We Ride Upon Sticks

A Novel (Alex Award Winner)

De: Quan Barry

Narrado por: Isabel Keating

"We Ride Upon Sticks . . . is for the kind of adults who watch Stranger Things and still have, somewhere, an athletic award inscribed on a paper plate." —NPR

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: NPR • TIME • BOOK RIOT • LITHUB • KIRKUS REVIEWS

Acclaimed novelist Quan Barry delivers a tour de female force in this delightful novel. Set in the coastal town of Danvers, Massachusetts, where the accusations began that led to the 1692 witch trials, We Ride Upon Sticks follows the 1989 Danvers High School Falcons field hockey team, who will do anything to make it to the state finals—even if it means tapping into some devilishly dark powers. In chapters dense with 1980s iconography—from Heathers to "big hair"—Barry expertly weaves together the individual and collective progress of this enchanted team as they storm their way through an unforgettable season.

Helmed by good-girl captain Abby Putnam (a descendant of the infamous Salem accuser Ann Putnam) and her co-captain Jen Fiorenza (whose bleached blond “Claw” sees and knows all), the Falcons prove to be wily, original, and bold, flaunting society's stale notions of femininity in order to find their glorious true selves through the crucible of team sport and, more importantly, friendship.

A fun, easy ride.

This book is chock-full of nostalgia and quaint references. It's also a wonderful, collective retelling of teenage memories and the way they shape us. I'm surprised to see it's almost 15 hours because I felt like it flew by.

It's wonderful, lighthearted read if you're looking for something magical without the darkness. A great October read for sure.

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

If Libba Bray’s Beauty Queens and Grady Hendrix’s The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires hooked up, they would have created this story of Chicks With Sticks. We Ride Upon Sticks is an 80’s spoof of girls field hockey, Emilio Estévez, Burn Books, witches, prom, and basic teenage debauchary. This book was REALLY FUN but it felt unnecessarily long. LOVED the 80’s musical references and nostalgic highlights 🙌🏻🎶❤️

The Modern Coven

Loved the story - takes a much different spin on the idea of witches, but was original and the characters were amazing

Coming of age with a roar

I thought this was a YA novel at first, and perhaps it could be. Mostly it's just a fun romp through female coming of age in the late '80's, and these girls are roaring with the energy that can only be conjured by a group of girls focused on a purpose. It's fun seeing young women discovering and owning their power. Great if you like field hockey. And, oh yeah, witchcraft.

Field hockey+witchcraft = surprisingly enthralling

You know when you hear about a really weird food pairing and you think "what the holy aioli is this person's damage?" but you try it anyway (because you're nice and afraid of confrontation) and it's actually the best thing ever and all you ever want to eat or talk about ever again when you realize you've become the weirdo that you judged so harshly so now feel obligated to take a big bite of humble pie? That is the best way I can describe it. It's pineapple and olives on pizza.

Field! Field! Field!

HOCKEY! HOCKEY! HOCKEY!

This was a great story that was entertaining, had a message of team spirit, acceptance of differences, and the promise of what working together towards a goal can bring. It brought me back to my High School experience though I graduated in 84. And though I'm not from Massachusetts, I have family there and visit often, especially Salem/Danvers area. I loved everything about this story but I won't mention specifically because spoilers.

Fine story, not my cup of tea

DNF @ 51%

I went into this book with the wrong expectations. I was hoping for a dark and funny satire with either an imaginative fantasy or twisty is-it-or-isn’t-it plot. Instead this book cares a lot about field hockey, leans heavily on 80’s nostalgia and snark, and the plot is a light farce about teamwork and confidence. I wasn’t able to get deep enough into any character’s life to care about them, because as soon as things got close, the thread jumped to another character.

Stroll down memory lane

I went to HS at this same time and knew girls on the field hockey team who could easily have been the inspiration for these characters. It’s a good book and I enjoyed it.

Loved It

I love books that fully transport you to a time and place, and this did exactly that. The narrator was superb, and really added to the story for me. I loved the multiple points of view, the sisterhood, the examination of relationships through a teen’s eyes. I think “quirky” is a good word for this book. I’ve never read anything like it, and I truly enjoyed every minute of it. I know I’ll be coming back to listen again.

Perfectly entertaining

An Especially fun read if you were a teen in the 80s. Humor and sarcasm abounds in this entertaining read! Highly recommend if you’re looking for just a good distracting story!