Customer Reviews

The Black Stallion Mystery (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the most thrilling book in the world!

Alec,The Black, and Henry are out on an adventure... once again!!

Alec is baffled by three colts that arrive for sale from Spain. They look so much like his horse, that Alec is sure they have the same sire.But that wonderful stallion died years ago in Arabia. Or did he?In search of the answer Alec and the Black begin a dangerous journey.
In spain they meet the colts' eccentric owner, Angel Gonzalez, who takes them to a remote mountian stronghold of anb Arab sheik. The sheik insists he's seen the Black's sire running free, in the mountains. And he wants Alec and the Black to catch him.Yet Alec is suspicious. He thinks the whole story is nothing more than an elaborite plot to lure him and his horse to this desolate place-but why??
You have to have read the first book in the series to know who Tabari is and if you don't then, you wouldn't get the whole book (expeacially the end!).

When Henry and Alec check out some yearlings they are shocked to see a very strong resemblance to the Black. So they question if the Blacks Sire could still be a live, but they were told by Abu (Blacks Original owner) that his father had died years ago in Arabia. The temptation that the Blacks father is still a live is too much for them. So they decided to head abroad to the man who sold the Yearlings and see if it is true. The Storyline has interesting twists and turns and Alec meets people who he hasn't seen in years. The book is quite fast paced and is probably one of the best Black Stallion books.

A group of my students chose this book for a literature circle because the boys wanted a mystery and the girls wanted a "horse story." I talked them into this one, and it was a great hit with all!!! Taking the reader to exotic lands and throwing in the proverbial "red herring" kept my students absorbed the entire time. Great read!

Devoted fans of Alec Ramsay and his famous Black horse will be delighted
by the mystery lurking--with increasing literary tension and menace--in this YA novel. Apparently parentless (or emancipated) by this novel in the series, Alec is free to choose his own path, usually in concert with his trainer/mentor, Henry. When they read about a pair of unusual Arabian yearlings in New York state they insist on viewing them in person. One look at the horses convinces them that they must meet the owener and the unnamed sire. The pair decide to make Spain the first stop on their European itinerary. Their odyssey brings them into contact with some shady literary characters, who take an unusual interest in the Black or demonstrate suspiciously extreme hospitality. Could this all be part of an elaborate ruse, even a Trap?

Far from naive about the world of horseflesh Henry and Alec
nevertheless become embroiled in international intrigue--lured ever deeper into unlocking the mystery of the Black's reportedly dead sire, Ziyada. Alec's persistent curiosity and desire to learn the truth will lead
both his horse and himself into serious danger. Farley reintroduces a character from an earlier BS novel: Arabian-born Tabari, now a young married woman. Alec and Henry learn a lot about Arab hospitality, as well as the Arabian love for horses and the lust for generational revenge. Regardless of the certification of the death of Ziyadah, who is the mysterious nocturnal rider of the legendary Firetail? Can Alec resist the final temptation to uncover the identity--and at what cost? This story grips readers early on, holding our attention until the
dramatic denouement, concluding with a teaser about a possible future BS book, FLAME.

For whatever reason, I felt the urge to reread my Black Stallion books, including The Black Stallion Mystery. Filled with the usual perils such as Alec almost getting killed by a wild bull in Spain to he and Henry dropped off in the middle of nowhere. Three yearlings sent to America catch the eyes of Henry and Alec and cause them to wonder if their sire was also the Black's dead sire. Their first destination is Spain with Angel Gonzalez as their host who then takes them by plane to desert country and flies off, leaving them behind. After a long journey they, with the Black's help, find their way to their new host and hostess, who turn out to be Abd-al-Rahman and his wife Tabari whom we had met in The Black Stallion Returns. As the story continues, Abd talks Alec into riding on the Black to find his sire, Ziyadah. After many fruitless nights' search, Alec is about to give up but his host talks him into going once more on his own, and that is when Alec sees the horse with a shimmering cloak of orange, blue and red fire. When he finally finds the horse itself, he finds the once-playful Tabari has grown to a woman wanting revenge for the death of her father, ben Ishak, by killing the Black. How tragic when her shot does not kill the Black, but Ziyadah. A book far removed from horse racing, we instead get another glimpse of desert life and an absorbing mystery. While I missed the usual horse races in the Black Stallion books, this was still full of mystery and adventure.

This is the kind of story that makes me admire Walter Farley. He figures out a way to get the Black and Alec back to Arabia, along with Henry, of course. Some things there are the same, but some have changed, and Alec's quest to discover whether the Black's sire is still alive leads to the springing of a trap. Very well done, and worth reading.

I read all of Walter Farley's books when I was a child, and my son is now reading them and loving them as much as I did. The Black Stallion Mystery starts a bit slower than the earlier books, but not so slowly that my almost 8-year-old got impatient with it. Farley's prose is vivid - cinematic, even - drawing in young readers with rich detailed descriptions of everything from exotic locations to the smells of sour grain. Farley's knowledge of horses and horsemanship remain unparalleled, as is the ease with which he holds a child's interest while discussing the differences in conformation between a racehorse and a dressage horse. I would give this book five stars instead of four if the end of the book hadn't had a bit of cultural and gender stereotyping in it. This is undoubtedly a function of the time in which Farley was writing and is likely to show up in many classic books, but I recommend discussing it with your kids.

I can't believe how exceptional and fabulous this book is!Written by the BEST horse author of the century, this book totally Rocks.Though some of his books after THe Black Stallion Returns lacked a certian flare, this one grips you and brings you into the book.The Mystery in this book is so strong, and wild dat you can't put it down! I encourage alot of peeps to read this book :]

This was one of my favorite Black Stallion books. The plot was very well written and it was nice to re-visit old characters from several books back. It was a page-turner and full of action and drama, with the ending being surprising but conclusive. I think this was the best of the later Black Stallion books. It is finely executed and sure to be another satisfying adventure for Black Stallion fans and any horse lover.

This book was great. The mystery in this book is so strong that it keeps you wanting to read more. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.