Status
Available
Collection
Publication
Hyperion Book CH (2010), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 240 pages
Description
Juvenile Fiction. Juvenile Literature. Fifteen-year-old Yancy runs away from home on the night his brother viciously attacks his horse, Shy. With just a backpack, a flashlight, his horse, and a journal, Yancy takes to the California desert on a journey of self-discovery. There he will learn the hardships of being homeless, experience his first kiss, and meet a Mexican laborer, Tavo, who has a thing or two to teach him about life and love. Debut novelist Sandra Alonzo creates an honest portrait of a family dealing with mental disease.
User reviews
LibraryThing member meggyweg
This was a pretty good book. It's a problem many kids can identify with -- almost every child (except only children obviously) experiences sibling bullying, even if it's not as severe as what went on between Will and Yancy. The author did a good job of keeping up the suspense -- how will Yancy
My only real complaints are these: The book is way too detailed to sound like a real journal (alas, a very common problem in diary format novels), and I thought it wrapped up too neatly and far too quickly, almost smacking of deus ex machina. But it was still a good solid read and I would read this author again.
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survive on the run? will Will hurt Yancy's horse again? -- and the reader could understand and sympathize with the overburdened, conflicted parents trying to balance the needs of both sons. And the details about horses were interesting and well-placed.My only real complaints are these: The book is way too detailed to sound like a real journal (alas, a very common problem in diary format novels), and I thought it wrapped up too neatly and far too quickly, almost smacking of deus ex machina. But it was still a good solid read and I would read this author again.
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LibraryThing member galleysmith
Written in journal format this book gets the young teenaged boy’s voice down pat. He’s brash and at times foul mouthed and more than a little bit hormonal. Having said that he’s also faithful, tender, broken, and starved for emotional support and guidance. An outlet for his frustration, a his
At first I found the language and focus of Yancy’s inner thoughts (especially as it pertained to girls) to be a bit shocking for a boy of his age. For some reason I thought he’d be a bit less crude. But when I thought more on it, and read further in the book, I realized that at that age boys are crude and hormonal and lacking in tact. In the end I felt his voice was a truly accurate depiction of a child his age. He was scared and nervous and confused a good portion of the time.
Most of all he was resentful of his parents. Yancy’s parents were no doubt loving and somewhat supportive of him. He was clearly the shining star in their lives. Having two sons — one with severe emotional problems and one seemingly thriving — was accurately portrayed as difficult. The balancing act not always falling in the favor of the younger, more stable, child. In that way I felt most for Yancy, his parents clearly loved him and wanted what was best for him but they were simply so overwhelmed by taking care of Will and his problems that Yancy slipped through the cracks on a regular basis.
I struggled with the section of the story where Yancy was taken in by Tavo, the immigrant, and his employer. I don’t know how many adults would take in a child of that age for as long as they did without question. Allowing him to remain and work on a farm with no idea as to his past history seemed a bit of a stretch. Having said that, the friendship built between Yancy and Tavo was the most poignant in the young boys life. Tavo gave him insight and perspective and taught him about handling adult situations despite his young age.
Finally, the illustrations peppered throughout the story provide the reader with not only excellent visualizations of what is happening in Yancy’s head but also gives the reader an excellent respite from some of the heavier aspects of the book.
Riding Invisible is an excellent resource that realistically speaks to child and animal abuse. A valuable tool that will help teach children about it without scaring them or over emphasizing the negative aspects of such situations.
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journal is a voiceless companion that will listen to him and comfort him despite the fact that it can not change his circumstances.At first I found the language and focus of Yancy’s inner thoughts (especially as it pertained to girls) to be a bit shocking for a boy of his age. For some reason I thought he’d be a bit less crude. But when I thought more on it, and read further in the book, I realized that at that age boys are crude and hormonal and lacking in tact. In the end I felt his voice was a truly accurate depiction of a child his age. He was scared and nervous and confused a good portion of the time.
Most of all he was resentful of his parents. Yancy’s parents were no doubt loving and somewhat supportive of him. He was clearly the shining star in their lives. Having two sons — one with severe emotional problems and one seemingly thriving — was accurately portrayed as difficult. The balancing act not always falling in the favor of the younger, more stable, child. In that way I felt most for Yancy, his parents clearly loved him and wanted what was best for him but they were simply so overwhelmed by taking care of Will and his problems that Yancy slipped through the cracks on a regular basis.
I struggled with the section of the story where Yancy was taken in by Tavo, the immigrant, and his employer. I don’t know how many adults would take in a child of that age for as long as they did without question. Allowing him to remain and work on a farm with no idea as to his past history seemed a bit of a stretch. Having said that, the friendship built between Yancy and Tavo was the most poignant in the young boys life. Tavo gave him insight and perspective and taught him about handling adult situations despite his young age.
Finally, the illustrations peppered throughout the story provide the reader with not only excellent visualizations of what is happening in Yancy’s head but also gives the reader an excellent respite from some of the heavier aspects of the book.
Riding Invisible is an excellent resource that realistically speaks to child and animal abuse. A valuable tool that will help teach children about it without scaring them or over emphasizing the negative aspects of such situations.
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LibraryThing member ChristianR
Told in journal format. Yancy runs away from home with his horse because his older brother has threatened to kill the horse. Will, the brother, has Conduct Disorder, a chemical imbalance in his brain which turns him into a cruel and manipulative person. Their parents have always tried desperately
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to work with Will, with the help of therapists, to help him turn into a productive member of society, but Yancy can attest to the fact that their attempts have failed miserably and he has suffered from Will's cruelty as a result. Yancy's escape, and eventual shelter by a kind Mexican immigrant who helps Yancy see things from his parents' point of view as well as his own, is wildly unrealistic considering that he would be pretty hard to miss since he's got a horse with him, but the story is engaging and pretty honest about how some siblings can truly be horrible. Some ruminations on Yancy's part about girls and sex. Show Less
LibraryThing member kayceel
Yancy has lived his whole life in fear of his older brother. Diagnosed with a conduct disorder, his older brother Will's extreme behavior - violence, threats, etc - has basically held their whole family hostage. In order to escape, Yancy has been spending lots of time at a local horse boarding
Yancy writes of his "adventure" in a journal his parents had given him, including illustrations a la Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. The immigrant Yancy meets while on the run takes him in, giving him a place to stay and board Shy, while Yancy helps out on the ranch where the man is employed. Yancy begins to see his family situation from his parents' point of view - how difficult must it be for them to struggle with such an out of control child, both wanting to help him, to fix him, while trying to protect Yancy and themselves - and when they find him, he tries to come to terms with the whole situation.
I was skeptical of this story from the moment I realized how similar the format was to Alexie's National Book Award winner, and my skepticism increased through the first couple of chapters. Yancy's voice is very young for a 14/15-yr-old at the beginning (especially one who's faced a troubled sibling, who it is later revealed is into drugs, etc.). Alonzo throws is some curse words, but it feels forced. She seems to hit her stride at about the middle, and the descriptions of his family's troubles are scary and sad. I also felt that Yancy's feeling that as the 'good' son, he's become invisible to his parents, as they're forced more and more to cope with their oldest son was realistic and handled well.
I read this as a consideration for the mock Printz awards we hold in our county, and while I think this is worth reading, I don't think it's the best teen book of the year.
Recommended.
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facility, adopting a recuperating horse named Shy, but when Will threatens Shy, cutting off his tail and slashing at his side with a scissors, Yancy, fearing for his horse despite telling his parents what happened, runs away.Yancy writes of his "adventure" in a journal his parents had given him, including illustrations a la Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. The immigrant Yancy meets while on the run takes him in, giving him a place to stay and board Shy, while Yancy helps out on the ranch where the man is employed. Yancy begins to see his family situation from his parents' point of view - how difficult must it be for them to struggle with such an out of control child, both wanting to help him, to fix him, while trying to protect Yancy and themselves - and when they find him, he tries to come to terms with the whole situation.
I was skeptical of this story from the moment I realized how similar the format was to Alexie's National Book Award winner, and my skepticism increased through the first couple of chapters. Yancy's voice is very young for a 14/15-yr-old at the beginning (especially one who's faced a troubled sibling, who it is later revealed is into drugs, etc.). Alonzo throws is some curse words, but it feels forced. She seems to hit her stride at about the middle, and the descriptions of his family's troubles are scary and sad. I also felt that Yancy's feeling that as the 'good' son, he's become invisible to his parents, as they're forced more and more to cope with their oldest son was realistic and handled well.
I read this as a consideration for the mock Printz awards we hold in our county, and while I think this is worth reading, I don't think it's the best teen book of the year.
Recommended.
Show Less
LibraryThing member 59Square
Kearsten says: Yancy has lived his whole life in fear of his older brother. Diagnosed with a conduct disorder, his older brother Will's extreme behavior - violence, threats, etc - has basically held their whole family hostage. In order to escape, Yancy has been spending lots of time at a local
Yancy writes of his "adventure" in a journal his parents had given him, including illustrations a la Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. The immigrant Yancy meets while on the run takes him in, giving him a place to stay and board Shy, while Yancy helps out on the ranch where the man is employed. Yancy begins to see his family situation from his parents' point of view - how difficult must it be for them to struggle with such an out of control child, both wanting to help him, to fix him, while trying to protect Yancy and themselves - and when they find him, he tries to come to terms with the whole situation.
I was skeptical of this story from the moment I realized how similar the format was to Alexie's National Book Award winner, and my skepticism increased through the first couple of chapters. Yancy's voice is very young for a 14/15-yr-old at the beginning (especially one who's faced a troubled sibling, who it is later revealed is into drugs, etc.). Alonzo throws is some curse words, but it feels forced. She seems to hit her stride at about the middle, and the descriptions of his family's troubles are scary and sad. I also felt that Yancy's feeling that as the 'good' son, he's become invisible to his parents, as they're forced more and more to cope with their oldest son was realistic and handled well.
I read this as a consideration for the mock Printz awards we hold in our county, and while I think this is worth reading, I don't think it's the best teen book of the year.
Recommended.
Show More
horse boarding facility, adopting a recuperating horse named Shy, but when Will threatens Shy, cutting off his tail and slashing at his side with a scissors, Yancy, fearing for his horse despite telling his parents what happened, runs away.Yancy writes of his "adventure" in a journal his parents had given him, including illustrations a la Sherman Alexie's The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. The immigrant Yancy meets while on the run takes him in, giving him a place to stay and board Shy, while Yancy helps out on the ranch where the man is employed. Yancy begins to see his family situation from his parents' point of view - how difficult must it be for them to struggle with such an out of control child, both wanting to help him, to fix him, while trying to protect Yancy and themselves - and when they find him, he tries to come to terms with the whole situation.
I was skeptical of this story from the moment I realized how similar the format was to Alexie's National Book Award winner, and my skepticism increased through the first couple of chapters. Yancy's voice is very young for a 14/15-yr-old at the beginning (especially one who's faced a troubled sibling, who it is later revealed is into drugs, etc.). Alonzo throws is some curse words, but it feels forced. She seems to hit her stride at about the middle, and the descriptions of his family's troubles are scary and sad. I also felt that Yancy's feeling that as the 'good' son, he's become invisible to his parents, as they're forced more and more to cope with their oldest son was realistic and handled well.
I read this as a consideration for the mock Printz awards we hold in our county, and while I think this is worth reading, I don't think it's the best teen book of the year.
Recommended.
Show Less
Awards
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 2011)
Physical description
240 p.; 8.54 inches
ISBN
1423118987 / 9781423118985