Jumper

Nikki Tate-Stratton writes children’s picture books and novels for
preteens. Her most recent novels are Raven’s Revenge, Tarragon Island,
and Jo’s Journey. Her latest picture book is Grandparents’ Day.

Reese, a teenager who longs to own a show jumper, is hoping to train a
suitable mount. She attends an auction of Alberta’s wild horses, but
is outbid by an unscrupulous local rancher. She later discovers that
some of the horses are destined for slaughter in contravention of
adoption rules.

Inspired by a 1994 incident in Alberta, the central conflicts in this
novel provide plenty of dramatic tension. The relationship between Reese
and her grandfather is quite believable as is Bossley’s understanding
of the emotional connection between young girls and horses.

The novel does a good job of maintaining reader interest while touching
on the more serious issue of how best to manage herds of feral horses on
public lands. The novel stumbles, though, in the details. Riders will
wince when horses are tied by their reins or a semi-wild mare intercepts
a stallion’s charge to save the life of a foolish teenager. The
villain, Bellamy, is a caricature of a bad guy, and the final
confrontation cartoonish.

One of the challenges of writing a novel for reluctant readers is
finding a way to tell a good story (and this book certainly contains the
bones of a good story) with elegance and plausibility. Bossley doesn’t
quite hit the mark and the result is that Jumper doesn’t live up to
its potential. Recommended with reservations.