Fear of Falling

Vet Volunteers #9

by Laurie Halse Anderson

Twelve-year-old David has conflicting feelings when his father, who taught him to ride the horses he loves so much, returns to spend Thanksgiving Day with the family after being gone for a year.

Genres: Horses, Animals, Middle Grade, Childrens, Fiction, Chapter Books, Realistic Fiction

105 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

About the author

UPDATE! Rebellion 1776 is out! The New York Times wrote, "Filled with immersive detail, expert delineations of complex characters, and both harsh and loving reality, Rebellion 1776 provides young readers with a true experience of a historic moment in time that resonates with today's world." Huzzah!

Laurie Halse Anderson is the New York Times-bestselling author of many award-winning books including the groundbreaking, modern classic Speak, a National Book Award finalist which has sold over 3.5 million copies and been translated into 35 languages.

In 2023, Anderson was named the Laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, long considered to be the de facto 'Nobel Prize for Children's Literature.'

A passionate spokesperson for the need to combat censorship, she has been honored for her battles for intellectual freedom by the National Coalition Against Censorship and the National Council of Teachers of English. She lives near Philadelphia. Go Birds!

Follow Laurie on Bluesky at @halseanderson.bsky.social, Instagram at halseanderson, and Facebook at lauriehalseanderson, or by visiting her website, madwomanintheforest.com.

Reviews

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an interesting story that involves horse jumping. I really like the characters in this series. In this one, David struggles with both his fear of jumping and his fear of his father never coming back. I love the juxtaposition of the animal story and the human drama.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up on a whim-I'm a huge fan of Anderson's writing and I'm a horse fanatic, so I figured what could be better? From a horse standpoint, its actually one of the better equine stories out there. Horses in books are a pet peeve of mine because the majority of the time they are described as magical, thoughtful creatures that can solve everything....*ugh* I love my horse and I ride competitively so don't be offended when I say horses are not smart in a "human" way. Is my horse smart, yes, but at the end of the day I know that I am assigning human thoughts and emotions to a 1200 lb animal, most authors don't get that. So its gets a thumbs up from me for being pretty true to the nature of horses, lol

I would love to know more about David's dad's situation. Why did he leave in the first place? Will they really be able to pick up the pieces of their lives and make a go of it? I know it was likely ended to leave it up to the speculation of the reader, but I want to know if it works out for them or if it doesn't?

I think the open ending is a fair thing for kids that might read the book and be in a similar situation with their own parents, it leaves the door open for it to work out without promising anything, it gives the reader hope that there is good in the world without promising that everything does always turn out right, because it doesn't.

oh, it also gets a thumbs up for the vet stuff described in the book! I'm savvy enough to know that the procedures were pretty accurate and true to life. Well done! :)

[Books Kids Like · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though his dad has been gone a long time, David still needs his dad’s approval. His dad was on the U.S. Olympic horse jumping team so David wants to compete in horse jumping more than anything. Unfortunately, he's very afraid of falling. He even dreams of jump competitions in which he falls from the horse. When his father does come home, David begins to learn some hard truths. He watches his dad lame a horse by trying a jump that is too high. David finds out about his dad’s job in Texas and what really happened to his fancy SUV. When confronted with the facts, David feels betrayed and lashes out in anger. A long horse ride and some wise words from Mr. Quinn at the stables help David put things into perspective.
©2024 Kathy Maxwell at https://bookskidslike.com

[Carrie Rolph · Rating 1 out of 5]

Okay, it’s a J fiction series about kids and animals, my standards weren’t particularly high in the first place, but this was annoyingly heavy-handed. If only David hadn’t been so certain his dad could do no wrong. If only his father had a single redeeming quality, instead of trying his hardest to win Skeeviest Dad of the Year. Oh well.

[Anna Latimer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considering I am a horseback rider myself, I learned something from this book.
I will get better in riding not because I have something to prove. And I will do that on not people-time, but horse time.

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hate his dad but in the end he is...


okay.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

See the first book in the series for a full review.

[Alexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice little story about family, forgiveness, and, of course, horses. I hope things work out for David and his family in future books.

[Maddie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fear of Falling is a great book I loved it was so sweet and amazing.

[Breonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was a really good book