Blue Ribbon Trail Ride is the fourth book in the Horses and Friends series written by Miralee Ferrell, which highlighted adventure and acceptance in a story filled with love for friends and horses.
Written for middle-aged schoolchildren, Blue Ribbon Trail Ride (and the other three books) brought with it many life lessons and taught good moral values in a non-imposing tone. Ferrell did not forget to weave these lessons in a plot that also emphasized fun, excitement, and even mystery.
I finished reading all books in 1.5 days with occasional breaks to eat and take care of my toddlers and infant. The entire time I read the books, I have been telling myself: “These are the exact materials I will recommend to my children to read.”
Ferrell built up the excitement from the first three books leading to the fourth book, Blue Ribbon Trail Ride, with a story involving a missing antique box.
The main characters – Kate, Tori, Colt, and Melissa – wanted to help Kate’s parents in raising funds to send Kate’s younger brother, Pete, to a camp for children with autism. Although it’s been difficult for Kate’s family, they remained hopeful seeing Pete’s progress. But money was scarce and it was a challenge for Kate’s parents to put up funds to send Pete to the camp. When Kate and friends broach the idea to hold a scavenger hunt via a trail ride to her parents, their idea was met with enthusiasm and soon enough, they found themselves knocking on every establishment’s door to ask for prize donations.
People flocked to the Kate’s family’s barn and not long enough, they accepted registration fees and forms. The money from the registration were placed in an antique box owned by Kate’s mother, a family heirloom passed on from her great-grandmother. But the box with the money was gone even before the scavenger hunt started.
The search for the missing antique box ensued and the four friends found themselves checking off the list of suspects. Along the way, they met another friend, Jake, a valuable addition to the group for his wit and love for movies. Ferrell used the introduction of this new character to share the message that people with open and giving hearts can always welcome more friends within their circles.
Ferrell did not forget the element of fun in Blue Ribbon Trail Ride. It was an enjoyable experience to read about the children planning and working together to catch the thief. Ferrell is a smart and innovative writer who blends in the teaching of Christian values in the dialogues.
A speaker in one writing talk once said that when you write your novel, choose a subject that ticks you off (or on, I think) because you’ll be able to cover more happenings and write about them. Ferrell definitely had that going as she writes about horses in this series. I am new to the equine world but Ferrell’s simple and detailed explanations of terms were very helpful and may I say, quite interesting. I didn’t realize all the hardwork that is put in when riding a horse. It just looks easy watching someone on a horse.
While I had fun reading, Blue Ribbon Trail Ride, my favorite book in the series is the third book, Mystery Rider. I won’t write much because that would be revealing too much details. Suffice to say the third book teaches the value of helping those in need even when the majority thinks otherwise.
Ferrell writes for the younger audience with a positive and enthusiastic spirit; it’s hard not to get hooked and know what other adventures Kate and her friends were into as you read one book after another.
I give Blue Ribbon Trail Ride an eight out of 10 stars but for the four books in the Horses and Friends series, I’m giving it a collective nine stars. These are the kinds of books that I’ll place alongside Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys for my children to enjoy.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a copy of this book from the Litfuse Publicity Group for the purpose of this review. I was not required to write positive reviews. Some of the links in the post above are “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”.
