Bobbi JG Weiss, Competing for the Cup (Ride #2), Candlewick Entertainment/Walker Books Australia, 1 May 2018, 272pp., $24.99 (hbk), ISBN: 9780763698553
This is the second book in the Ride series, based on a Nickelodeon TV series of the same name. Kit Bridges is an American teenager who has lost her mother. She and her father have moved to the UK. Kit’s father has a job teaching and running the stable at Corvington, an elite equestrian boarding school. Kit attends the school but it’s a challenge for her as she has been terrified of horses since a riding accident when she was small. Since starting at Corvington she has forged a strong bond with a skittish horse, made new friends and is settling in to life in England. By the end of this book though, things are looking grim for Kit, and readers will want to read the next book to see how it all works out.
As this book is based on the TV series, there is limited scope for character development and detailed plot lines. There are short, episode length sub-plots, as well as some longer, ongoing story arcs. For the most part, the characters are realistic and don’t overreact to situations as often happens on television. Kit’s positive relationship with her father is quite refreshing. This book will be one for the horse-mad though, and should do well with those in the upper primary and lower secondary age range.
Reviewed by Rebecca Kemble
