Lizzie Flying Solo

by Nanci Turner Steveson

Overview

A lyrical, poignant middle grade novel about embracing change, accepting help from others, and finding a place to call home. Perfect for fans of Raymie Nightingale.

A Kirkus Best Book of 2019!

Lizzie St. Claire wants to be invisible. Forced to move out of her home, she and her mom now live in a transitional housing shelter, Good Hope, until they can get back on their feet.

Lizzie just wants to keep her head down at Good Hope and her new school, so she doesn’t have to admit the real reason she and her mom lost everything.

But when Lizzie finds herself at the nearby Birchwood Stables, some new friends—along with the arrival of a frightened pony named Fire—help Lizzie to open up and accept help from those around her, even if it means she’ll have more to lose if things change again.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062673183
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/16/2019
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.30(h) x 1.40(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Nanci Turner Steveson grew up in Connecticut, England, and Texas, always with a book in one hand, the reins of a pony in the other. She wrote her first “novel” at the age of nine about a wild horse named Liberty. Nanci works with the Off Square Theatre Company as a stage manager and youth-performer shepherd. She is a reading fairy to book-hungry children and a riding instructor. The mother of two grown sons, Nanci lives in a meadow at the foot of the Grand Tetons in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with her Arabian horse and a 100-pound rescue dog named Story. She is the founder of the Literacy for Hope project, dedicated to getting books into the hands of the homeless. Visit her online at www.nanciturnersteveson.com.

Editorial Reviews

★”Steveson’s nuanced portrayals of the many ways families can be in crisis and her unflinching honesty toward her characters elevate this book into something unexpectedly full of grace. They are always people who exist independently of their problems, and that’s a rare and beautiful thing. Well done.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

From the Publisher

12/01/2018
Gr 4–8—Lizzie and her mother are forced to move from their home after her father is arrested for embezzling. They end up living in a transitory home while trying to rebuild their lives. But Lizzie shuts herself off from those around her, afraid to trust anyone after her father's betrayal. But meeting a new boy at school and discovering a riding stable nearby catches her attention. When a new pony arrives at the stable and proves difficult for anyone to get near, Lizzie manages to befriend him. An opportunity to work at the stable gives her the chance to know the pony better as well as opening up doors to some human relationships. Lizzie pours her whole heart and soul into trying to earn the money to buy the pony she dubs Fire. The details related to horses and life in a stable are spot on. Lizzie's struggle to trust and forgive after her father's betrayal add depth and poignancy to the story. VERDICT A valuable addition where horse and family-driven stories are needed.—Heidi Grange, Summit Elementary School, Smithfield, UT

School Library Journal

★ 2019-01-15

When her dad is arrested for embezzlement, life changes abruptly for 12-year-old Lizzie and her mother.

Their home repossessed, they are forced into a shelter for homeless families. Lizzie's mother quickly finds work, while Lizzie spends most of the summer silently watching, sketching, and writing poems about the ponies at a teaching stable near the shelter. When a frightened, unbroken young pony arrives, Lizzie feels an instant connection and vows to do whatever it takes to make him hers. At this point, readers might think they know where the story's going, but they don't. Lizzie begins working at the barn in exchange for lessons and gradually comes out of her self-imposed isolation, emerging as strong, determined, and empathetic, but the horses are not the solution: Lizzie is. She relates the story of her rough transition from innocence to experience in an emotional yet measured first-person. Steveson's nuanced portrayals of the many ways families can be in crisis and her unflinching honesty toward her characters elevate this book into something unexpectedly full of grace. They are always people who exist independently of their problems, and that's a rare and beautiful thing. Lizzie and her family are white, while some important secondary characters are black and Latinx.

Well done. (Fiction. 8-14)

Kirkus Reviews

Amielynn Abellera touchingly portrays 12-year-old Lizzie St. Claire as she adapts to challenges when her dad goes to jail. Lizzie and her supportive mother move into Good Hope’s temporary housing. As Lizzie grieves for her old life, she notices Birchwood Stables and hopes to make her dream of having a horse come true. Well-realized descriptions of diverse settings are vivid, and each character is realistic. Lizzie’s matures as she visits the stables and helps others at Good Hope. Abellera’s delivery of Lizzie reciting poetry is touching. Lizzie will inspire listeners by working hard for what she wants and always being her own person. Wonderful twists and a spirited conclusion maintain listener engagement. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine

JULY 2019 - AudioFile