Riding Invisible - Sandra Alonzo

Young Adult
Pages: 240
Publisher: Hyperion Book CH
Release Date: March 2, 2010

Everyone has to know the truth in case I get killed on the trail.  It’ll be My Escape all written and drawn WHILE IT HAPPENS.  Could be a little raw.  I’m a little raw. 

I’m going to lay low, still and quiet, blend in, harmonize with the world out there.  It’s not an easy thing to be, a boy on a horse...riding invisible.

 

So begins 15-year-old Yancy Aparicio's adventure journal. Tormented and abused by his older brother Will, Yancy runs away from home on the night that 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.

I loved this book so much! It's a heart-warming and inspiring story about family issues and facing fear. It explores a fully original format, written in handwriting font and as a diary with hand-made drawings. Yancy Aparicio writes his journal in a wonderful voice that sucks you into his world of ANGST while he tries to escape his biggest fear: his brother Will. Will is a deeply disturbed teenager one year older than Yancy who suffers 'conduct dissorder'. Yancy runs away from home in his horse, with no clear destiny. He takes us in a brilliant adventure of self-esteem and self-discovery. Very hard to put down.

Many different plots intertwine in Yancy's adventure journal transforming what could be a children's book into an extremely powerful read. It has very many lessons to teach. A breathtaking journey into a teenagers life which in which he is forced to grow-up and face life, face his ethnic origins, and understand not only where he stands but how he affects the rest of his family.

Overall, a highly recommended read for children, teenagers and adults looking for a powerful coming-of-age story hard to forget.

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