Shelly's Book Blog

Gib Rides Home is another great novel by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. This one is set in the early 20th century and is about a 10-year-old boy named Gibson Whittaker who lives in an orphanage. He sees another boy from the orphanage "farmed out"--that is, sent to live with a family to do slave labor until her tuns 18. Then Gib is farmed out to the Thornton family. Even though he is treated as a hired hand, Gib is happy with the Thorntons and he rediscovers his love of horses. I guess I'm just not in the mood lately for really dark stories right now, so I was happy when the story moved away from the cruelty Gib suffered at the orphanage and began exploring his past and his relationships with the Thorntons. I think Ms. Snyder is a wonderful storyteller, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel, Gib and the Gray Ghost. Other books I've reviewed by this author include The Headless Cupid and The Trespassers.