DIVORCE

A FIRST KISS

HORSEBACK RIDING

DEATH

FRIENDSHIPS

ONE LAST RIDE covers all those life events in an endearing and thoughtful way. The upper middle grade novel is narrated by 12-year-old Jackson Segal. He’s at a Vermont summer camp because his parents need time alone to figure out their future together.

Jackson worries what life will be like once camp is over. Will he be living with one parent or both? Camp has at least allowed Jackson to think about other things. This includes discovering a love for horses and being attracted to a girl.

I’ve read more MG books where a parent has passed away, but divorce is more common in today’s preteen world. I’ve worked with many kids both through teaching and mentoring in the Big Brother Big Sisters organization to know the hurt it brings to families. This story is a welcome addition that will be a helpful read for both boys and girls.

Jackson’s voice throughout is believable and heartfelt. There’s also humor and a terrible tragedy. We know Jackson’s character arc is not complete but moving in the right direction. ONE LAST RIDE would be a great story for a parent and child to read together. There are a few minor inappropriate words, frequent talk among the boys of “making out, and a comical first kiss.

Having gone through my own summer camp experience as a kid, it was a reflective experience reading this as an adult. My wish is for a sequel so that Jackson’s story can continue.

PAGES: 194 BOOK BIRTHDAY: 9/2/2025

FIVE MORE THINGS TO LIKE ABOUT: ONE LAST RIDE by Dan Elish

1. The author details in THE AFTERWORD how his own connection to summer camp helped create this story. It’s a nice backdrop that brings even more meaning to the story.
2. The boys in Jackson’s cabin are very different. From best friend Matteo and mean know it all Oliver to Noah who says he is “Gay but currently inactive.” They all are a memorable part of the plot.
3. Jackson’s relationship with the horses was a high point and one I’ve never seen in a horse type book unless the other character is a girl.
4. The page length was perfect and appreciated in today’s 300+ page middle grade book world.
5. Doug, the boy’s camp counselor, was insightful and knew exactly what Jackson needed. Bravo to both him and all the other Dougs out there who are there for kids when most needed.

ALL ABOUT DAN ELISH

Dan Elish is the author of eleven novels, including The Worldwide Dessert Contest (Orchard Books and Bantam, for kids), Nine Wives (St. Martins Press, for grown-up types), and Born Too Short (Simon & Schuster), which won a 2004 International Reading Association Students’ Choice Award for young adult literature.

Dan wrote the book to the musical 13 which played at the Mark Taper Forum and won the 2007 Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award for best production; he was also nominated for best writing. 13 went on to play at the Jacobs Theater on Broadway is now a film streaming on Netflix. Dan is also the author of the book and co-lyrics for the Off-Broadway musical, The Evolution of Mann, produced at the Cell Theater in NYC in the fall of 2018 and now optioned by Concord Theatricals.

Dan has also written numerous scripts for TV (notably Cyberchase and The Wonder Pets) and has penned music and lyrics to many children’s musicals and works of non-fiction for younger readers. He has won scholarships and fellowships to The Bread Loaf and Sewanee Writers’ Conferences.

Dan grew up in Manhattan, attended The Collegiate School and Middlebury College. He lives in New York with his wife and two children where he continues to write and teach piano. (Dan’s website)

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