Running With Horses

by Jason Cockcroft

Rabbit and his mum have moved to the coast to run a small caravan park. Rabbit has been struggling since he saw his father die – he finds it hard to speak. When he befriends a local boy, Joe, Rabbit begins to feel better – but he keeps having strange dreams of a frightened white horse. Hunting for the animal, the two boys stumble across something much more dangerous: a man being held hostage by a criminal gang. Their discovery will set them on a dangerous path that will risk everything Rabbit holds dear…

Genres: Young Adult

240 pages, Hardcover

Published July 7, 2022

About the author

Jason Cockcroft is the illustrator of many acclaimed picture books, including Room for a Little One: A Christmas Tale by Martin Waddell, Billywise by Judith Nicholls, and Jason and the Golden Fleece by James Riordan. He lives in Whitby, England, with his wife, Lisa, and their two cats. COUNTER CLOCKWISE is his first novel.

Reviews

[Dakota ♥️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, I had no idea this book existed. I’d never heard of it nor of the author, but I challenged myself to just pick up the first book on the library shelf that wasn’t a latter book in a series (which I found out afterwards that this is a second book, after “We Were Wolves” however, I believe it can be read as a stand alone too).

I didn’t know what to expect as there was no real blurb and Goodreads didn’t *really* give a good idea as to what the book is about.

There’s a young boy called “Rabbit” (obviously not his real name but given to him because of how quiet he is). He has recently moved to a seaside town with his Mum after the death of his father. He is still haunted by this, experiencing “scares” and nightmares.

In the town he has made a friend, Joe, who comes from a troubled family with an older brother who abuses him- Billy, a known trouble maker in the village.

The book is about Rabbit and Joe and how they get caught up in one of Billy’s wrongdoings.

Overall, I did like the book. It was a bit dark and didn’t have many “happy” parts in it. The physical book has lovely illustrations on every page which I did like.


“Promises are meant to be kept, and those made to yourself are ones you must never break”

[Cat Strawberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, even more than the previous book We Were Wolves! Rabbit and his mum have moved to East Ferry where his mum helps to clean and look after a caravan park. While Rabbit doesn’t talk much, hence his name, he and Joe are the best of friends. One hot summer day, Joe takes Rabbit to see a dead horse, but the boys soon come across a hole in the ground with a door over it, and when the boys open the door, they find a man stuck in a hole, pushed down there by someone Joe knows.

This is an interesting story from the start with our narrator, Rabbit, telling his story of what happened during one summer. It’s been some months since the events of We Were Wolves took place, and now the narrator of that book, the boy, has a new nickname of Rabbit. While Rabbit is still affected by the events of the past, things in his life feel better now, especially after he and his mum moved to the coast and he has now met Joe. Joe and Rabbit are the best of friends, inseparable, and do everything together, but when Joe leads Rabbit to the man in the ground, Rabbit soon discovers something dark happening with Joe’s brother Billy.

I like this story better than We Were Wolves, probably as there wasn’t the foreshadowing of what would happen at the end. As a result I found myself instantly swept up into the story and I really enjoyed finding out what happened with Rabbit and Joe and the man in the hole they find. Once we discover who has dumped the man in the hole and why, the story takes us on a deeper track, with Rabbit wanting to help the man which he soon tries to do. I like where the story goes and how we later find out more about the man who was stuck in the hole, and more about the horse that plagues Rabbit’s dreams.

The tale is quite gritty and dark in places with some violence and arson taking place. The story is interesting and exciting though, especially the further it gets in and how tense things get when Rabbit is trying to help the man. There are some deeper moments I enjoyed too, Rabbit learning more about Joe’s past and the bond between the two of them being so close that it was lovely to see their friendship and the way Rabbit cares for Joe even more than we first think. As the story draws towards the ending, I like how we finally find out Rabbit’s real name (something that’s been missing since the first book) and how he grows as a character.

There are illustrations throughout the book, on some pages and I assume they either take up a whole page of part of a page or are fitted around the text like in the first book. I have only had access to a digital copy of this book so far, and so have seen the illustrations but not the way they are formatted around the text. The illustrations are all lovely though, in black, white and grey and they are so mesmerising to look at. I’ve shared a couple of images of pictures in this story, which are so detailed and bring to life some of the magic of the story.

The ending is very good, a lot happens and it was so dramatic and exciting. Thigns take a dark turn, especially when Rabbit is searching for someone at the end, and I like how this book kept me guessing at what would happen, it ending in a very satisfying way. I do like how Rabbit and Joe both grow and how Rabbit’s story especially sees him grow and mature a lot through the book, and how he feels more sorted out in his mind with everything that’s happened to him, including with his dad by the end of the story. I also like how we see mentions of characters from the first book, like with what happens with Sophie too. There are occasional uses of the s and b swear words but it’s not frequent. There is also some violence described including violence towards a child.

Overall I have really enjoyed reading this story, so much more than We Were Wolves! This book could be read as a standalone, there is enough mention of what happened in the previous book to understand Rabbit’s back story. However, I did try reading this book first and it just didn’t have the same impact as it did when I read We Were Wolves first. So, although this book feels like a better read to me, I do think you’d get more enjoyment if you read We Were Wolves first. The book is marked as a fantasy, but I’m not sure I’d call this one fantasy either, apart from the dreams Rabbit has about the horse, and the magical way the horse appears, it really isn’t a fantasy book so much as it is a contemporary one. A great read, with such beautiful illustrations that I will love to read again in future.
-Thanks to Andersen Press and Netgalley for a free copy for review.

[Milly Reynolds · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is on this year's Carnegie Prize longlist. Jason Cockcroft's previous novel 'We Were Wolves' was longlisted for last year's Carnegie also and it wasn't until I started reading 'Running With Horses' that I realised that this continues the story although you don't need to have read the first book to read this. Our narrator, who was unnamed in the first book but has acquired the nickname Rabbit in this one, is now living on a caravan park on the coast with his mum who is the park manager. The events from the previous book have had an effect upon him and he sees a counsellor because for a long while he was unable to speak. After feeling isolated and alone, he has made a close friend on the park, Joe. Life is getting back to a sort of normal until Joe's step-brother, Billy, returns after being released from jail. Billy is bad news and Joe is terrified of him. Even more so when Joe shows Rabbit a hole in the ground where Billy and his mates have thrown a man who has threatened to report them to the police. Rabbit says himself that he has never been brave, but after seeing the man in the hole, he digs deep into himself to act and the events that follow on from Rabbit's decision keep the reader on the edge of the sofa. This book is full of suspense and tension. There is violence in here and so this is not a book to suit all teenagers. The pace and the illustrations keep the pages turning, it never lets up. Rabbit's narration, with his tendency to explain words that he thinks we need help with, makes you really side with him. He is a lad who thinks deeply, who worries, who fears, who has dreams he can't explain, who is a loyal friend and even, though he wouldn't say it himself, is even a bit brave. In my opinion this is stronger than 'We Were Wolves' - I had a good time reading it.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written and beautifully illustrated young adult book about Rabbit who is taken by his friend Joe to allegedly see a dead horse, but they find, instead, someone in a hole (which gave me thoughts of Niccolo Ammaniti's Io non ho paura - but, in fact, this story is not like that one at all. Rabbit helps the guy in the hold, and - as they say - no good deed goes unpunished. The guy escapes and this leads to danger and intrigue. The Antagonist is Joe's older brother, who is a nasty and dangerous piece of work. It all leads up to a great climax. The resolution works well enough. Not stunningly original, but the writing carries it through. An enjoyable work.

[thewoollygeek (tea, cake, crochet & books) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I enjoyed this even more than the first book, when we were wolves, again this can be quite dark in places with some violence , I loved Rabbits development in this one and learning more about Joe’s past, how we finally find out Rabbit’s real name. Fantastic story

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

[Annie Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Book is a book for young boys; however, I totally enjoyed it at 65 - totally thoughtfully written.

[Asya.J.Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved this book, one of my favourites and I recommend to everyone who would like a quick yet emotional read!

[Paige Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring book, great illustration.