Maggie Lou Meets Her Match, written by Arnolda Dufour Bowes and illustrated by Karlene Harvey. Groundwood, 2025. $14.99 ages 9 and up

 

"I flip the reins over Win'cis's head and jump on
his back. We gallop around the pine tree, and I 
lead him back to Mikey. Kicking my leg over, I 
dismount with such precision that I even surprise
myself. 
It's been a long, painful couple of weeks riding this 
stubborn little horse, and I'm excited that I figured 
a few things out." 

It was a real pleasure to revisit Maggie Lou and her proud and happy Metis family in this book. As in the first book, Maggie Lou, Firefox, there are three stories here. Uncle Bobby has met Bonnie; a woman Maggie Lou loves. She does, however, find it much more difficult to warm up to Rosie, Bonnie's daughter. The two have little in common except their need to fight and bicker about almost everything. Kohkom is not impressed and relates a story about identical twin sister stars, Piyak and Niso. The two sisters were always at odds, until they realized if they worked together rather than against each other, they could be better and burn brighter. It is a lesson Maggie Lou and Rosie take to heart. 

In the second part of the book, Maggie Lou is able to admit that she would like to be more like Rosie who is a skilled rider and rodeo contender. It takes time, patience, and a lot of new learning for Maggie Lou to realize she and Rosie can never be the same. Still, she is willing to do what it takes to be better than she was when they met. She also some endures very embarrassing and difficult moments to get there. In the end, she allows that she will never be as good as Rosie is; she still can make her mark. 

Finally, Maggie learns something about her family she did not previously know. They were once champions in the Otipim'sowak Race. That Metis Day race was ten kilometres with six people taking part. Wanting to follow in their footsteps, Maggie enters the junior division with Rosie on her team. The training is intense, not without complications. Eventually, family comes first and the team learns they can do anything they put their minds to, as long as they are doing it together. 

 Fans of the first book will be happy to visit this funny, happy, skilled family again. They are supportive of one another, using humor and memories to keep the action moving forward. Their adventures are quite epic and provide for a most enjoyable read. Chapter-break illustrations add to the fun.