We Ride Upon Sticks

A Novel (Alex Award Winner)

By: Quan Barry

Narrated by: 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.