Jill Rides Cross-Country

by Jemma Spark

Jill Crewe has lived in a perfect world of ponies and gymkhanas in a small English village, Chatton. Discouraged from a career with horses, she is about to reluctantly go off to secretarial college when her life is turned upside down. Her mother announces that she is getting married again and they are going to live in a Scottish Highland castle, with hundreds of acres of moorland, stables, an indoor riding school and a cross-country course. Jill feels that she has to prove her worth as a person, not only to herself, but also to her new-found relations, as she prepares to enter adult equestrian competitions.

175 pages, ebook

Published August 29, 2018

Reviews

[Kay Cugini · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is sort of Jill Fan Fiction, but it is fantastic! Cant wait to read the rest

[Squeak2017 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few places where the book seems too modern in tone or idiom but generally it preserves the feel of the original novels.

An enjoyable easy read though ends rather abruptly, no doubt to pick up the story in the next instalment of the series.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I discovered this glorious continuation of the Jill books when looking for something to get my mum for her birthday (she loved the original Jill books as a child - as did I), and have been working my way through them.

Considering how much time has gone by since the originals were published in the 1950s, and the fact that it's a different author writing these sequels, the style and tone are generally a good match. There are, inevitably a few jarring moments - and the books really need a better editor (they are riddled with grammatical and punctuation errors - as a professional editor myself, I would *love* to sort them out!), but I'm happy to overlook this for the joy of spending more time with Jill on her ridiculous adventures.

Overall, the books are fun and (very) silly - and a bit scattershot, since the plot of each individual one isn't very cohesive. But I'm really enjoying them and I think any fan of the original series would too.

[Kali · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the exact type of book I would have LOVED when I was younger and going through my “horse crazy” faze. I would definitely recommend this for the 11-14 audience that are fans of The Saddle Club and The Pony Tails. I received this free as an e-book for an honest review.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jill Rides Cross-Country

If you have a horse-lover that's middle school aged, this would be a great book for them. It's clean so parents have nothing to worry about. It has a great flow to the story as well. Thank you for my copy.

[Karen Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is fan fiction but is great. Jemma captures the flavour of the original Jill books by Ruby Ferguson but is obviously a little more knowledgeable about horsemanship. The love of horses still comes through. I love the idea of putting Jill in a Highland castle, which is something she has talked about in the original books. It reminds me of the way that the Pullein Thompson sisters adored Scotland and of course Patricia Leitch. Would totally recommend it to all the old Jill lovers but also new readers.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I normally stay clear of anything remotely like fanfiction, so it was with some trepidation that I read this, however I loved this. The author really captured the voice of Jill and the style of Ruby Ferguson. By moving the location of the book and introducing new characters there was a freshness about it that made it distinctive enough from the original series for it to stand on its own. The only complaint was a few errors (such as speech marks in the wrong places) which was a little jarring. However it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the book as it was fantastic to see Jill live again.

[Phoebe Cannan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and the next two. Jill is growing up and Jemma has done a splendid job to keep her Jill-like at some point she is going to have to have a romantic relationship, can’t imagine how Jemma will manage this!

[Cynthia Wilkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book it is a brilliant follow-on from the original Ruby Ferguson Jill books. The slap-happy Jill Crewe is having a whole new adventure in a Highland castle. A whole host of new characters march through the pages. Absolutely adored it!

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

No matter how old I get..., I never tire of reading horse stories and enjoy finding new ones or old classics.
I think young readers would enjoy the story and although simple in format and storyline it was a fun escape on a winter afternoon.

[Sally Eliabeth Glossop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Escape to my childhood loving the simplicity of the book but the love and passion for horses - just want her to slow down when bringing young horses on

[Ronda Davies]

It was fantastic to find follow ons from Ruby Ferguson aJill books. Now Jill is growing up but Jemma Spark handles it brilliantly.

[Emma Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was BRILLIANT, wow!!! This is a sequel series to the Jill books written by a fan and I could not have hoped for more. The last Jill book ends with her graduating from horses and off to secretarial college when I frankly expected her to have an Olympic career at the very least. This book fixes that - Jill’s mum announces that she’s getting married to a Scottish lord with tons of money and horses and off to Scotland they for shooting parties and tons of horsey activities. Lots of horse details, food, Jill growing up but keeping her sense of humour and her no-nonsense attitude. I hope all the books are just as great!