Holding Back Book Review

Holding Back is a novella written by Frances Prentice, published by the Australian publisher Rhiza Press. It is available on Kindle (how I got it) and also can be purchased in paperback or audiobook form. I discovered it randomly through online browsing, and when I saw it had a homeschooled character, I thought it would be worth considering for the award.

This is a very short and simply written book, but the author still manages to tell a sweet story with actually decent homeschooling representation. It follows fifteen-year-old Nick, who lives on a farm in the outback, and whose main activity in life is campdrafting. As I learned from the book, this is a sport that involves contestants on horseback herding steers through a course. Unlike his sister Kathy, Nick is quiet and awkward. He doesn’t have close friends- until he joins the local swim team. There, he discovers a new passion and forms bonds with his teammates.

While many of the other books this year focus on exceptional circumstances such as boat schooling or agoraphobia, this is realistic fiction about a somewhat more “normal” homeschooler. It is also an uncommon example of a non-American homeschooler, and a teen boy main character. Nick has a list of assignments from his mom that he works through independently. This seems true to how many homeschooled high schoolers are educated, and similar to my own teen years. The story touches upon some struggles with finding friends if you have limited access to and time to talk with kids your age- definitely believable for a homeschooler in a rural area. However, it also shows how friendships are still possible if you are able to be involved in activities. I think that seeing a character overcome challenges as a homeschooler will be more inspirational to real homeschooled kids than the common trope of a completely isolated homeschooler going to school and immediately making best friends.