Ride North

Tooth is my pony, but he's his own boss. I take care of him and in exchange he lets me ride him. I wasn't surprised when Tooth first communicated with me. All I knew was that with Tooth, it was different. I loved him the minute I saw him. Of course we understood each other.Twelve-year-old Folly is angry and grieving for her mum. She isn''t ready for Dad''s plans for a new life in Auckland with his new girlfriend. So Folly runs away with the one friend who truly understands: her wise pony, Tooth. With her mother''s ashes in her backpack, Folly sets off to the fabled Cape Reinga, the northernmost point of New Zealand. Through tourist towns and wilderness, across beaches, roads and forest tracks, Folly and Tooth find both adventure and hardship. But then a spur-of-the-moment choice sets danger on their tail. Girl and horse must fight to survive together - to the very end of the road.Cover art by Sian James

About the author

Maria de Jong grew up in Aotearoa New Zealand before settling in Italy. Initially she taught English in Turin, where she also cultivated a sideline designing and making costumes for a dance-theatre company. She was living and studying literature in Frankfurt when East and West Germany reunified, and later relocated for a few years to teach near Bosa, Sardinia. Her two children were born in Rome; while working there as a translator she began writing for middle grade readers, but things only got serious after yet another relocation, this time to Amsterdam, where she currently copyedits, cycles and fabulates for her inner twelve-year-old.

Product details

• Authors: Maria de Jong
• Publisher: Andersen Press
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: ages 10 to 12
• Product format: Paperback
• Released: 06.03.2025
• EAN: 9781839135200
• ISBN: 978-1-83913-520-0
• Dimensions: 128 mm x 177 mm x 16 mm
• Subjects: Children's and young people's books > Non-fiction books / Non-fiction picture books > Animals, plants, nature, the environment; JUVENILE FICTION / Family / General, JUVENILE FICTION / Animals / Horses, JUVENILE FICTION / Action & Adventure / Survival Stories, New Zealand, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Action and adventure stories, Adventure stories (Children's / Teenage), Interest age: from c 10 years, JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Death, Grief, Bereavement, New Zealand / Aotearoa, JUVENILE FICTION / Places / Australia & Oceania