Reviews for The Island Stallion (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition)

The average rating for The Island Stallion (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2009-07-30 00:00:00 Joanna Stewart Okay, it's a little embarrassing that I'm even reviewing this. Like I said earlier, the bar exam made me mentally and emotionally regress to about 2nd-grade level, and I couldn't resist re-reading this installment in the Black Stallion series that I picked up for $2. These books were seriously my absolute favorites when I was a kid. I have to say, though, maybe I should stop re-reading these old classics because they're, well, they're just not as good as you remember. Like, seriously. This one I used to love because not only is there the boy-horse love story that exists in all of Walter Farley's novels, but there's also a mysterious lost island and buried treasure and even a map (oh, how I love books with maps). But it's kind of totally cheesy, and the main character's single-minded obsession with possessing this wild horse he finds verges on creepy. Maybe it didn't seem so creepy in 1948 or whenever this was written. Good times, though. And now that the bar is over I can return to reading grown-up books (although I can't promise I won't return to other childhood faves that I stumble across in used bookstores).

Review # 2 was written on 2012-02-03 00:00:00 Anthony Merlo This has been one of my favorite books, and though it's hard to call it, I might just like Flame better than I like the Black. Well, after all, this has a whole lost island, a lost civilization as well. That's what makes me love this story - the combination of history and horses. I love how Steve grows up in the course of this book, becoming a man capable of making the hard decisions. I'm not sure I'd have the strength to do the things he does. The bond he shares with Flame is something I've longed for my entire life and still feel when I re-read this book for probably the 20th time. While this series DOES go a bit crazy / science fiction down the road, it's never stopped me from loving this book. This story, the story of how Steve finds Flame is beautiful and brilliant all by itself.