This is my seventh book for The Canadian Book Challenge, and I don’t think I could have picked a more charming book to read for this challenge.

Taking place on the positively gorgeous Vancouver Island, Another Kind of Cowboy is the story of Alex and Cleo, two teens who become friends through dressage lessons, and there couldn’t be too more unlikely friends. Cleo is a spoiled, rich girl sent to a girl’s equestrian boarding school, who doesn’t seem to enjoy riding horses. Alex is a hardworking teen in the process of coming out to his family and friends, who has always longed to change from Western riding to dressage but can’t afford a new horse or lessons.

Enter Fergus and Ivan, who have just moved to the neighbourhood. Due to much prestige, Cleo’s mother decides that Cleo will be taking lessons with them instead of through the school. Alex not only works out a deal to pay for lessons from them by working at the stable part-time, but also manages to borrow a horse from his father’s new girlfriend.

Despite their completely opposite personalities, Alex and Cleo soon become fast friends and both soon learn to lean on and help each other through some totally tough times.

Okay, that sounds a lot more After-School-Special-esque than the story really is. In reality, as I mentioned previously, this was a completely charming book. Juby has a way of writing that can draw you into a subject that you have no previous knowledge of and not only make it exciting, but doesn’t leave you confused because it’s too technical.

Then there’s her characters – they came across as being so real and likable, and there’s depth in each of them. Both Alex and Cleo seemed so much like what I remember being a teenager was like – the insecurity that all teenagers deal with is there, dealt with in different ways for both.

I’m really happy I got the chance to read this book; I devoured it in one day, and am now looking forward to actually picking up Juby’s Alice, I Think when I get a chance.