Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Book Review - The Further Adventures of Blackjack


The Further Adventures of Blackjack: The Champion Morgan Horse

By: Ellen F. Feld
Publisher: Willow Bend Publishing
Publishing Date: September 2012
ISBN: 978-0-9831138-5-0
Reviewed By: Amy Lignor
Review Date: September 18, 2012

For anyone who is not yet familiar with this award-winning and absolutely lovely series, Blackjack is the Morgan horse that young readers everywhere have fallen in love with. Ever since the series began with Blackjack: Dreaming of a Morgan Horse, there have been six in total that have introduced readers to Frosty, Rusty, Robin, Annie and Rimfire. And this new title offers even more adventure for Blackjack and his lovely owner, Heather Richardson.

When our story begins, Heather is competing in the World Championship and Blackjack was just announced the winner!

Okay…well…that’s actually just a dream. When Heather does wake up to get her day started, she and Blackjack find themselves stuck in a serious New England heat wave. And for anyone who has ever lived in this area, you know how horrible that is. Heather is taking care of her cast of friends, and Rerun – the little gray and white Miniature – is still a huge favorite of mine.

As show season nears an end, Heather is concentrating on getting Blackjack ready to travel to Oklahoma where he will compete in the “Grand National and World Championship Morgan Horse Show,” in October. Unfortunately, when a poor decision by Heather causes a slight harm to Blackjack, he may not be able to compete. Not to mention that to even get enough money to go to the show, Heather will have to make yet another decision on whether or not to sell one of her very favorite friends.

The journey to Oklahoma is fraught with danger. Not only does a truly grand horse escape, causing Heather to track him down before he hurts himself; but she also finds herself in the middle of a tornado all alone.

As always her best friends join with Heather in order to make things better. However, will Blackjack come home as the winner of the ultimate prize? You have to read to find out.

This series is so pleasant to read that you instantly – no matter what your age – become truly engrossed with the Morgan who is friend, hero and the coolest sidekick a girl could ever have. I have to say one of the biggest delights for me was when Heather explained that she loved the ‘smell of the horses.’ To me, that is when the author’s own spirit came forth and ‘nailed’ the real reason why Blackjack and these stories are so special. Just like the smell of the ice is for hockey players, or the smell of a brand new book is for writers, you know instantly that this author has the same intense love for horses. This ‘ideal’ and the beauty of this sentiment are shown perfectly in these books, and is exactly why readers will keep coming back for more.

Quill Says: Another hit for the Morgan Horse series and I, for one, hope Blackjack’s adventures keep on coming!

To learn more about The Further Adventures of Blackjack: The Champion Morgan Horse, please visit the publisher's website at: www.willowbendpublishing.com









1 comment:

  1. Does anybody know if a tribal chairman gets licensed by the gaming commission when their tribe owns a casino?

    ReplyDelete