Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
Holding on for Dear Life (Bloomsbury, 2025) by Dusti Bowling was super good and, as an adult, scary for what the kids go through.
Thirteen-year-old Canyon has to win the Junior Bull Riding Championship. It’s the only thing that might make his father get his act back together. Winning the buckle will make Dad pay attention to him and his little sister, Josie, quit drinking, and remember they are still a family. When the aches and pains of bull riding get to Canyon, it’s only playing his violin that helps. But now he wonders if he’s holding on to the wrong thing.
Dusti is an award-winning author with numerous books. Read about her here. Previously, I recommended her debut, Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus.
Another book readers might like is Heart of a Shepherd by Rosanne Parry.
For older readers I recommend Suzanne Morgan Williams’ book Bull Rider.