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The Black Pearl
Old Salazar held the pearl to the light and tumed it around and around. He gave it to his son, who had found the pearl in the underwater cave of the lagoon."You have in your hand the Pearl of the Universe, the Paragon of Pearls, the Great Pearl of Heaven!" he said.
When the pearl merchants wouldn't meet his price, Blas Salazar presented the fabulous gem to the Madonna of the church of La Paz. "The House of Salazar shall be favored in heaven, now and forever, " he proudly proclaimed and firmly believed.
But there were others who believed a curse had surely been brought down upon Salazar and Son and their fleet, for the Manat Diablo, monster devilfish, would reclaim his treasure.
And it was young Ramon who would have to undo the evil he had begun.
When the pearl merchants wouldn't meet his price, Blas Salazar presented the fabulous gem to the Madonna of the church of La Paz. "The House of Salazar shall be favored in heaven, now and forever, " he proudly proclaimed and firmly believed.
But there were others who believed a curse had surely been brought down upon Salazar and Son and their fleet, for the Manat Diablo, monster devilfish, would reclaim his treasure.
And it was young Ramon who would have to undo the evil he had begun.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1967
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About the author
Scott O'Dell
82 books812 followersScott O'Dell was an American author celebrated for his historical fiction, especially novels for young readers. He is best known for Island of the Blue Dolphins, a classic that earned the Newbery Medal and has been translated into many languages and adapted for film. Over his career he wrote more than two dozen novels for young people, as well as works of nonfiction and adult fiction, often drawing on the history and landscapes of California and Mexico. His books, including The King’s Fifth, The Black Pearl, and Sing Down the Moon, earned him multiple Newbery Honors and a wide readership. O'Dell received numerous awards for his contribution to children’s literature, among them the Hans Christian Andersen Award and the Regina Medal. In 1984, he established the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction to encourage outstanding works in the genre.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 444 reviews
October 13, 2022
Although not as fascinating to me as Island of the Blue Dolphins or Sing Down the Moon, both by Scott O'Dell, it was still an interesting read! I never knew that this story is based on a Mexican legend!
After reading some reviews of this book after posting mine, I always find it disappointing when students are "forced" to read certain books by their teachers and then develop a hatred for some very fine literature. Allow your students to choose independently from a larger selection of quality literature, and you may find that they might actually like stories like this one!
After reading some reviews of this book after posting mine, I always find it disappointing when students are "forced" to read certain books by their teachers and then develop a hatred for some very fine literature. Allow your students to choose independently from a larger selection of quality literature, and you may find that they might actually like stories like this one!
July 12, 2009
this is the kind of book you dont even need a bookmark for, because it isnt going to take you more than one sitting to finish. i read it because i need to read 3 newbery or honor books i havent read before for class (why am i so honest??) and i love island of the blue dolphins more than most books, but have never read anything else by scott o'dell. i dont know how kiddies respond to it, but for me it was too brief to really grab me. the descriptions are still great, and its a fine story, but as an adult, i am more demanding. this would be good for kids who dont like reading but have to do a book report. its the shortest book ever!
March 17, 2009
This was probably a better book than I remember, but all I know is that when I got in trouble in 6th grade, my mom grounded me from reading "It" by Stephen King, and made me read this instead... So naturally, I'm bitter...
February 3, 2022
This was so incredibly boring. Black pearl this, Manta Diablo that. Yadda yadda yadda.
January 14, 2019
“And this, kids, is why we aren’t arrogant,” she said with an arrogant shrug
.
(Also the cover is incredibly whitewashed, just... why.)
.
(Also the cover is incredibly whitewashed, just... why.)
August 25, 2023
As I'm stumbling through the Newberry book list, I came across this one. I've read Scott O'Dell before and enjoyed their works. I even gave another book of theirs five stars. Though I liked this one, I'll admit it was slightly boring. Good writing and yet the story just wasn't quite there. A solid 3 ⭐.
September 16, 2011
WARNIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG! i might give to much info about this book was
really boring for me , a part of mexico called La Paz where a young boy name Ramon lives.
His father works under the water, his not a submarine, but he finds pearls under the sea.
beautiful pearls which he sells to the people. Ramon whishes that one day he would be just like his father . Ramon's dad could tell if a pearl was good enough to be sell by raising it up to the sun and weighting it. but first he needed to learn how to open the selfs. One day Ramon asked his dad to take him with him, his dad didnt reply him, he said that it could be dangeous , but Ramon wanted to so bad soo he reply him saying "the sea is calm today" , him dad stayed quiet & did not took him with him. One afternoon his dad told him that he was going to teach him how to search for pearls under the water Ramon got really excited. He started to learned how to determine if a pearls was either fragile or was in good conditions to be sell, he learned how to open the selfs ,he was becoming an expert. Until one day he found "The Black Pearl" .
really boring for me , a part of mexico called La Paz where a young boy name Ramon lives.
His father works under the water, his not a submarine, but he finds pearls under the sea.
beautiful pearls which he sells to the people. Ramon whishes that one day he would be just like his father . Ramon's dad could tell if a pearl was good enough to be sell by raising it up to the sun and weighting it. but first he needed to learn how to open the selfs. One day Ramon asked his dad to take him with him, his dad didnt reply him, he said that it could be dangeous , but Ramon wanted to so bad soo he reply him saying "the sea is calm today" , him dad stayed quiet & did not took him with him. One afternoon his dad told him that he was going to teach him how to search for pearls under the water Ramon got really excited. He started to learned how to determine if a pearls was either fragile or was in good conditions to be sell, he learned how to open the selfs ,he was becoming an expert. Until one day he found "The Black Pearl" .
June 9, 2007
i had to re-write a book report for this book in the 8th grade cuz the teacher new i didn't really read it after i first handed in the report. ha. turned out it wasn't that bad
December 4, 2012
When Ramon finds the perfect black pearl, he has no idea what he is about to get into. The black pearl supposedly belongs to the Manta Diablo, a giant manta ray who is apparently the legendary king of the seas. Ramon does not believe that such a creature even exists when he finds the pearl, but when crazy things begin to happen, Ramon begins to believe that maybe the manta diablo does exist after all...
This was a Newberry Honor book, but I personally do not see why it was awarded as such. The writing was good and the story was kind of interesting, but beyond that, there was no draw to this book for me. In fact, I kind of found it boring. Maybe it would be a great story for much younger readers than I, but I did not love this book. The characters were flat, the story line was nothing fantastic and the writing was good, but not superb. These are just my opinions of the book and maybe some people love the book, but I did not and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone over the age of....11.
This was a Newberry Honor book, but I personally do not see why it was awarded as such. The writing was good and the story was kind of interesting, but beyond that, there was no draw to this book for me. In fact, I kind of found it boring. Maybe it would be a great story for much younger readers than I, but I did not love this book. The characters were flat, the story line was nothing fantastic and the writing was good, but not superb. These are just my opinions of the book and maybe some people love the book, but I did not and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone over the age of....11.
August 27, 2013
The Black Pearl is a well-written coming of age story, even a bit of a page turner. The book grabbed my attention quickly and then held it by steadily tightening the stakes. Yet somehow I finished the book with a shrug. As with O'Dell's Sing Down the Moon, there's no pathos to the prose. You're incredibly close to the protagonist, but you're never really in his head. I did my best to fill in the blanks, especially after tragedy struck (as it always does in his books). Just think of this as an emotional DIY project while enjoying the story itself, which I found quite compelling.
December 7, 2025
4 1/2 stars
A more riveting yarn than Herman Melville and a tad more simplistic in story, but a really fun and quick read, regardless!
A more riveting yarn than Herman Melville and a tad more simplistic in story, but a really fun and quick read, regardless!
September 10, 2023
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. I can definitely see why he was a favorite of mine in my teens! I think he influenced my own writing more than I really realized.
This particular book is not exactly a new favorite for me, but I definitely enjoyed it!
This particular book is not exactly a new favorite for me, but I definitely enjoyed it!
July 16, 2022
Truly don’t understand how this is a Newberry Honor book. I just couldn’t get invested in anything about this story at all and so much of it seemed strange and disjointed. I’m not sure that it’s a story that kids would like either. It definitely has elements of adventure, but the climactic scenes fall flat. Also, I don’t read many middle grade books that have a 16 year old (who is “now a man,” according to his family/culture) as a main character. He reads younger, but it seems like a weird age for middle grade. I definitely would’ve DNF’d this one if it wasn’t so short.
November 15, 2022
This story earns 3 stars due to the setting and the environment created in the story. The story was not very good. There must have been such few children's stories to choose from to give Newbery awards to prior to the 1990s.
I found the way the natives were mentioned as problematic at best. I also found that a theme of the story was Christianity vs superstition and in the end it was found that Christianity is most important.
I found the way the natives were mentioned as problematic at best. I also found that a theme of the story was Christianity vs superstition and in the end it was found that Christianity is most important.
November 7, 2025
The story was simple, well crafted and interesting. The characters and world were intriguing and the thematic touch was perfectly in tune with the arc. A good read. Definitely reccomend.
August 15, 2012
The Black Pearl, by author Scott O'Dell, is a young readers novel about a young man living in a small fishing village near the Gulf of California who becomes obsessed with finding the world's greatest pearl.
Ramon Salazar works for his father at the family's pearl dealing business. He dreams of someday inheriting the business but knows he must first prove himself to his father in order to do so. On one of his father's diving trips a fellow diver, nicknamed the 'Sevillano', begins to run smack at Ramon about what a badass he is. Ramon decides he needs to prove himself to the Sevillano, and his father, that he is capable of finding a better pearl than the Sevillano has ever found. He searches out an old Indian pearl diver by the name of Soto Luzon to teach him better diving techniques. Ramon asks if he may search the old man's lagoon for pearls and says he will share the profits of any pearl he finds. Ramon begins to dive into an underwater cave that appears to have never been searched. One problem: the dark cave is home to a giant freak of a manta ray known as the 'Manta Diablo'. The old Indian warns Ramon that he should not take pearls from the Manta Diablo or he will be cursed and it will hunt him down to the end of his days and never give up until he has completely exacted Biblical type wrath upon him. You get the idea. So, of course, Ramon dives down and comes up with an amazing pearl that gets dubbed 'The Pearl of Heaven'. I think you can see the writing on the cave wall here. Ramon encounters a series of disasters that challenge him in every way, and other parties become interested in getting their hands on the pearl with deadly intent. Lesson learned: if an old wise Indian warns you to not dive into a deep dark cave and steal a giant pearl from a manta ray the size of a small country and who's named the freaking DEVIL MANTA, don't do it!
This was a solid, if unspectacular, book. It was a little light on character development, but had a decent plot. This would make a good book for a book club. It's short, quick to read and could be interpreted in different ways. I found some interesting symbolism and metaphors in the book and I think many people would enjoy this story and come up with their own conlusions about its message.
Ramon Salazar works for his father at the family's pearl dealing business. He dreams of someday inheriting the business but knows he must first prove himself to his father in order to do so. On one of his father's diving trips a fellow diver, nicknamed the 'Sevillano', begins to run smack at Ramon about what a badass he is. Ramon decides he needs to prove himself to the Sevillano, and his father, that he is capable of finding a better pearl than the Sevillano has ever found. He searches out an old Indian pearl diver by the name of Soto Luzon to teach him better diving techniques. Ramon asks if he may search the old man's lagoon for pearls and says he will share the profits of any pearl he finds. Ramon begins to dive into an underwater cave that appears to have never been searched. One problem: the dark cave is home to a giant freak of a manta ray known as the 'Manta Diablo'. The old Indian warns Ramon that he should not take pearls from the Manta Diablo or he will be cursed and it will hunt him down to the end of his days and never give up until he has completely exacted Biblical type wrath upon him. You get the idea. So, of course, Ramon dives down and comes up with an amazing pearl that gets dubbed 'The Pearl of Heaven'. I think you can see the writing on the cave wall here. Ramon encounters a series of disasters that challenge him in every way, and other parties become interested in getting their hands on the pearl with deadly intent. Lesson learned: if an old wise Indian warns you to not dive into a deep dark cave and steal a giant pearl from a manta ray the size of a small country and who's named the freaking DEVIL MANTA, don't do it!
This was a solid, if unspectacular, book. It was a little light on character development, but had a decent plot. This would make a good book for a book club. It's short, quick to read and could be interpreted in different ways. I found some interesting symbolism and metaphors in the book and I think many people would enjoy this story and come up with their own conlusions about its message.
September 12, 2017
I read this story shortly after reading "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck, and they're clearly based off of the same legend.
Ramón, desperate to prove that he is a man, learns the art of pearl diving in just a few days while his father is gone, hoping to find the great Pearl of Heaven while his father is away on his own pearl diving expedition. Meanwhile, the Indians in this town and many of the other characters make their superstition about the Manta Diablo very plain. Ramón makes his own dive, finds the great pearl, and brings it home to his father. His father, awed by the pearl (however, not seeming very impressed with Ramón for successfully diving and finding it) ultimately gives the pearl to the Madonna, the town's personal representation of Mary. He then goes on an expedition to find more pearls, and does at sea. Ramón steals the pearl intending to throw it back since he now believes that the Manta Diablo wants it back; however, he is kidnaped by his rival who wants to sell it and get rich.
Long story short, the rival and the Manta die, and Ramón takes the pearl back to the Madonna and somehow believes he is now a man.
So, there was a lot more excitement in this story than in Steinbeck's version. It definitely kept me interested! However, there wasn't much character development, and the motives that drove the seemed pretty flimsy. Moral of the story? Can't tell you. I'm not really sure.
Did I like this book? Yeah, it was a fun, quick read. Would I recommend it? Meh.
Ramón, desperate to prove that he is a man, learns the art of pearl diving in just a few days while his father is gone, hoping to find the great Pearl of Heaven while his father is away on his own pearl diving expedition. Meanwhile, the Indians in this town and many of the other characters make their superstition about the Manta Diablo very plain. Ramón makes his own dive, finds the great pearl, and brings it home to his father. His father, awed by the pearl (however, not seeming very impressed with Ramón for successfully diving and finding it) ultimately gives the pearl to the Madonna, the town's personal representation of Mary. He then goes on an expedition to find more pearls, and does at sea. Ramón steals the pearl intending to throw it back since he now believes that the Manta Diablo wants it back; however, he is kidnaped by his rival who wants to sell it and get rich.
Long story short, the rival and the Manta die, and Ramón takes the pearl back to the Madonna and somehow believes he is now a man.
So, there was a lot more excitement in this story than in Steinbeck's version. It definitely kept me interested! However, there wasn't much character development, and the motives that drove the seemed pretty flimsy. Moral of the story? Can't tell you. I'm not really sure.
Did I like this book? Yeah, it was a fun, quick read. Would I recommend it? Meh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2019
I enjoyed this authors books but this one I wasn’t that pleased. I did enjoy the book tho , I just got a little bored. It may be really small but boring, I was hoping to finish the book in about two days so I can begin I a new book I got but did not. When I first opened the book I was excited the front cover looked interesting and made me want to dive to the deep and find the black peal myself . After the first five chapters I got bored put down the book and opened a new book. After a week I wanted to go back and try again , not a mistake at all I enjoyed the last chapters and didn’t regret reading the book. Although if you don’t take your time and read it you will get confused and want to put down the book
One thing to say overall is this book is going to take a lot of concentration to read and put your whole attention into the words so that you can enjoy it as much as you hope to. Take your time in reading this book . When I try to finish it in a certain amount of days I was speeding on my words and I didn’t really enjoy it as much as I hoped too. I prefer this book to anyone it’s super interesting and fun it makes you feel like you’re on a Adventure with all the description.
One thing to say overall is this book is going to take a lot of concentration to read and put your whole attention into the words so that you can enjoy it as much as you hope to. Take your time in reading this book . When I try to finish it in a certain amount of days I was speeding on my words and I didn’t really enjoy it as much as I hoped too. I prefer this book to anyone it’s super interesting and fun it makes you feel like you’re on a Adventure with all the description.
June 22, 2009
When forced to read this book in 5th grade class with Ms. Seagull (I really have no recollection of how to really spell her name...), I HATED it. I wanted to throw it across the room everytime we had to take it out of our pile of books and read aloud. When forced to read it again in 8th grade, my teacher didn't believe me that I'd already read it, and I had to prove it. I've since read it a third time, and did actually understand why it's considered an honorable book; however, the original damage of forcing a child to read something they truly hate (when they so love reading EVERYTHING else) was already done and I just can't get over it enough to give it the higher rating of more stars that the actual writing deserves.
November 27, 2013
The book is short, yes, but it's the perfect length for this. If it had been longer, this book would have been boring and may feel like forced. If it had been shorter, it would seem incomplete.
This is my second Scott O'Dell and you could see the similarities of the settings of this book and Island of the Blue Dolphins and probably his other novels, which I'd read if I got the chance. It's a two and a half hour read and it's cute. The thing I would change about it is the font or the book format itself.
This is my second Scott O'Dell and you could see the similarities of the settings of this book and Island of the Blue Dolphins and probably his other novels, which I'd read if I got the chance. It's a two and a half hour read and it's cute. The thing I would change about it is the font or the book format itself.
May 17, 2012
It was kinda boring at first.The only reason I kept reading was because I was being paid to but I'm glad I kept reading!
December 1, 2021
Holy smokes! This is not what I expected!! 4.33 stars. Possibly closer to 5, still debating!
PT: RAtW: La Paz (and surrounding areas)
WIL
1) SCOTT O'DELL? I don't know how it happened exactly, but somehow while I was reading this I totally forgot Scott O'Dell was the author. Was pleasantly surprised about halfway through when I checked the author's name again! SCOTT, YOU'RE AWESOME, MAN. He has the *range.*
Between Island of the Blue Dolphins (1960) and this, O'Dell is quickly climbing the ranks to becoming one of my favorite authors again. He's got an almost Vernian style, but instead of sci-fi, his primary genre is like,, anthropological historical fiction. INCREDIBLE.
2) Historical fiction, meet fantasy. Or rather, folklore I suppose. STILL THOUGH. The intersection of historical fiction narrative with folklore that's been (re)vitalized into a human story? That's amazing. That's very DISNEY actually. O'Dell really gets genius loci and he weaves it into the text so SEAMLESSLY.
3) For students. The symbols + themes + characters here are not hard to grasp or relate to. Most of them are pretty surface level, with a few slightly subsurface themes. This, incidentally, makes this a particularly noteworthy/valuable read for teachers introducing students to literature structures. Which is SO COOL. It's an all-around fantastic school choice because 1) geography/reading around the world genius loci stuff, 2) intro to literature concepts 3) clear language with the occasional new vocab word 4) compelling narrative/chapter cliffhangers. This is a paragon of children's literature honestly.
WIDL
1) Over and done. I think this narrative will stick around with me for a while, but it doesn't resonate enough to earn it the five-star rating. I read it, and I'm glad to have done so, but it's not quite up there with the rest of the 5 stars.
NEUTRAL GROUND
1) O'Dell is amazing, wonderful, awesome. I think I've thoroughly established this now, but just in case you missed it? O'DELL IS AMAZING, WONDERFUL, AWESOME.
2) It's hardly fair of me to compare this to the obviously incomparable Island of the Blue Dolphins, but here I go anyway:
SIMILARITIES
a) writing style consistency. Granted, it's been a while since I've read IotBD, but from what I do remember, O'Dell's got a very distinct and characteristic writing style that continues through into this story as well (The Black Pearl publication date: 1967). That's just a delightful trait in children's stories that is sometimes less reliable in young adult/general content reads.
b) geographically based. heck yea!!! HECK YEA! Love that!!! Both TBP and IotBD are HEAVILY tethered to their respective geographic locations (in narrative, character culture, etc.), and that's EXACTLY what I look for in RAtW books! AWESOME! This has revived me for more Reading Around the World books.
DIFFERENCES
a) just,, TBP wasn't quite on the same level as IotBD for me. Blue Dolphins had so much heart, and TBP did have some heart, but just not nearly as much.
PT: RAtW: La Paz (and surrounding areas)
WIL
1) SCOTT O'DELL? I don't know how it happened exactly, but somehow while I was reading this I totally forgot Scott O'Dell was the author. Was pleasantly surprised about halfway through when I checked the author's name again! SCOTT, YOU'RE AWESOME, MAN. He has the *range.*
Between Island of the Blue Dolphins (1960) and this, O'Dell is quickly climbing the ranks to becoming one of my favorite authors again. He's got an almost Vernian style, but instead of sci-fi, his primary genre is like,, anthropological historical fiction. INCREDIBLE.
2) Historical fiction, meet fantasy. Or rather, folklore I suppose. STILL THOUGH. The intersection of historical fiction narrative with folklore that's been (re)vitalized into a human story? That's amazing. That's very DISNEY actually. O'Dell really gets genius loci and he weaves it into the text so SEAMLESSLY.
3) For students. The symbols + themes + characters here are not hard to grasp or relate to. Most of them are pretty surface level, with a few slightly subsurface themes. This, incidentally, makes this a particularly noteworthy/valuable read for teachers introducing students to literature structures. Which is SO COOL. It's an all-around fantastic school choice because 1) geography/reading around the world genius loci stuff, 2) intro to literature concepts 3) clear language with the occasional new vocab word 4) compelling narrative/chapter cliffhangers. This is a paragon of children's literature honestly.
WIDL
1) Over and done. I think this narrative will stick around with me for a while, but it doesn't resonate enough to earn it the five-star rating. I read it, and I'm glad to have done so, but it's not quite up there with the rest of the 5 stars.
NEUTRAL GROUND
1) O'Dell is amazing, wonderful, awesome. I think I've thoroughly established this now, but just in case you missed it? O'DELL IS AMAZING, WONDERFUL, AWESOME.
2) It's hardly fair of me to compare this to the obviously incomparable Island of the Blue Dolphins, but here I go anyway:
SIMILARITIES
a) writing style consistency. Granted, it's been a while since I've read IotBD, but from what I do remember, O'Dell's got a very distinct and characteristic writing style that continues through into this story as well (The Black Pearl publication date: 1967). That's just a delightful trait in children's stories that is sometimes less reliable in young adult/general content reads.
b) geographically based. heck yea!!! HECK YEA! Love that!!! Both TBP and IotBD are HEAVILY tethered to their respective geographic locations (in narrative, character culture, etc.), and that's EXACTLY what I look for in RAtW books! AWESOME! This has revived me for more Reading Around the World books.
DIFFERENCES
a) just,, TBP wasn't quite on the same level as IotBD for me. Blue Dolphins had so much heart, and TBP did have some heart, but just not nearly as much.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2020
I had to read this in middle school, I believe. At the time I didn’t really get into it. Of course I didn’t get into many books back then. I was extremely picky, and this, among many of the books selected for us in school, was not for me.
But it was in the book sale room at the library, and it looked incredibly short. I’m always down for a single-sitting read, so I grabbed it.
It started a bit dry, but around page 20 the pace picks up and I burned through the rest. It has a nice subtle mythos, and we see local mythology at odds with judeo-christian mythology here. I wasn’t a fan of how that panned out in the very end though.
And I guess that is my only issue with the book. It ended far too quickly, left me wanting more. Not necessarily a bad thing.
I could also see how this book might be less interesting to women as well. It is very reliant on tropes of male narrative. Father-som dynamic, becoming a man. Shit like that. Resonates with me though, so 👍🏽
I’m glad I picked it up and actually read the damned thing.
I don’t think I can give Goodbye Mr Chips another try though. Think I might leave that one back in middle school.
But it was in the book sale room at the library, and it looked incredibly short. I’m always down for a single-sitting read, so I grabbed it.
It started a bit dry, but around page 20 the pace picks up and I burned through the rest. It has a nice subtle mythos, and we see local mythology at odds with judeo-christian mythology here. I wasn’t a fan of how that panned out in the very end though.
And I guess that is my only issue with the book. It ended far too quickly, left me wanting more. Not necessarily a bad thing.
I could also see how this book might be less interesting to women as well. It is very reliant on tropes of male narrative. Father-som dynamic, becoming a man. Shit like that. Resonates with me though, so 👍🏽
I’m glad I picked it up and actually read the damned thing.
I don’t think I can give Goodbye Mr Chips another try though. Think I might leave that one back in middle school.
October 13, 2017
The black pearl is about a boy who only wants to discover the great famous pearl in the big blue seas of Baja California. What he doesn't know is that it might be dangerous. He wishes to follow his father's footsteps and become someone who finds these pearls and deal the with others. What i think about this book so far is that it follows a boy who only wants an adventure based on curiosity. I like how he believe's that he wants to prove others wrong among the big and bad Manta Diablo but it comes with its consequences.
November 26, 2017
I just can't really assign books that have few to zero women and girls in them, it's a false look at a society that doesn't exist for boys, and relegates girls to a footnote or supporting role. I found this to be Hemingwayesque in its omission of women, except for, literally, just the Madonna figure throughout. Gahhh.
December 2, 2023
Maybe more like 2.5. I was frustrated how on a first dive out- this kid finds one of the biggest and most precious pearls ever? If you view it toward more of legend story rather than historical fiction, which I thought this was before I read it, a reader might enjoy it. I don’t really like when superstition melds with Christianity. Disappointed after liking Island of the Blue Dolphins so much and this one being a Newbery Honor. I had high expectations.
December 24, 2024
I find Scott O'Dell's writing to be particularly vivid and his descriptions really do keep to the mythologizing of ordinary events that take the boy Ramón by turns terrifying and thrilling as he enters into a transitional period of his life, from young boy to young man. I did enjoy some of the lessons laid out, following a simple hero's journey format, in seeing how he responded like a teen trying to prove himself to the braggart Sevillano who purposely tried to force him to act rashly. His recklessness led to a strange conclusion to the story that I don't fully agree with. Ramón tries to make amends for his theft off the Pearl from the lair of the Manta Diablo. His personal foe is taken down, and instead he is allowed to keep the pearl as a gift from the sea and returns it to the Madonna's hands. I think the pearl should have been returned to the sea, but that wasn't my call. I preferred Island of the Blue Dolphins over this story, and felt like it was lacking in a satisfying conclusion. I don't think I fully agreed with the ending for the Sevillano either. It didn't quite satisfy me as I expected it to, but I really did enjoy O'Dell's prose and descriptions, helping to keep me engaged with the story enough to finish it.
August 20, 2018
Such a sobering and austere book is a challenge to love. That being said, it is well written and one can draw many points out for examination and conversation.
It would be a good choice for a Grade 8 or 9 literature study.
It would be a good choice for a Grade 8 or 9 literature study.
January 15, 2023
Reading this to my son and he doesn’t want me to stop. Like any O’Dell book, it’s truly an adventure
February 26, 2025
Van audiobook with the kids
The narrator was 💯 with the Spanish accents!
Possibly same narrator as Nate The Great?
The narrator was 💯 with the Spanish accents!
Possibly same narrator as Nate The Great?
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