Transitions

by Jane Ayres

Paperback: 125 Pages
Publisher: Pony
Language: English
ISBN: 8559108674

Genres: Horses, Childrens, Young Adult, Contemporary

Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

I've always loved animals, especially horses and I had my first short story published in a UK pony magazine at the age of 14. Since then, 40 books for children and teenagers, plus hundreds of short stories (including award winners), comic strips, poems and articles have been published internationally.

I'm a supporter of animal charities, and donate all my author royalties from my e-books of the Matty Horse and Pony Adventures to Redwings Horse Sanctuary. I donate author royalties from my e-book Coming Home, an emotional story of the journey of two Norwegian Forest cats, to Cats Protection.

My books and stories have been translated into 9 languages and short stories and articles have appeared in print and online in the USA and UK.

Find out more about me by checking my blog http://www.janeayres.blogspot.co.uk/

Reviews

[Sarah Ryder · Rating 3 out of 5]

****Actual Rating 3.5 Stars****
****Nostalgia Rating 5 Stars****

This is a good story I enjoyed a lot when I was younger (and that made me cry at the end, not gonna lie and I still teared up this time too), but it doesn’t really fit what I like to read now, unfortunately.

I thought Elizabeth was unnecessarily bossy and rude towards Annie’s (legitimate) fears of riding at first, and it’s almost shown as an okay way for her to act since she was right which is really harmful messaging to those who ARE afraid of riding and are looking for a confidence boost in a story. Also there’s one plot point (though I hesitate to call it that) that literally pops up and gets resolved in a chapter and then never comes up again leaving me wondering why it was there to begin with as it added nothing to the story and was just…there.

So while the story overall is good and fairly emotional I know of a couple other books I own that handle these topics (cancer and being afraid to ride) in much better and more sympathetic ways.


‼️Content‼️

TRIGGER WARNING: cancer; death by cancer

Language: gosh; oh my God; thank God

Violence: a girl gets a bloody nose; a horse gets stuck in some brambles and nearly chokes; injuries and blood (not detailed); a horse was an abuse/neglect case as a foal; a tree falls on a barn and traps a horse inside

Other: cancer; death from cancer and grief; talk about reincarnation


[Read as one of my 2023 Specific Rereads goal]

[caily ◛⑅·˚ ༘ ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my favorite childhood books so I decided to re-read it. I remember bawling the first time, maybe 10 years ago. I cried this time too.
So glad I found this book again, it’s so special to me.

[Milia · Rating 4 out of 5]

😭🫶

[Nayuleska · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don't read this unless you have tissues with you – you'll need them! I love all the thrill and emotion of horse books – don't ask me to get on a horse – yet I didn't realise it would be such an emotional book. It's about two girls who share the love of the same horse, who Annie isn't entirely sure of because Rocket isn't what you'd call an even temperament.

Falling off happens. Being annoyed and angry happens. And, ever so slowly, the bond of love grows between Rocket and Annie, which is good considering some of the things that Elizabeth asks her to do appear outrageous at first, until the heart of the matter is revealed. Then I dissolved into tears on most of the pages, just because the heartache from both girls is evident. I promise the end is sort of happy, and will have you wanting to reread it straight away – albeit after some chocolate for the emotional pick me up.

I received the copy from the author in exchange for an honest review on my blog Nayu's Reading Corner http://nayusreadingcorner.blogspot.co...

[Stina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I thought the characters had wonderfully strong personalities. Elizabeth's feelings about her illness and her horse were written well. I could relate. Neither her death nor the possibility of her reincarnation as a horse were overly sappy or sentimental, as they easily could have been, and that was very nice.

Minor complaints: The girls did seem like they should be four or five years older than what we are told. For their voices and behavior, 18 years would be very believable. I assumed I was dealing with older teens until I read otherwise. I thought that having Rocket get lost and the stable's destruction was a bit too much, since neither event seemed to have any lasting consequences. I didn't understand Annie's need to lie to her parents about the situation in the first place, and since it also did not seem to effect the overall plot it seemed unnecessary.

That sounds rather critical, but I did really like it!

[Cheryl Davitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this story!

This was a great story about friendship, growing, and love. Great story for girls of all ages. I loved it!