Holding on for dear life

Intense action meets heavy emotion on the Arizona junior rodeo circuit in this captivating novel by Bowling (The Beat I Drum). Thirteen-year-old Canyon Cress credits his parents with instilling in him a love for bull riding and fiddle playing. After Canyon's musician mother is killed by a drunk driver, though, everything about the youth's life turns upside down. When Canyon's athlete father uses whiskey to cope with his grief, the teen must navigate the politics of an elite bull riding competition on his own. Though Canyon's maternal grandmother looks after him and his younger sister Josie in Dad's stead, Canyon insists on bearing the brunt of the childcare responsibilities, hoping to reignite his father's once affectionate nature. In the meantime, participating in his beloved adrenaline-fueled sport helps distract Canyon from his own grief, and making music with his fiddle assists in managing the persistent headaches, nausea, and pain caused by his cumulative bull riding injuries ("I imagine the notes rising off my fiddle... I breathe them into my body, where they flow in my bloodstream and find all the cracks"). Deploying melodic prose that sings with the trademark melancholy and yearning of a country song, Bowling crafts a distinctive, nuanced protagonist in Canyon, whose gentle first-person POV guides readers to an emotionally satisfying resolution. The Cress family cues as white. Ages 8--12. Agent: Shannon Hassan, Marsal Lyon Literary. (Oct.)

Gr 4 Up--Thirteen-year-old Canyon wants the world to know he is a Cress, a boy who will carry on his father's bull-riding legacy. Desperate for his dad's attention, Canyon endures one injury after another to prove his worth. At home, grappling with his mother's death, Canyon tries to pick up for his alcoholic dad's slack, especially when it comes to taking care of his younger sister Josie. Josie loves Canyon's other talent--playing the fiddle like their late mother. When Canyon encounters an opportunity to pursue this gentler outlet, he is torn between listening to his heart and clinging to a bond with his father. Bowling deals with heavy topics deftly in this novel, including a subtle exploration of sexism and class. All characters are cued white. While the pacing lags in places, and the secondary characters deserve more depth, this story of chasing impossible dreams will likely resonate with many readers. VERDICT Hand to fans of unconventional sports stories. Recommended for purchase where Bowling's other works circulate well.--Monisha Blair

A 13-year-old bull rider unpacks masculinity, self-inflicted expectations, and finding one's purpose. Canyon Cress wants to win the Junior Bull Riding World Championship to impress his longtime rodeo friends, Dakota and Tate, garner a life-changing $10,000, and (he believes) return his alcoholic father to the great man he was before Canyon's mother died in an accident. In the meantime, Canyon watches over little sister Josie and resents the trappings of their low-income life, including a torn-up couch, mac and cheese dinners, and free school lunches. He finds much-needed adult support from Grandma, Uncle Ty, and bullfighter Ray, all of whom worry each time Canyon climbs onto a bull. Canyon wrestles with living up to his father's legacy as an accomplished bull rider and with the "cowboy up" mindset that means never quitting. Canyon's mother was a gifted fiddler, and his own regular playing brings him the healing, calming power of music--and, perhaps, a concussion-free alternative to his favorite sport. The story cites real-world fiddle songs and rodeo champions, lending credibility and immersive authenticity to Canyon's interests. Early emotional beats pay off in big, earned tearjerker moments by the end, and secondary characters' backstories develop in a satisfying way over the course of this story, which will hold appeal for fans of Gary D. Schmidt'sOrbiting Jupiter andJupiter Rising. Most characters are coded white, and Ray is Black. An empowering story about boys and men learning to reinvent themselves in the wake of pain and tragedy.(Fiction. 8-13) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.