Creaky Acres
by Calista Brill and Nilah Magruder
Kokila, 2025. 268 pages.
Review written October 15, 2025, from a copy sent to me by the publisher.
Starred Review
Creaky Acres is a sweet graphic novel about moving – with a horse. Nora is in upper elementary school, and as the book opens, we see her saying good-by to friends at school – and then much more warmly to her friends at the barn. Her horse, Hay Fever, has many blue ribbons by his stall.
Their first stop at their new home is Hay Fever’s new barn, Creaky Acres. Nora is not impressed. There’s a goat and possums roaming around, and one kid rides on a cow. And they don’t even go to riding events. Nora’s the only Black girl in the whole school.
So this is a book about learning to love a new place, and it’s got all kinds of charm. Although Nora has won plenty of riding events in the past and takes care to do things right, now she’s got a persistent problem of not keeping her eyes up when she goes over jumps.
We watch Nora make quirky new friends and come to terms with Creaky Acres, and even lead a team to a riding event. This is one of those books that will leave you with a smile.
calistabrill.com
nilahmagruder.com
Find this review on Sonderbooks at: www.sonderbooks.com/Childrens_Fiction/creaky_acres.html
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Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.
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