Lizzie Flying Solo

by Nanci Turner Steveson

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.

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.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Horses, Juvenile, Childrens, Poverty, Fiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published April 16, 2019

About the author

Nanci 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, which she uses to teach young writing students never to give up, no matter the odds. After raising her two sons in Maryland, Nanci made her dream come true by moving to a historic cabin in a meadow in Jackson Hole, WY. Aside from writing novels for young people, she is a professional theatre stage manager and the Teen Writing Instructor at her local library. She lives with her two horses, two dogs, and an abundance of wildlife in the national forest right outside her back door.

Nanci is a strong believer in the power of books and kids.

Reviews

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interest Level: 3-6; Reading Level: 6.0

Have you ever just wanted to be invisible? Do you have something in your life that you want to hide from everyone? Lizzie St. Clair is trying to do just that. After her dad was put in jail for a white collar crime, Lizzie and her mom are forced to leave their home and move into Good Hope, a hope to help people get back on their feet. After losing her friends due to her dad's crime, Lizzie just wants to be invisible with the people in their new home and her new school. Lizzie thinks the one place she feels safe is the library... that is until she stumbles upon Birchwood Stables. Every day Lizzie sneaks over to the stables to watch the kids take riding lessons and to befriend a wild pony who she names Fire. When another new student at her school discovers her hiding in the woods he invites her to meet his horse. She is offered a chance to work at the stable in exchange for riding lessons. Lizzie falls in love with Fire and is determined to work odd jobs to get the money to buy him, but can she earn the money to buy him before time is up? Will Lizzie find a way to go from flying solo to allowing new friends into her life? Will Lizzie and her mom be able to get out of the shelter and get a home of their own? And will Lizzie find the strength to protect the ones she loves? Do not miss this incredible 2019 book!!!

I'm not going to lie when I say that this book made me cry an ugly cry more than once. The strength and determination that Lizzie shows when faced with adversity is amazing!! And I love the fact that Lizzie doesn't expect anything to be handed to her - she works so hard for what she wants. I think kids today need this very important message. Also, even though Lizzie was ashamed of where she lived at first, she does find her voice as she grows and matures. This is another positive message for kids to know that no matter their situation, there should always be hope. I loved, loved, loved this endearing story of love, loss, family, friendship, and determination!

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[Melanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. I found in it my hunt for "horse" books for my 9 year old. I do think I'm going to have her read this, but there are definitely some heavy topics parents will want to be aware of so they can talk about them with their kids.

Lizzie's Dad abandoned her and her mom. He embezzled from his company and is facing jail time, and doesn't seem to care about the impact it has on his family. Because of this, their assets are frozen and they have to live in a half-way house for families in need. Lizzie finds herself wandering over to a ranch, and some very kind people help her find her way in the midst of all the transition around her.

other topics covered on:
Child abuse
Adoption
Homelessness
Treatment of gay kids
Remarriage after divorce


that sounds like a heavy list, and I suppose it is, but I really liked this book and do want to get it into my girls hands. I think 12+ would be a better age for it, but we shall see. Anyway, the book was beautiful and touching and I'm very happy to have read it.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. The 11-year-old in me fell in love with this cover from the beginning. Lizzie and her mother are in a shelter while they "get back on their feet" and there is a horse barn nearby. Lizzie already collects plastic horses and was just hours away from getting her first riding lesson when her father was arrested. Lizzie is drawn to that barn like a bee to honey. We follow Lizzie and her mother through a year of growth and change. Readers will learn and grow with Lizzie as she learns to open up and share her story with those around her. One or two side stories about friends seem to be less authentic. Fans of Kate DiCamillo and Sharon Creech will revel in this new middle grade novel.

A big thank you to HarperCollins and Edelweiss for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Abby Bookcrusher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Made me cry 😭 I have only cried for 1 other book 📕 SOOOOOOO GOOD 😊

[Virginie Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story, but I didn't feel as enthralled as with Steveson previous two books. I know I'm going to contradict other readers who said you don't need to be a horse-lover to appreciate this book, but I'm sure I would have liked it better if I were one. Can't wait for Steveson's next book to be published! Maybe it'll get me the feeling I had while reading Georgia Rules, that I strongly recommand.

5*: Sad to finish it, this book was amazing
4*: Really liked it!
3*: Liked it
2*: Fell asleep a couple of times during my reading... but not entirely boring!
1*: Why did I bother to finish it?!

[Emily Myhren · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don’t have to be a horse girl to adore this book.

[Julie Christen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's easy to forget how endearing just a well-told story can be. No frills. No action. Just real thoughts from relatable, well-developed characters. This book is quiet and unpredictable with the very unpopular lesson of "You don't always get what you want" shining through in a gentle way.

A Few Nice Moments:
Page 45: And I wrote poems. Really awful poems, mostly. But every once in a while, a string of lyrical words would appear almost as if some else wrote them. I read them out loud over and over, trying to understand why those in particular made music in my heart.

Page 131: (about Rusty the very old lesson horse) He smelled like ponies and saddles, and when he reached out his muzzle and looked at me with soft, gentle eyes, my heart got all squishy and I knew I could love him too.

Page 283: I think if you open your heart just a teensy bit and look around, you might see a lot of things differently.

Page 291: You've been flying solo for a long time now. You already know how to soar.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twelve-year-old Lizzie's normal life has been turned upside down. Her dad has been arrested for embezzling from his company, whatever that means. None of her friends talk to her anymore. Now, she and her mom have to move to Good Hope, a home for families in transition, where she and her mom share a room and then have to share a bathroom with a family still using diapers. After what happened with her friends back home, Lizzie refuses to tell anyone at her new school about her family (including where they live). The only good thing is the nearby horse barn, where she can watch girls take riding lessons. A heart-warming story about changing circumstances, acceptance, and finding home. I think it would be a good read-alike for Beyond the Bright Sea.

[Mari Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I was enjoying this book because of the horses. Because I could imagine myself as twelve-year-old Lizzie hiding in the woods to watch the horses and riders at Birchwood barn, longing to belong there. When I finished the book, and emerged from the joy and tears of the horse story line, I realized how much I loved the rest of it. The triumph of Lizzie and her mother over hard times. The new found friendships and belonging. The celebration of English class and poetry. Another terrific and heartwarming adventure from Nanci Turner Steveson that I'm so happy to have discovered this summer.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know that I've ever actually read a children's book where they live in transitional housing (essentially a room in a house shared with a few other families), so that caught my interest almost as much as the horse on the cover. And I've definitely never read a book where a kid in that kind of situation still gets their horse fix with hands-on experience at a legit riding stable. This isn't as fairytale perfect as a typical Horse Book might be, but that style blended with the style of modern middle grade? It's perfect in its own way.

I loved Fire, but I also loved all the other horses at the stable. Lizzie is given endless opportunity to learn about and work with them, including riding lessons and a surprising amount of responsibility for her age as a stablehand, pretty much just because she shows up...but I liked it.

I'll even forgive the fact that Lizzie's one friend is a boy, because that boy has a horse, which he loves enough to dream of competing in the Olympics one day. I loved barn manager Joe, and his grumpy-with-a-heart-of-gold college age assistant Kennedy, and HER relationship with her adoptive father. Basically every single person she knows, aside from her loser dad (who kind of tries but still falls short due to his previous general abandonment of their family), proves to be a person with good intentions by the end.

I surprisingly even loved the details of living in the transition home -- which is not nearly as bad or suffocating as it seemed like it was going to be at the beginning, when the strict and unsmiling house manager slapped down her list of "no, no, no, no, NO!" rules upon their arrival.

But most of all I loved the bond between Lizzie & her mother, who is in fact a Cool Mom who understands when you sometimes have to mildly bend some rules and/or tell small lies, as long as you are honest with HER.

Bottom line: The message is that help and hope are everywhere, basically, if you keep an eye out for them is very lovely. Especially paired with the author's note at the end, where she explains the times that she too has been almost-homeless but for a helping hand, including as a single mother of two children.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lizzie and her Mom move to a homeless shelter (Good Hope: A Home for Families in Transition) after her father is arrested for embezzlement. Lizzie is embarrassed and not sure if her father is guilty or not and is sad to leave her home behind. At her new school, she avoids making new friends for fear they might not like her because of her family situation -- even convincing her teacher to let her work alone on a group project. Despite Lizzie’s reluctance to make connections, she ends up working at the stable, making friends at the stable, helping her friends, and devoting herself to working with a troubled young pony who she dreams of owning. Lizzie eventually does come to understand that she has no reason to feel shame for what her father may have done and the importance of sharing with friends. Author Nanci Turner Steveson discusses homeslessness in America and her own brush at almost-homelessness in the author’s note.

[Katie Reilley · Rating 5 out of 5]

After hearing all my nerdy friends rave about this one, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it!

Lizzie and her mom are in a transitional time in their lives. Lizzie’s dad has been arrested for a financial crime, and Lizzie & her mom suddenly find themselves homeless. They move into Good Hope, a place for families in transition.

Lizzie wants to be invisible. She doesn’t want kids at her new school to learn that her dad’s in jail or about where she lives. One day walking through the woods she happens to find Birchwood Stables and a spirited horse named Fire she’s determined to someday make her own. Working hard at the stable, Lizzie learns how to open up to friends and build trust in others.

Beautiful heart print story in which Lizzie learns that Flying Solo doesn’t mean totally by yourself. Themes of family, friendship, loss, hope and trust abound in this middle grade novel.

[BunTheDestroyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I felt it was very realistic. I also appreciated Lizzie's mom - when Lizzie lied to her, she didn't blow it out of proportion or ground her. She let Lizzie explain and backed her up. She then gave her gentle advice. I hope to see more of this trend in middle grade books!

Side note: a quick google search will tell you that kids' jeans from Gucci cost about $600 retail...the toddler shoes alone are $300.

Side side note: A YA book I just finished had a secondary character named Lizzie who ALSO wrote poetry and who ALSO liked Robert Frost's poems AND quoted the same poem in that book as this one. That is quite a cool coincidence! That's never happened to me to such an extent before. I personally find Robert Frost's poetry trite, but, to each their own.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the second book in a row that I've read by Ms. Steveson and I enjoyed it. I have to agree with the other reviews about the abundance of "horse information" but even though I know little to nothing about horses, it was still a good book. If you love horses you will definitely love this book a lot more and I wish that some of the terminology had been explained. I looked some of it up but at times it seemed like Ms. Steveson assumed that most people know about horses. That being said, I found Lizzie to be very similar to the main character in "Georgia Rules", but I liked her mom a lot more in this book. The storyline was interesting and the horse information aside, it was easy to follow along. I'm looking forward to reading Ms. Steveson's third book and I hope she writes more.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A "horse girl" story with some pretty heavy side plots. Lizzie's father has been arrested for white-collar crimes and she and her mother are staying in transitional housing with other families in crisis; a side character is a victim of child abuse. Lizzie's mom is a great character, not quite "too perfect to be real" but loving and resilient, while her dad is a believably weaselly sort of guy. It'll be an easy sell for kids, especially girls, who like horses, but Lizzie is also a poet, so there's a hook for creative writing-type kids as well. The ending doesn't cave to wish-fulfillment but is warm and gratifying.

[Cassie Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nanci writes heart print stories. All stories that can be related to by anybody in middle grades. Lizzie and her mom have found themselves in a transition period where they are at a shelter after her father was arrested for embezzling. During this time Lizzie learns to trust again, she finds out the true meaning of home, and understands what family should be all about. I can not wait to share with my students. For readers needing courage, love horses, want a happy ending story with lessons woven throughout.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lizzie and her mom find themselves suddenly homeless when Lizzie’s dad is arrested for a white-collar crime. Moving into Good Hope, a shelter for people in transition, Lizzie is lonely, devastated, and angry at her father’s betrayal. When she discovers a nearby horse farm and a spirited horse she names Fire, Lizzie finds singular focus in making him her own. Fans of gentle story of family, friendships and finding the freedom to be yourself. Hand to fans of Sharon Creech and Barbara O’Connor.

I was given an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Michele Knott · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is normal? Who decides what normal is? Big questions for a middle school audience but that is exactly what our character, Lizzie, has to figure out when her life is turned upside down. With a father in jail for something that Lizzie herself doesn't quite understand and having to move and live in a temporary shelter, Lizzie slowly figures out the importance of family and friends and what "normal" means. With therapy coming in the way of hard work in a stable and getting comfort from animals, Lizzie learns that flying solo doesn't always mean by yourself. Beautiful heart-print story.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars! I truly loved this book by Nanci Turner Steveson! Thank you for sharing it with #BookVoyage. I felt like Lizzie and her mother’s story is one that needs to be shared. Through no fault of their own, they are left homeless and forced to live in transitional housing when Lizzie’s father is caught committing white collar crime. It’s a story of friendship, resiliency, forgiveness, and the power in having people we can call family. This will be a big hit with horse loving readers, too. I was a bit lost with all the horse references so I need a few lessons in this department!

[Georgia · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the books I’ve read over a million times.....very good, detailed, and most importantly, horsey! Lizzie is a great character that has an admirable passion for horses. One thing so found confusing was how they rode(English/Western?). On the cover it looks like Lizzie has a Western saddle on Fire but it sounds like they mostly ride English. Other then that I have no problems with the book. Bryce is a great supportive character(who wants a sequel about him?). Good Hope was a great setting for this book. I also liked the outcome, finding a friend in Kennedy and her father. Recommended for fans of The Rose Legacy and anyone who is finding their place in the world.
Sofia, 10 years old

[Darby Karchut · Rating 5 out of 5]

One quiet, but powerful story that looks at what makes a family and a home. I stayed up late finishing this book - a mark of great writing. While Lizzie's story addresses many issues teens (and their families) face, such as divorce and homelessness and betrayal, it is balanced by the celebration of the ways horses, friends (especially the unexpected ones), and caring teachers can heal hearts and give hope. Highly recommended!

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The audio production really steered this awry. In normal pitch the narrator’s voice was perfectly fine. For her middle grade character she chose (or was directed) to a grating pitch. Worse, other characters sounded AI voiced. It was incredibly distracting from what was a perfectly fine story. Great for horse lovers. Nice storyline about living in a homeless shelter that added depth and empathy for readers. Don’t listen- read!

[Gunes BILGIN · Rating 5 out of 5]

Without hesitation, I loved this book. The emotions Lizzie felt and the decisions she made was so real, I laughed and cried with her. The book shows some real and tragic things. Lizzie and her mum was lucky because, even though they were homeless, they found a place to stay. Some people can’t even find that. I loved the ending. So read and find out!!!

[Leah Pileggi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Young readers don't have to know anything about horses to still enjoy this story. Beautifully told in an authentic young girl's voice, this is a story of inner strength and hard work and being willing to recognize different types of friendship.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lizzie’s life has turned on its head in basically every way imaginable, and her journey to find acceptance, forgiveness, and hope is absolutely incredible. I am not into horses at all (in fact they kind of freak me out) but I adored this book - and Lizzie & her mom - with all my heart.

[Breelynd Huntley · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so, so good. Lizzie is such a great character and I really connected to her love of horses. When you're hurting, an animals love can be the best medicine and I adore how she was able to pay it forward and help those around her.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of a sad story but it came around to be really hopeful & inspirational at the end. Really enjoyed the ending! There is some horse terminology that l wasn't familiar with but I could still follow the story easily.

[Elizabeth Appenheimer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Touches on a lot of topics that aren't really talked about, but will always be relevant. Well worth the read.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing.

[Stephanie Tevebaugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just a little too horsey for my taste, but it was a good story and perfect for a girl into horses. Well written and a good message.