Gib Rides Home [Hardcover]

Zilpha Keatley Snyder (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 9, 1998 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Gib Whittaker's life at Lovell House Orphanage in the early 1900s is pretty bleak. But along with hours of chores, bad food, and paddlings, the boys do get some schooling, and reading and writing are better than scrubbing floors. Still, Gib's fondest dream is to have a real family. So when Georgie Olson is adopted, Gib can't help being jealous, even when he finds out that the "adoption" really means being farmed out to work as unpaid labor until the age of 18.



Then one freezing January morning Gib finds Georgie hiding in the barn, his hands heavily bandaged. Constantly whipped by his master, then sent to work outside without mittens, Georgie ran away when they threatened to cut off his frostbitten hands. Is this the only kind of adoption there is? When Gib himself is farmed out, he arrives at the home he has always dreamed of. But he's soon aware of barely concealed tensions and secrets kept hidden from him. Will Gib end up like poor Georgie?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a starred review of this story about an orphan growing up in Nebraska at the turn of the century, PW predicted that readers "will want to devour this meaty novel in one long stretch." Ages 9-12. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8?Gib is six when he arrives at an orphanage in the early 1900s. He dreams of having a family, but discovers that the older he gets, the less likely it is for him to be adopted, and that most of the older boys are "farmed out" as cheap labor. At 10, that fate befalls him when Mr. Thornton takes him to help with his farm and his horses. Gib, who remembers very little of his life before the orphanage, is surprised to recognize the hired man as someone he knew as a small child. Despite having been warned not to ask any questions of the Thorntons, the boy slowly begins to piece together his early childhood as a neighbor of the family. Although the work is difficult, Gib is well fed, comfortable, and happy; he loves caring for the horses and has an amazing talent for working with them. Not everything is perfect, though. Mrs. Thornton is crippled and often ill; her husband is extremely cold; and their daughter resents him. Slowly Livy and Gib become friends as he teaches her to ride, but when Livy decides to ride the high-strung horse that caused her mother's paralyzing fall, Gib is blamed and returned to the orphanage. Kinder and gentler than Susan Beth Pfeffer's Nobody's Daughter (Delacorte, 1995), this story has the pathos and hopefulness of Joan Lowery Nixon's "Orphan Train Quartet" (Delacorte). In a book inspired by the life of the author's father, the novel delivers an engaging glimpse of history as well as a compelling story. With well-drawn, complex characters and a touch of mystery, it has surefire appeal.?Janet Hilbun, Sam Houston Middle School, Garland, TX
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (February 9, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385322674
• ISBN-13: 978-0385322676
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,134,371 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another fine Snyder book, June 18, 2000

By 

YA Reading Fool "ya_librarian" (CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gib Rides Home (Paperback)

I suppose I should first say that I've been a fan of Zilpha Keatley Snyder's for many years. I'm so pleased to see that this book holds up to her The Velvet Room and The Egypt Game, to name just a few.

I hope CT elementary school students voting for the Nutmeg award give this book a chance, even though the length may be a bit much for some of the younger voters. Gib is a wonderful character: brave, forthright, sweet, caring, and generous. We are told just enough about his life in the orphanage for our hearts to be touched and to yearn with Gib that he will find a home. And we shudder and even tear up a bit when he loses the home he finds and winds up back at the orphanage. But between those events, we cheer for him, we come to love Hy, Hoop, Mrs. Thornton, and even Olivia, and we vicariously enjoy Gib's invigorating rides on the range and the good times he has on the Thorton ranch. Snyder makes her characters and their times come alive. And she feeds us just the right amounts of information in the teasing mystery of why the Thorntons first left him in the orphanage and then, so many years later, came to get him. It certainly made me want to keep reading! (In fact, when I thought I'd lost the book, I was quite upset at the thought that it was going to take me days or weeks to find out Gib's whole story!) There's a sequel to this book, and I certainly intend to read it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is a great one because Gib finds himself., September 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Gib Rides Home (Paperback)

This book isn't, sci fi, or a fairy tale, it has no blood and guts. But it does have a little boy who is an orphan, and wants a family. This book is a very good book, I think with great character devlopment. It almost felt like you were him and I could actually sense how he was feeling. I really enjoyed this book and would recomend this to anybody who enjoys reading.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read!, June 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Gib Rides Home (Hardcover)

Wow! A great book. It really keeps you on the edge of your seat! Great for horse lovers like me:) I like how realistic it is. I strongly recommend this book to anybody! (Even my mum liked it!)