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kidlit :: Dream Riders: Storm :: Laura Bloom and Jesse Blackadder

November 10, 2019 /
I really enjoyed Dream Riders: Frankie, the first book in the Dream Riders series, when I read it during my Aussie Middlegrade binge in May so I was really pleased when the team at Walker Books sent me a copy of Dream Riders: Storm. This one picks up where Frankie left off – when Frankie and Storm met – and we get the story from Storm’s perspective.
Here’s the synopsis (from Goodreads)
Living in a remote reach of The Pocket, twelve-year-old Storm is a hippy home-schooler Medievalist who knows almost nothing about the modern world. After taking out the archery prize at the local show, Storm spots the horse of her dreams, Morning Mist, on the jousting field. Inspired by Frankie’s demonstration of natural horsemanship, the headstrong Storm immediately decides to join the Dream Riders and buy Morning Mist with her prize money. But she’s told to forget it in no uncertain terms by the owner, Margery, a crotchety widower and champion marmalade-maker who has no time for hippies. As Storm begins learning natural horsemanship with the Dream Riders her extraordinary talent becomes clear. She could ride just about any horse – but she’s not prepared to give up on Morning Mist.

It’s no secret here that I love a pony book, and I think this series is particularly lovely. I love that first and foremost there is a focus on the relationships between the teens and their horses, and that the relationships between the people are about friendship, not romance.

One of the things I really liked about Storm’s story was that it deals not only with fitting in with your peers when you’re a bit different, but also what happens when you have opinions that are different from the rest of your family, maybe for the first time. I thought Storm’s growing a bit apart from her family and wanting to experience more of the outside world that her parents were comfortable with was dealt with really nicely.

I’m looking forward to seeing what happens to the gang in the next book (which I think will be from Kai’s perspective).
Definitely one to pick up if you’re a pony book fan, especially if you enjoyed Frankie’s book!

xo Bron

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Dream Riders: Storm by Laura Bloom and Jesse Blackadder
Out now from Walker Books
Source: Free copy provided for review by Walker Books
Format: Paperback, 208 pages
Category: Contemporary middlegrade fiction
Themes: Family, friendship, fitting in
On Goodreads

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