The Black Pearl

On the surface this is a story set in Baja, Mexico, about a pearl diving family. The reader learns much about this industry and the religion and superstition so prevelant among the natives there. However, the greed that overcomes many of the characters and the consequences of their greed, can happen anywhere. Those who lust for fortune often pay the price. In The Black Pearl the reader must decide whether the Manta Diablo is real, or a superstition. A must-read for grades 4 through 8 (although many adults will appreciate and enjoy this story).

The Black Pearl is about 16 year old Ramon wanting to dive when he was young. Finally he is 16, but is father will not let him dive becuase it is too dangerous. Then one day an old man brings Ramon to his beach. This was his first time diving. Then after a few dives Ramon dicides to dive for The Great Pearl of Heaven. When he gets a hold of it bad things start to happen... This book was very exciting because it was the only book like this I have ever read. They have thrilling sea monsters that will attack Ramon later in the story when he take The Great Pearl of Heaven. For these events I rate this book 5 stars. I recammend this book for 11 and older beacuase it is confusing at times.

Ramon found the fabulous Pearl of Heaven, but all it earned him was powerful enemies: one human, the other the notorious monster devilfish, The Manta Diablo, which guarded those waters. The story elements, rythmic writing, and the gravity of tone induce comparison to classic myth.

This book was a wonderful quick read. It is a story about Ramon, a young pearl hunter. This book was wonderful and very interesting. It was refreshing to find a young adult book without a lot of sex and violence. I would recommend this book for any reader.

I am a university student from CA, and read this book as part of a Children's Literature course. As a future teacher, I can see the value that this book holds and its influence over the reader. As you can see from the negative comments made by the young readers, O'dell did a fantastic job of making the main character believable and real. So real that they hated the book because of the foolish actions of Ramon! Not only does the author teach the valuable lesson of the dangers of greed, but also the value in listening to the advice of elders and learning to work for yourself (as opposed to living for pleasing a parent, which is part of Ramon's downfall). The setting and environment exposes young readers to an entirely different way of life, which is good for cultural enrichment. By reading some of the negative and ignorant comments, it seems like some of our young readers could use some exposure to the differences that there are in our world's societies and belief systems. This book is a definite recommendation to read, but it is important to point out to children who don't exactly identify with Ramon's stupidity that it may actually be part of the "moral." Just my two cents.