Alec Ramsay is on his way home to the USA from spending the summer with his uncle overseas when a storm strikes the ship he's on. Only he and an untamed black Arabian stallion survive the shipwreck. They both wash up on a deserted island, where they survive on seaweed and fish and form an unbreakable bond. Eventually, they get rescued, and Alec takes The Black back home to the NYC suburbs. He boards The Black at a stable near his house. The stable is owned by a former jockey who recognizes The Black's racing potential. He trains both Alec and the stallion, and they enter a race against the two fastest horses in the country.
As an adult, I can see a few flaws in this book. Alec happens to have learned about edible seaweed the year before in school, so he knows he and The Black can eat what he finds. Their neighbor happens to be a former jockey. Alec's mom happens to take a trip to Chicago around the same time as the race, and happens to get tickets and be in the stands.
You know what, though? None of that ruins the book for me. It's still a rousingly good yarn of overcoming steep odds, trusting your friends, and using your skills and talents to the utmost. I still love it.
If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG for a few scary parts when the ship sinks and when there's a big fire.
This is my second book read for #MiddleGradeMarch in 2023.
As a kid, this was one of my favorite books. I read most of the series and thought Alec was just great. Totally agree about the flaws! However, I feel like this should be a book everyone reads at least once in their life; it has so many valuable lessons. The movie is fantastic as well!
ReplyDeleteAnna, awww, I love that you loved this book too! I only saw the movie once, but I read the book over and over and over and over. Alec IS great! And it definitely has great themes of doing your best, not giving up, and being kind to others.
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