New! You can buy several of the books from Amazon.co.uk now. Just click on the links to go there
Images from The Horse Gallery
This is a series of books about a boy called Alec Ramsay and his horse, The Black, who he lived with when they were both shipwrecked. They then begin a horse racing career. The other characters in the books are:
Henry their trainer; Abu Ja Kub ben Ishak, The Black's former owner; Alec's mother and father.
Books in the series:
The Black Stallion-Alec and the Black meet when they are shipwrecked on an island.
The Black Stallion Returns-The Black is stolen, and Alec and Henry follow him to Arabia.
The Son of the Black Stallion-The Black's son, Satan, is sent to Alec.
The Black Stallion and Satan- The Black is sent back to Alec because he has killed Abu ben Ishak. Everyone waits to see which of the two horses, Satan and The Black, is the faster.
The Black Stallion's Filly- Alec and Henry buy a filly sired by The Black and train her to race.
The Black Stallion Revolts- The Black and Alec are involved in a plane crash.
The Black Stallion's Ghost- Alec and The Black stay with a mysterious person when the weather becomes stormy.
Black Stallion's Courage- The Black is brought out of retirement, but has he lost his speed, or will he still beat his rivals?
The Black Stallion Mystery- The Black, Henry and Alec travel to Arabia to stay with Abu ben Ishak's daughter.
*The Black Stallion and Flame- The Black falls overboard off a ship. He ends up on a desert island where he meets a stallion called Flame.
The Black Stallion's Challenge- A boy asks Alec for help getting into racing. Alec agrees, but when he sees the boy's stallion, Flame, he knows that this horse is a rival for The Black.(Yes, this is the same Flame from the previous book)
**The Black Stallion and the Stranger-Alec falls in love with a girl, Pam who is a jockey, and also works at his farm. Alec shows his love for her by letting her race The Black.
The Black Stallion Legend- Pam goes to Europe but a few weeks later Alec reads of her death in a newspaper. He leaves with The Black and they go to the desert.
***The Young Black Stallion- This takes place while Alec is still in the desert. He wonders what happened in The Black's life before he met him. He falls into a vivid dream of what did happen.
Notes:
*Flame starred in his own series of books, called the Island Stallion books.
**This was also called 'The Black Stallion and the Girl.
***This book was written by W Farley's son, Stephen as well. There are no more books after this.
My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara
This is a novel set on an American horse ranch, and centres around the Mclaughlin family who own it. It is a coming -of-age story, about how a young boy, Ken, learns about responsibility and death, and rebuilds his relationship with his father, through his mare, Flicka. The book is very well written, and realistic, especially the way in which the author shows the many relationships within the family.
Read the synopsis here
The son of Flicka, Thunderhead, is born, but dissapointment for Ken follows when the foal turns out to be a throwback to a wild mustang. Ken had hoped Thunderhead would eventually be a racer, but his hopes are crushed when he realises his horse hates him, and only wants to run free. After a failed attempt at racing, Thunderhead finally is rewarded with freedom, and the true life of a wild horse.
Read the Synopsis Here
An incident involving a missing filly, Jewel, who is stolen by a wild stallion reveals that Thunderhead is on the loose. Ken's eagerness to be reunited with his horse, and to capture the filly, in heightened by the appearance of Carey, Jewel's owner. He and Carey soon begin to fall in love, but this is seemingly made impossible, as Carey's grandmother does not approve, and wields surprising power over Carey. Eventually, Thunderhead and Jewel are rounded up, and Ken's dreams come true as Thunderhead finally becomes agreeable to racing, and Carey breaks free from her grandmother's hold.
Read the synopsis here
