Gib Rides Home

It is set in the early 1900s and concerns the plight of young orphan boys who were farmed out to work as unpaid labor until they turned eighteen.

Gib and a teacher, Mr. Harding, carry him to the office, and Miss Offenbacher calls the doctor and admit him to the hospital.

It turns out that Mr. Thornton lives on a former cattle ranch named the Rocking M. He drives the buggy past a large house and down to a little cabin.

The cabin door slams open, and out limps an old cowboy on crutches, Hy Carter, who recognizes Gib.

Livy attended school in Longford, until bad weather forces her to study at home with Miss Hooper, who has been secretly tutoring Gib for a few months.

Gib asks her where she heard about people getting frozen, and she tells him that it was all over the papers when Georgie Olson died of pneumonia.

Hy's bad leg has been bothering him because of the weather, and in the cabin that night he finally tells Gib exactly why Mrs. Thornton is in a wheelchair.

Gib learns to plow as well, and as the spring wears on he catches Livy in the barn one day, watching as he saddles Silky.

One day matters come to a head, as Gib asks Livy why she hated him when he first came to the Rocking M. She said her parents fought about him and caused her to resent him, and takes him to Miss Hooper.

After Gib learns his own story, he begins to resent Mr. Thornton and ups Livy's time with Black Silk.

Apparently Mr. Thornton has died since Gib's return to Lovell House, and Mrs. Thornton decided to formally adopt him and Gib, Hy and Miss Hooper drive the buggy home to the Rocking M. Critical reception has been positive and the Horn Book Magazine praised Snyder for the characters' dimensions.

[2][3][4][5] Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review, writing "Snyder combines an ingenious beginning, which discloses an end to the interlude at the Rocking M, with a masterly rendering of a sympathetic hero to instill in readers an insistent curiosity about Gib's fate--most will want to devour this meaty novel in one long stretch.

"[6] The Buffalo News also reviewed the work, stating "Snyder does her usual excellent job, offering vivid characters, a real sense of place and page-turning suspense, cleverly enhancing the mystery by starting out with Gib's return to Lovell House.