Horse Trouble
Kristin Varner
First Second
Published October 26, 2021
Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads
About Horse Trouble
An American Library Association 2021 Best Graphic Novel for Children
Twelve-year-old Kate is laser-focused on her one true horseback riding. But try as she might, she can’t hide from life’s problems in the stable.
There’s nothing Kate loves more than being around horses. But her best friend is allergic to them, so Kate has to take riding lessons without her. Kate’s forced to navigate some of life’s hardships―like the mean girls at the stable who tease her and her body insecurities―all on her own. To make matters worse, Kate is continually falling off her horse. To Kate, her tween years feel like one unfair punishment after another. Can she get over it all…and get back on her horse?
Horse Trouble, the debut graphic novel from children’s book artist Kristin Varner, is an oh-so-relatable graphic novel with humor and heart.
My Review
After reading Dog Trouble, I immediately looked online to see if Kristin Varner had other books, and I was overjoyed to learn she does! Yay! One of the things I really enjoyed about Dog Trouble is the chapter openers that would introduce a specific dog or breed of dog and tell some things about it. There are also sidebars throughout the story in which the author would define terms specific to the story, which helped make the book more accessible to readers who don’t have experience in the story’s main activity.
Varner does something similar in Horse Trouble, though it’s slightly less well-developed than the other book. (Which makes sense, since she wrote this one first.) I love the idea and the fact that I could read a book about competitive horseback riding and follow the story easily, learning terminology along the way.
I loved Kate as a narrator and main character. She’s such a great kid and takes such good care of the horses she’s responsible for. I enjoyed this one a whole lot, and I will absolutely read more work by Kristin Varner.
Content Notes
Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.
Representation
Kate is a plus-sized girl.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
No profanity. Kate endures some mean comments about her body.
Romance/Sexual Content
None.
Spiritual Content
None.
Violent Content
Others say mean comments about Kate’s weight.
Drug Content
None.
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