels bad for letting his mother down, and that he doesn't want to stress her out, but he's a [pre?-]teen + has his own stuff going on. His love for his mother balances well with his general moodiness. I don't entirely understand his mother's character, though. What follows is a spoiler for the first, like, ten pages maybe. Her primary action in the story is to pick Cole up from school and drive him from Detroit to Philly overnight, where she leaves him at the door to his father's house, forever, she says. The story is obviously predicated on this being the right thing for Cole, and that's believable to me, but I don't really think the book deals quite enough with the trauma of being completely abandoned by one's mother. Maybe it is just the trope of parents in kids books being largely absent so that the kids can have adventures, but for a book so focused on Cole's relationship with his father, it felt strange. Actual spoilers below:
At the end of the book, his mother shows up again, says she's made a mistake, and they agree to a joint-custody arrangement. I'm not opposed to this resolution in theory, but her character is just so sparse, that I don't know what I'm supposed to take away from her change of heart. She says she's started seeing a therapist, which is good, but?? I think it is good and makes sense that she was overwhelmed with the pressures of being a single mom; I enjoyed Cole's journey away from her; the opportunity that it gave Harper to have a relationship with his son is an enjoyable read. I just don't really understand why she had to try to abandon him forever in order for it to happen. I definitely could be missing something abt the psychology at play, but it gave the whole story a much heavier tone than if she'd dropped him off for the summer, and the abrupt reversal at the end came out of nowhere. I think the story can work as it is, but we need to know anything about his mother's character.
Anyway, though, this was a very fun, light book. I enjoyed it a lot; it went very quickly. I'm very interested these days in the utilitarian use of language in middle grade fiction, and this book is a good example of that. I obviously love a book set in Philly. 0 gay characters, but there was also no romance of any kind, which I appreciated. This is a very straight up-and-down ya novel, but with black cowboys in the city. A+.
Beyond that, it's just a nice book. It's always nice to read a book written in a dialect that isn't historical. I think it's much easier to read and makes the characters feel more alive. Cole is a typical Troubled Kid, who wants to be good, but isn't trying quite hard enough. I enjoyed his growth as he extended the circle of people he cared about from himself and his mother to include the horse, his father, and then all the members of his community. It's nice to read these stories where things work out well in the end.
The primary tension in this story is between the community of cowboys in the neighborhood, and the city government of Philadelphia, who wants to take and develop the land they've been keeping the horses on. I've been reading a lot of books recently whose premise is "what if the cops were good actually," and it is refreshing to have a book dealing with the fact that they are not.
The one thing that gave me some pause is Cole's relationship with his mother. It's depicted well in the beginning, with Cole telling us that he feels bad for letting his mother down, and that he doesn't want to stress her out, but he's a [pre?-]teen + has his own stuff going on. His love for his mother balances well with his general moodiness. I don't entirely understand his mother's character, though. What follows is a spoiler for the first, like, ten pages maybe. Her primary action in the story is to pick Cole up from school and drive him from Detroit to Philly overnight, where she leaves him at the door to his father's house, forever, she says. The story is obviously predicated on this being the right thing for Cole, and that's believable to me, but I don't really think the book deals quite enough with the trauma of being completely abandoned by one's mother. Maybe it is just the trope of parents in kids books being largely absent so that the kids can have adventures, but for a book so focused on Cole's relationship with his father, it felt strange. Actual spoilers below:
At the end of the book, his mother shows up again, says she's made a mistake, and they agree to a joint-custody arrangement. I'm not opposed to this resolution in theory, but her character is just so sparse, that I don't know what I'm supposed to take away from her change of heart. She says she's started seeing a therapist, which is good, but?? I think it is good and makes sense that she was overwhelmed with the pressures of being a single mom; I enjoyed Cole's journey away from her; the opportunity that it gave Harper to have a relationship with his son is an enjoyable read. I just don't really understand why she had to try to abandon him forever in order for it to happen. I definitely could be missing something abt the psychology at play, but it gave the whole story a much heavier tone than if she'd dropped him off for the summer, and the abrupt reversal at the end came out of nowhere. I think the story can work as it is, but we need to know anything about his mother's character.
Anyway, though, this was a very fun, light book. I enjoyed it a lot; it went very quickly. I'm very interested these days in the utilitarian use of language in middle grade fiction, and this book is a good example of that. I obviously love a book set in Philly. 0 gay characters, but there was also no romance of any kind, which I appreciated. This is a very straight up-and-down ya novel, but with black cowboys in the city. A+.
More...