Riding Scared

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Although sport is the central theme of every book in this series, there
is more to these stories than the mere worship of a scorecard. The plot
of each book is divided between the main character’s involvement with
a sport and the personal challenges that person faces outside the arena
or ball field. Insensitive parents, pesky siblings, team rivalry,
self-doubt, family breakups, and the crisis of failure are themes all
young teens can easily recognize in their own worlds. Throughout the
series, success in sport is directly linked to the sorting out of
personal problems.

In Water Fight, life was tough enough for 12-year-old Josie when her
older sister, Melissa, was only taller, prettier, more poplar, and a
student who got near-perfect grades. But now Melissa wants to invade
Josie’s world of competitive swimming, the only place where Josie
enjoys any degree of individuality and superiority.

In Camp All-Star, Jeff Lang just wants to play ball. He is at
basketball camp and hopes to make the all-star team, but the competition
is tough. To complicate matters, Jeff also has to contend with his new
stepmother, who keeps showing up to smother him with kisses in front of
his teammates; a whacked-out roommate, whose antics keep getting Jeff in
trouble with the coach; and a visiting science-camp student, who seems
to like him in spite of her general contempt for sports jocks.

In Face Off, the hockey season is not turning out the way 13-year-old
Mitch Stevens hoped it might. Everything was fine until Mitch decided he
wanted to attend an exclusive summer hockey camp with his best friend
and teammate, Zack Anderman. But suddenly the coach, Mitch’s own
father, and Zack seem determined to ruin Mitch’s chances of winning a
spot at the camp.

There are probably a million 13-year-olds who would love to learn how
to ride a horse. Unfortunately, Gillian, in Riding Scared, is not one of
them. She would rather be practising her artwork, but her father has
decided that she must take up competitive horse jumping to learn how
survive in a dog-eat-dog world. The only thing that scares Gillian more
than horses is her fellow riding students. Most are extremely
unfriendly, especially one show-off kid named Mike. Yet, in spite of her
fears, Gillian discovers she has a talent for riding. She knows she
might win a competition some day, if she can just overcome her fears and
self-doubts. This book is as rich in emotional insights as it is in
horse sense.

Camp All Star, Face Off, and Water Fight are all recommended. Riding
Scared is highly recommended.