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Title: The Black Pearl
Series: ———-
Author: Scott O’Dell
Rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Genre: MG Historical Fiction
Pages: 96
Format: Paperback Edition
| Synopsis: |
A young man, Ramon Salazar, recently turned 16 is made a partner in his father’s pearl business. He learns to grade and buy and sell the pearls the small fleet his father owns brings in each trip. However, what he really wants is to go diving with the fleet. His father allows him to come out with the fleet but only as a handler, not a diver.
The best pearl diver in the fleet is jealous of the opportunities that Ramon has and constantly needles him about not being a diver. This “Sevillano” claims to come from Spain and spins stories of all the exploits he has done. Eventually, it gets to Ramon and when the fleet makes a week long trip, he heads out to an Indian diver and begs him to teach him. Ramon learns how to be a diver and is shown a cave where Manta Diablo supposedly lives. The Indian tells him to not dive in the cave, as Manta Diablo will come after anyone who takes something from him.
Ramon can’t resist the lure and gets a huge clam which gives up a huge perfect “black” pearl. The Indian warns him that he is now cursed by Manta Diablo. Ramon heads home and gives the pearl to his father to show that he is a great diver, and to get back at the Sevillano for all his jibes. The father haggles with the local merchants and in a fit of pique at their stinginess, gives the pearl to the local Roman Catholic Church.
The next week the fleet is destroyed by a huge storm and only the Sevillano survives. This convinces Ramon that the pearl is indeed cursed and he steals it back from the church to take back to Manta Diablo’s cave. The Sevillano catches him and forces him to go to Mexico City where they can sell it for a huge fortune.
On their way, they are overtaken by a huge manta ray. After several incidents, the Sevillano harpoons the manta and eventually jumps on it to knife it to death. A rope wraps around him and he and the manta plunge into the depths never to be seen again. Ramon rows back to his village, returns the pearl to the church and realizes that he has grown up.
| My Thoughts: |
I had read and bought this back in elementary school at a book fair I believe. I enjoyed it a lot as a kid so I was kind of hesitant to dive into again and potentially ruin it. Kind of like how I got fed up with Lucky Starr by the end of the series. Some childrens books just aren’t meant for adults. However, since it was only 96 pages I figured I could pitch on in and rip through it at lunch times. Which is what I did.
What a great book!
This is the kind of adventure story that can capture the imagination of a young boy. O’Dell knows how to write for a youthful audience without churning out simplistic slop. Ramon deals with some huge issues and O’Dell gently guides the reader along that journey and makes a youngster think about what might change in their life and how would they respond? I love, Love, LOVE the fact that at no point is Ramon an angst-ridden whiny baby. O’Dell doesn’t buy into the lie that young people have to be coddled and that anything “tough” will destroy them. He shows that THROUGH adversity is how a man is forged. Phrack, it is refreshing to see that in a middle grade book.
Keeping in mind the target audience, I loved this story. O’Dell writes a character that inspires the reader instead of pandering to them. It is no wonder that O’Dell won so many awards and honorable mentions back in his heyday.
First 5star review of the year. While probably not a real contender for best book of the year, I think that a 96 page story about a 16 year old young man that can inspire a 40 year old like this deserves some attention. Ramon’s quiet fortitude and steady action is what is needed in more books today.
★★★★★
Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road 
Weird, I haven’t heard of this book but it seems to be one of those typical ones you find at Scholastic book fairs. I’ve read Scott O’Dell’s other book–Island of the Blue Dolphins (or something along those lines).
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Yes, this is/was definitely a mainstay of the scholastic book fairs 🙂
If you liked Island of the Blue Dolphin, you’d probably enjoy this too. His style remains the same across the books he writes. Not a bad thing for middle graders.
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Sounds pretty good. 🙂
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It was a very good read and was the perfect ending to a great month of January. I was thinking about squeezing it in to January but figured instead of posting twice in 1 one day, just put this review off for a day.
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I was very concerned when I saw a 5-star review for “The Black Pearl” show up on my notifications for your site. I thought I would have to disown you/burn down your city/sow it with salt because you actually liked a John Steinbeck novel.
Then I actually read the review, and realized it wasn’t Steinbeck’s horrible book. My faith in your good taste is restored.
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So Steinbeck wrote a novel about a pearl?
…..
I just googled it and check out the wiki page. What a HORRIBLE novel. Of course, coming from Steinbeck, why am I surprised?
Glad you didn’t have to disown me 😉
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I, too, was very concerned about the Steinbeck book before I realized that this was a different book. Similar premise, interestingly, but this one sounds much better.
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Now I’m wondering if O’Dell was influenced by Steinbeck. Blahhhhhhhh….
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If so, O’Dell did it better. So no worries there.
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Wow, that sounds awesome! That’s the kind of stuff English teachers should assign to their students, if they want people to read after they finish school.
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I concur. Do they even do assigned reading any more in public schools though? Might be discriminatory against the writers they don’t choose 😉
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I remember loving this. I should probably track down a copy (might have one in the garage, come to think of it)
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Has definitely held up to me growing up, that is for sure. It also helped that it wasn’t a big time commitment.
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No doubt. 40 minutes?
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For me, it was closer to 60-90 minutes, but that spread out over lunches. I’d guess just a bit over an hour uninterrupted.
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I loved this when I read it in elementary school too! But I couldn’t tell you anything I remember about it, it’s been so long. The movie adaptation has made more of an impression on my mind.
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I did not know they made a movie out of it. I guess that would explain some of the more modern covers I saw, ie, Dashing Lad in a Row Boat.
Before I make too much fun of something I haven’t seen, how WAS the movie?
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I watched it a long long time ago. But there was a scene of said dashing lad that stayed with me, of him scraping away sand in the shell to reveal the black pearl in his hand. I thought it captured the wonder of it so well. Anyway, I checked and this movie was apparently made in 1977 so it’s been around a while but I guess not well known. I probably watched it in the 80s and I was really young so I can’t remember much.
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Huh, that is really interesting. I’ll have to see if my local library has an old copy, doubtful, but definitely worth a try.
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Oooo, I was so glad to read your review. I’ve been eyeing this book for so long and now I know I can jump in without worrying if I’ll be wasting my time.
“Simplistic slop” …. nice terminology. I think I’ll use it sometime. 😉
I love the angst-free classic children’s books. So refreshing!
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This would fit wonderfully into at least one of those challenges you are doing.
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I’ve never heard of this book before, and here Bookstooge gives it 5 stars! 🙂 Need to find it in my library 🙂
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Scott O’Dell was a great children’s author. I’m not sure how he did it, but he wrote that line of making things not complicated for the children but not making it just mush.
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This definitely sounds like a great adventure story and I’d like to check it out 😀
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And at 96 pages, no more than 90min some saturday….
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I’m always hesitant to pick up books I liked as a kid for fear I’ll hate it as an adult. Glad this one stood the test of time!
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Yep, me too. It doesn’t always end well, that is for sure. My little sidetrip with the 3 Investigators showed that plainly enough.
But quality writing will tell…
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This sounds like the perfect title for the moments when I’m in a mood for some historical fiction… Thanks for sharing! 🙂
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And it so nice and short that it really won’t interfere with anything else.
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Sounds like a book i should try out. Was this the book that inspired what is the best known ship in the pirates of the caribean series? How have i missed all these great books?!
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I’m pretty sure that this book and the ship in the movies don’t have anything to do with each other. Of course, I “could” be wrong and someone in the movie was a huge fan of this book 😀
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For a second I thought this was going to be some sort of retelling of Moby Dick but I’m glad to see it isn’t and actually gives us a solid and inspiring story!
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Middle grade, but still a solid story. Glad I re-read it 🙂
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