Gabriel, a twelve-year-old recently freed slave and talented jockey, is burning up the horse track―and stacking up wins for his former master, Mister Giles. When Mister Giles asks him to ride Aristo, a powerful but unpredictable horse, in the prestigious Saratoga Chase, Gabriel jumps at the chance to compete against some of the greatest jockeys in the business. But as he begins the journey to Saratoga, he finds that high-stakes horse racing can be a nasty business as he works to keep Aristo safe and fend off horse poachers and jealous jockeys. Gabriel also learns the difficult lesson that being freed is not the same as being free. More than ever, Gabriel misses his father, who is fighting with the Union Army. Who else can he trust? In the second book of the Racing to Freedom trilogy, Alison Hart continues to explore the complex relationships of the Civil War. The result is a gripping story that vividly brings to life the danger and drama of a time when war and issues of race and freedom divided the country. Background historical material and photos are included.
A Virginia author of over twenty mysteries and historical fiction novels for children and teens, loves “writing books that keep young readers glued to the pages.” At the age of seven she wrote, illustrated and self-published The Wild Dog, a book which she shows to readers to make the point that it is never too early to be an author.
We have loved this series. It has added to our discussion on race in America and the complexity of freedom. It's also a great boy's adventure, which isn't always easy to find.
The Book Gabriel's Triumph is a historical fiction book written by Alison Hart. It takes place in the year 1864 where 12 year old Gabriel was recently freed from slavery. With his love for horse races he works on winning races for his master Mister Giles. Eventually, he is tasked by Mister Giles to ride a strong horse, Aristo over to Saratoga. However during the journey he finds out that being freed is different from being free. Story aside, right off the bat before you start the story is a list of characters in the book and what their role is. This can be helpful to many readers who have gone on a hiatus and are unfamiliar with the story coming back to it. The only problem is that it could potentially spoil characters who have not been introduced. Overall it’s a great way to keep readers on track with the story even if it can lead to spoilers. Unlike other reviews we are not going to be going to in depth with the story since the end is what I really want to focus on. The book itself is very short considering its 150 pages. However when you finish the book, it has a history behind the book section that talks about real life events compared to the book. This could be helpful in some ways as in my history class we are reading a historical fiction book of our choice and she wants us to compare it to real life. In short this means it's going to be easy comparing the book to real life. Overall Gabriel’s Triumph is a fine book, I myself am not a fan of Historical fiction and its very short. If you can bare through with those two gripes, I would recommend it.
I have travelled many of the roads mentioned about Kentucky in this book. I have also seen the Horses and been to ChurchHill Downs, Louisville, Keeneland, Lexington, and the Georgetown Horse Musuem in Georgetown, KY. I have also reenacted against many CSA Units while in KY. Camp Nelson, I have had the honor of meeting the African-American Cannon Crews from this place and been there for a living history. WOW! I miss Kentucky!!! However What great memories.
This is the second book. It was even better than the first. Gabriel gets his chance to win horse race with a great horse. Get it and see if he makes it.
In this awesome book, Gabriel has just won his second race in Lexington, Kentucky, except this time he rides Captain Conrad, or Captain. After the race, Mister Giles, Gabriel's former master and owner of Captain recieves a telegram that his wife's already precarious medical state has declined and decides to return to the farm immediately, leaving Gabriel, Jase (one of the stable hands), and Renny (the carriage driver), to make the journey back themselves. Gabriel and Jase immediately run into trouble in the morning. Renny left them during the night, so they have to make the journey back by themselves, both on Captain Conrad's back. Just before they get back to Woodville, they run into more trouble. Riders are blocking the road in front and in back. It turns out to be one of the men in town who saw Mister Giles pay Gabriel for winning the race, and he wants the money. Fortunately, Gariel had seen what money had done to Renny, and how he would stumble off to poker games during the night with pockets full of money, and return with them empty, so Gabriel asks Mister Giles to hang on to it until they get back to the farm. The man konks him on the head with his pistol butt, and then searches his clothes. Finding nothing, they ride off, but with Captain Conrad! When they return to Woodville, Mister Giles posts a reward for the lost horse. The next time they go to Lexington, Gabriel will be riding Aristo. Things get worse, though before he leaves. Mrs. Giles dies, and Gabriel's mom announces that she will be going to Camp Nelson. After telling Mister Giles about Captain, Mister Giles keeps saying that he has big plans for him. What will these big plans be? Will they ever find Captain? Read this awesome book and find out for yourself!
Gabriel's Triumph This book is about a freed slave boy that rides to triumph on Mr. Giles' horses. His father is at Camp Nelson training to be a soldier and fight for freedom. Gabriel and Mr. Giles go to Saratoga, New York with one of his horses, Aristo. Gabriel races against some of the biggest titles. He soon finds out that even in the north whites and black aren't treated the same.
Most of this book is amazing. The book is well put together and not just a bunch of sentences formed into a story. It explains the setting perfectly. When I read this book I felt like I was riding side by side with Gabriel. The one thing I wish was different about this book is how the slaves talk. I understand that they have a slang, but some of them had too much of a slang. At some points I couldn't quite understand what they were saying, or even what they were talking about.
All and all this book is fantastic! I would recommend this book too horse lovers, or even someone who likes races, or maybe even someone who likes adventures.
The book is a good book. The book is about Gabriel and him winning races. When he is doing farm chores his master comes with grate news Gabriel gets to go to the race. He was so excited to go to the race. By the time they got there they got ready for the race. Then that night the barn caught on fire. All of the horses where frightened by the smoke. Gabriel got his horse and made it out of the barn. Everything was a disaster. So the next day the race came and Gabriel won.
The reason that I like this book is that the book has racing and horses..
The reason that other people should read this book is because the book has a lot of detail and gives me lots of pictures in my mind.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
At first I worried that I wouldn't get into this book because I'm not a horse lover. Then I connected with the character of Gabriel and got totally involved. You don't need to be a horse lover to enjoy this book. I liked the way the ending left room for another book while still providing a satisfying conclusion. I also liked the author's historical notes from the Civil War era.