"The Black Pearl" By Scott O'Dell

When I was in my teens, I read and reread every Scott O'Dell book my local library had.  Which was not many, alas.  Oh, they had Island of the Blue Dolphins and Sing Down the Moon and Streams to the River, Rivers to the Sea.  Maybe Sarah Bishop, or maybe I got my own copy of that one, I forget.  But I am quite sure they didn't have The Black Pearl, because I have not read it before this.  

I'm happy to say that I do still really, truly enjoy O'Dell's storytelling.  He's a no-frills sort of writer who lays out his story cleanly and directly, and I always appreciate that.  The Black Pearl is about Ramon Salazar, a boy on the cusp of adulthood who works with his father in the family pearl business in Mexico.  His father buys pearls from pearl divers in their village, then resells them in the city.  Ramon yearns to learn to dive for pearls, but his father insists it's too dangerous.  One pearl diver mocks Ramon for this, and Ramon decides to prove his worth by diving in a secluded cave, sure he will find the great Pearl of Heaven there.  But the Pearl of Heaven is said to be guarded by a legendary beast.  Ramon must face his own fears, a potential enemy, and the legend, while he decides just how much the Pearl of Heaven is worth sacrificing.

If This was a Movie, I Would Rate It: PG for some scary scenes of peril, and some mild violence.