Blue Ribbons

On the surface, it looks as if 13-year-old Regan has it all—wealthy, doting parents, two successful show ponies, a room full of blue ribbons, and an opportunity to own the year’s most dazzling show pony that all Regan’s friends would give their right arms for. It’s enough to make any girl’s head spin.But here’s the rub.Regan doesn’t want the new pony. She wants her mother’s cancer to go away. It’s been in remission and now there are whispered conversations between her parents and neither one is telling Regan the truth about what’s going on. All her mom wants to talk about is Tyler, the pony she wants to buy. He means far more to her than he does to Regan … so of course, Regan accepts the pony, pretends to be grateful, and worries about her mother in private.It doesn’t help, either, that Regan’s two best friends envy her, albeit quietly. Hailey’s mother works hard and sacrifices a lot so that her daughter can have an A-rated pony. Then there’s Jane whose father buys ponies for Jane to bring along, only to sell them when they’re ready for the big time. But both these girls have what Regan desperately wants: a healthy mother who isn’t going to leave them.With all this going on, Blue Ribbons isn’t ‘just another pony book.’ It has depth and issues that go far beyond the barn and who’s winning the most blue ribbons. Reading this extremely well-written and fascinating book has given me a much deeper understanding of a girl who’s facing enormous issues (and dealing with them), along with details about a part of the competitive horse world I knew nothing about. The author herself has been there and done that. She speaks from first-hand experience, and she clearly knows kids, too.Blue Ribbons will appeal to upper middle grade/tween readers as well as young adults and even older. I’m a grandmother and I could not put this book down. Highly recommended.

Regan's mom knows she has one last summer, and she's decided the best way to spend it is to buy her daughter one of the nation's top show ponies. Regan loves ponies and loves showing them. It should be a dream come true. But to Regan, Tyler represents all her fears about her mother's cancer and all the things her parents won't tell her about it.Kim Ablon Whitney knows the horse world, and writes clearly, realistically, and compellingly about the people and horses within it. The story - of a girl who has everything a horsey girl could want except a mother who isn't facing a terminal illness - is sweet and sad and rich and real. The horse details are excellent and real. The characters are well-developed, each with their own issues and needs. The friendship between the three girls is deep and interesting. This is a children's novel, but any adult would enjoy it, and I think even someone who didn't eat and breathe horses would find much to appreciate in this story.The story is woven into contemporary events, people and institutions, which makes it a little extra fun.It's very like her earlier book, The Perfect Distance, and also compares favorably to one of the classics in horse show fiction, Jean Slaughter Doty's The Monday Horses.

Good book about an incredibly privileged child in a tough situation. She acts a bit spoiled, but that's actually true to the character, so I was fine with liking the character less because of it. It's fun to briefly enter the world of the very rich horsey set, and it's a plenty horsey book. I would change the cover however, as I believe it is supposed to be picturing the main character, who is 12 or 13 and has a crush on a 15 year old- the kid in the picture looks to be around 6 or 7. *shudder*

I bought this book because I was interested in the idea of a young rider with a perfect prize-winning pony that she doesn't want. I wasn't sure that the novel would live up to the 'promise of the premise', but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it more than exceeded my expectations. The protagonist was likeable and well-drawn, and although she is young, the author never wrote 'down' to her young audience, which made it a smooth read for an adult. I couldn't put it down, and shed a few tears at the end as well. One scene in particular will stay with me for a very long time. I highly recommend this book, and the author's other novel for teens, 'Perfect Distance'.

My daughter loves this book. Perfect for a future Pony Finals rider!

This book is so heartwarming and shows how your best friends are always there for you. This will give joy deep in your heart and make really think about what you want.To lose a parent but gain strength, is a remarkable think.Good read and a pleasure to recommend.

I really enjoyed the story line, but if any other old people who have listened to Joan Jett's music read this, just replace the song they talk about in the book with 'Do You Wanna Touch', so you don't go crazy reading it

I just love this book was written and the details of the hunter/jumper scenes that were described were right on! You can tell the writer knows what she is talking about! Having use to show hunters, it was very nice to actually read a book that is 100% correct on all details of the horse show scene! I just loved this book and look forward to reading any future books by Kim!