The Island Stallion


 After reading "The Situation Room" I really wanted an easy book to read.  I was remembering all those years I read the Walter Farley books and how much I loved the Island Stallion, so I decided waned to read it again.

This is a YA book about Steve Duncan, who is invited by Pitch, a family friend, to join him visiting a deserted island in the Caribbean.  Pitch is an archaeologist and wants to explore the island, which was once occupied by the Spanish in the 17th century.  Steve knows there are horses on the island and he just wants to see the horses.

The two find a hidden entrance to the island which nobody knows about and by following many tunnels they discover there is a valley in the middle of the island, which is home to a herd of horses.  Pitch finds numerous artifacts of the Spanish life on the Island and Steve finds the red stallion he has been dreaming about, a stallion he has named, in his dreams, "Flame."

Flame is a wild stallion but is challenged first by a stallion whom he defeats, and then by another Piebald stallion, who defeats the exhausted Flame.  Steve tries to find the wounded Flame...and does.  Flame, of course, wants nothing to do with Steve, but when he gets trapped in quicksand Steve is able to help him (this is a very long process!) and afterwards, the two become friends.

Steve and Pitch have only 2 weeks on the island.  Pitch wants to bring all of his discoveries  off the island and Steve is convinced he is going to bring Flame home with him, until reality makes them both change their minds and they are determined to keep the valley a secret.

I read this book in a day and I loved reading it again.  Now on to something a bit more challenging.

The nice thing about reading this is I loved the book and know there are follow-ups but I have zero interest in reading them because I remember the unpleasant things that happen and I'm not interested in rereading those.

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