Ride: Kit Meets Covington

Gr 4-6--The first in a series, this media tie-in based on the Nickelodeon TV show introduces 14-year-old Kit, an American who moves from Montana to an equestrian boarding school in England. Her father, described as a cowboy, takes a job there to get a fresh start after the death of Kit's mother. Complicating matters is the fact that Kit suffered a bad fall from a horse as an eight-year-old and hasn't been back in the saddle since. But when she forms a special bond with the wild horse TK, she has to put aside her fears in order to save him from being auctioned off by intimidating headmistress Lady Covington. Among her new friends and acquaintances are Will and Nav, roommates who compete for her affection; her own roommate Anya, a princess in disguise; and Elaine, the stuck-up prefect. Despite the frequent, and thus sometimes confusing, point-of-view shifts and the occasionally dated dialogue, tween readers may enjoy this typical boarding-school fare with its emphasis on the equestrian arts and its British flair. VERDICT Purchase where horse stories and the Nickelodeon TV series are popular.--Laurie Slagenwhite Walters, Brighton District Library, Brighton, MI