The Magical Adventures of Pretty Pearl

Virginia Hamilton takes her readers on an adventure-filled ride in The Magical Adventures of Pretty Pearl. This book was quite enjoyable because of the mix of fantastic, mythological, and historical content. My imagination was immediately captured by Pretty Pearl's "voice" in black dialect as she described her wonderful life as a god-child. The story begins when she comes down from Mount Highness in Africa to live among the humans and use the four special spirits given to her by her brother, John de Conquer, to help mankind. She witnesses the trials of the American slaves, tries to combat Hunger, and lives in Promise, a hidden place for Native Americans and escaped slaves. Younger readers will like Pearl's willingness to try to fix "adult things" and older readers will enjoy recognizing Hamilton's frequent distribution of historical figures throughout the story. We can all find something to identify with in this story because it emphasizes that though we may all look different, we are still the same in our needs and beliefs. The ending of the story surprised me and left me with a great respect for Hamilton's storytelling skills. I strongly recommend this book.