Gabriel's Horses

Gabriel, a young slave, dreams of becoming a famous jockey of his Master's horses. During one race, the current jockey's arm gets broken, and Gabriel gets to race for the first time. His hopes to become the official jockey, though, are crushed when his father enlists in the Union army to buy his mother's freedom. His father is quickly replaced with a new man, who doesn't mind using the whip-- either on the slaves or the horses. If that's not bad enough, there's also a new jockey from ireland, who's just as bad. When the notorious One Arm raids the farm, though, Gabriel gets a chance to finally prove himself. Though this book may not look entertaining from the cover, reading it will prove you wrong. This book is well-written, and easy to read. The characters were fun to read about, each with their own distinct personality. I learned much more about the civil war from Gabriel's point of view that I might not have learned somewhere else. I definitely didn't know very much about horses and their care, but now I know a bit more about them. The book was obviously researched very well, from the treatment of the slaves, to the Union army. One thing I didn't like was how quickly all of the horse races are. One of the more critical races only took up roughly a page or so. I would've liked more details then, because I didn't really get a sense of how an actual race would be like. The author made it seem almost easy. Mostly, though, I liked the book very much. It was fast paced, and fun through the whole book. You'll definitely put this book down with more knowing about the Civil war, and a new look on what it means to be truly free.

Hart's beautifully researched and written story illuminates a forgotten aspect of Black, Civil War, and horse history. Her exploration of the meaning of freedom is particularly thought provoking. Gabriel's humanity, courage, and intelligence make the fact that he was born a slave all the more poingnant. Susan Williams, Wind Rider, Harper Collins 2006

I am a social studies teacher in Florida and I'll admit it--I did not know anything about horse-racing during the Civil War. This book was very informative, fun to read, and well written. I applaud Ms. Hart for writing a book that middle school children can understand AND learn about history from! I couldn't put it down and found myself telling my classes about it. If you love horses, horse stories, history, or reading about the fight for freedom, you'll enjoy this book.

My daughter loves horses and oves this book. She is anxiously waiting for the second part of the trilogy. There are very few times that she finds a book she can not put down but this was a winner. I would love to find more books like this but for the 13-15 age group.

An exciting and moving story about a little known piece of American history, that of enslaved people - young as well as old - working as jockeys in Kentucky around the time of the Civil War. Schools and libraries would do well to get copies of this book, as the research, details, and storytelling are flawless. Young readers will find this book to have everything they hope for - real characters, interesting settings, and an adventure that refuses to be put down. It's great to know that this is to be a triology; there are two more novels to come!