Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker. Phoenix. Ride On, #1. Penguin/Dial, 03/2026. 116pp. Fiction. Trade $17.99. 978-0-5938-5986-5. GRADES 4–7. HIGH ADDITIONAL.
When Harper’s dad makes a choice that blows up her family, she and her mom pick up and move from the Knoxville, TN home she has always known to a horse farm in the country town of Sommer Springs. She leaves everything behind, including her best friend Cat, who has not spoken to her since her parents told her about the split. Harper doesn’t even know if she likes horses, but when a sickly horse she starts to call Phoenix is dumped at the ranch, he becomes her project. With her new friends Dante, Emma and Night, Harper pours all of her energy into healing Phoenix, and ultimately herself. Will Harper be able to save Phoenix? Can she forgive her father for breaking up her family? Will Cat and Harper be friends again? The first in a new series by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, this series will delight middle grade readers with its diverse characters and relatable situations. Harper reads as white, with secondary characters representing different racial and gender identities.
Rebecca Jelen—Prospect Sierra Middle School