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69th out of 91 books
—
1,585 voters
Shadow Of A Bull
Manolo was only three when his father, the great bullfighter Juan Olivar, died. But Juan is never far from Manolo's consciousness -- how could he be, with the entire town of Arcangel waiting for the day Manolo will fulfill his father's legacy? But Manolo has a secret he dares to share with no one -- he is a coward, without "aficio n," the love of the sport that enables a b...more
Paperback, 160 pages
Published
by Aladdin Paperbacks
(first published March 1st 1972)
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Shadow Of A Bull is a well-written Newbery Medal winner. The book was recommended by a teacher who had read it to her class.
I enjoyed Maia Wojciechowska's writing style.
"The town, suddenly, like a spring gushing from under a rock, flowed into song. The guitars began a race; the tambourines of the gypsies joined in; and the castanets, like a million clattering hoofs, lent their beat." (p. 60)
"They listened to the quarrels that erupted like brush fires and died as suddenly as they started." (p....more
I enjoyed Maia Wojciechowska's writing style.
"The town, suddenly, like a spring gushing from under a rock, flowed into song. The guitars began a race; the tambourines of the gypsies joined in; and the castanets, like a million clattering hoofs, lent their beat." (p. 60)
"They listened to the quarrels that erupted like brush fires and died as suddenly as they started." (p....more
I loved this book! Is about a boy growing up in a small town in Spain. His father was a famous bullfighter who the town reveres in death as they did during his life. It is their fervent hope that the boy in the story will grow up to be the next great bullfighter in the town. They treat him like a celebrity and take care of his Mom and him. They loved his father so much that EVERY person in the town lined up, carried a brick to the center of town, and one by one laid them down until they built a...more
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Learned a lot about bull fighting but it reads a little like a textbook in the first half in that you have to keep flipping to the glossary at the back for an explanation of italicized terms. Throughout the book the author glorified the artistry of bull fighting without addressing the downside.
"...when bullfighting began to develop in Spain, it was a pastime for the noblemen only. Through careful breeding, the bulls developed their extraordinary bravery which is completely lacking in all species...more
"...when bullfighting began to develop in Spain, it was a pastime for the noblemen only. Through careful breeding, the bulls developed their extraordinary bravery which is completely lacking in all species...more
Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska takes place in the province of Andalusia, southern Spain, which is characterized by "majestic mountains, lacey olive groves, the round symmetry of the bullrings, and the pointed church steeples. Manolo Oliver is the son of the greatest matador in Spain, Juan Oliver, who was killed by a bull and is expected to someday follow in his fathers footsteps but there is one problem. Manolo does not want to be a bullfighter and is afraid of bulls. Unfortunately for M...more
May 19, 2013
John
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-ya-lit,
newbery-winner
Shadow of a Bull by Maia Wojciechowska has always seemed to be one of the least popular Newbery Winners, and so I’ve not been in a rush to read it. I enjoyed the book thoroughly, though, finding it to be a satisfying and meaningful story.
Shadow of a Bull is about Manolo. Manolo’s father was the greatest bullfighter in Spain, though he died tragically young. His whole community expects Manolo, as he reaches the age of twelve, to step into his father’s shoes and fight a bull. Manolo, however, is...more
Shadow of a Bull is about Manolo. Manolo’s father was the greatest bullfighter in Spain, though he died tragically young. His whole community expects Manolo, as he reaches the age of twelve, to step into his father’s shoes and fight a bull. Manolo, however, is...more
A book about bullfighting seems like the last book I would want to read, but Shadow of a Bull is not just a book about bullfighting. Shadow of a Bull is a rich book about the trials of being the son of a hero, a book about the struggles of a boy trying to find his own way in a world that is attempting to force him to take a path the boy does not want to take. Manolo is the son of a magnificent bullfighter. When Manolo's father is killed in the ring, the people look to Manolo to become the man hi...more
I was not thrilled to read the explicit descriptions of what occurs in a bull fight. However, it was a valuable read to come to a better cultural idea of what is behind this practice. The story is a wonderful example to young readers of the necessity of being brave enough to be yourself and not what others expect you to be. Here is the central message of the book (and my favorite passage:
"The fate of a brave animal should never be anything but a noble death after a noble fight. But it is not the...more
"The fate of a brave animal should never be anything but a noble death after a noble fight. But it is not the...more
I liked this book because it was very entertaining and it was all about decisions and identity.For example, the town of Arcangel idolized and loved Manolo's father Juan Olivar.This is evident when townspeople are having a conversation and saying,"His was the longest nose in Spain.""Why shouldn't it have been? He was the bravest.And in a (torero) a long nose means bravery,"(4). This shows that the people of Arcangel loved Juan Olivar as a bullfighter and they admired him in death as much as in l...more
Manolo's father is the most famed matador (bullfighter) in all of Spain. When he is killed during one of his matches, it is up to the young child to live up to his father's legacy. However, Manolo has no taste for the sport. He is not only afraid to face the powerful animals that are capable of killing a man, even one as brave as his father, the idea of having to kill the animals in the name of sport repels him. Thus ensues a struggle between a young man and a destiny which he seems unwittingly...more
I do recommend this book if you would like to learn some Spanish culture about bullfighting. A reason I would recommend this book to someone are because Maja Wojciechowska uses a real life situtaion. Manolo,which is the main character, faces some tough decisons in life. Since his father, the great Juan Olivar, was an very skilled and loved bullfighter everyone expects him to be the same. He feels like he is a coward for several reasons. One being that he cannot bare to kill an animal. When he st...more
Apr 27, 2010
Kevin Ryan
added it
This is a story about Manolo Olivar who seems to be terrified of every little thing. His father, Juan Olivar, is the greatest bullfighter in Spain and everyone expects Manolo to follow in his footsteps. But Manolo wants to be a doctor. So what will he do?
Audience: 4-7 grade
Genre: Historical Fiction
Topic: Bullfighting + Family
This book is more advanced and is geared towards older children. This book would be great for guided reading or independent reading
There are no pictures in the book.
The soc...more
Audience: 4-7 grade
Genre: Historical Fiction
Topic: Bullfighting + Family
This book is more advanced and is geared towards older children. This book would be great for guided reading or independent reading
There are no pictures in the book.
The soc...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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I loved this book. It is beautifully written, and the story is engaging from beginning to end. I gave it to a student to see what he thinks (I hope he loves it as much as I did!) Some people may be put off by the topic of bull-fighting and the blood and gore of it, but the author tells the story so well, and the respect the bullfighters and aficos have for the animals is clearly evident. Although the idea of a 12-year-old boy making decisions about his life's vocation may be a bit of a stretch,...more
I had the hardest time reading this - I could only read one chapter at a time before putting it down - not because it wasn't interesting, I think that I just found the concept of a child being forced into what I consider a cruel and brutal treatment of animals disturbing ... I think my own opinions almost got in the way of discovering what the book was really trying to say. However, I did stick with it and was somewhat mollified by the ending. I did appreciate the glossary in the back for all th...more
I would recommend this book to someone that was interested in heritage of spanish bullfighting. It was very moving about a boy and his fathers death and the love they had. A male audience young and old would like this book. The title is appropriate but can be misleading in a way that you may think that the main character may be a bull. I felt sorrow for the main character to find strength because he had to struggle between what he felt in his heart and what his family felt was right for him. I f...more
Manolo's father was a great bullfighter who died when he was 3. And now everyone expects him to follow in his father's footsteps only he is afraid and does not want to. Yet he resigns himself to being trained and facing the bull in the ring.
His internal struggle is the most interesting thing about this book. I do not like bullfighting and though I understood the descriptions of courage and respect, I dont see the respect in killing a brave and magnificent animal. I think I am drawn mroe to ancie...more
His internal struggle is the most interesting thing about this book. I do not like bullfighting and though I understood the descriptions of courage and respect, I dont see the respect in killing a brave and magnificent animal. I think I am drawn mroe to ancie...more
This is a great book that fans of bullfighting will enjoy. Manolo Olivar is the son of a great bullfighter. When his father dies, everyone is counting on him to take his father's place. Manolo isn't brave like a bullfighter should be, and is afraid to disappoint everyone in his hometown, Arcangel. His friend Juan Garcia wants to be a bullfighter more than anything, and Manolo thinks that Juan should take his place at his first bullfight. This story is very good, and a fun read. I felt proud of M...more
I read this book when I was younger and loved it. The main point of the book was that there was a boy who was expected to follow in his father's footsteps as a bullfighter but he's afraid of bulls and doesn't want to fight them. This book is a great way to show kids that they don't have to do what others expect of them to do and that they should always do what their heart tells them to do. This book also gave a lot of Spanish culture which will introduce kids to other cultures which they may not...more
This book is a pretty good book but it is not really about a subject I am interested in. I struggled to stay focused. This book tells of a famous bullfighter Juan Olivar who is the greatest matador in Spain. He has a son named Manolo. Everyone in Spain thinks Manolo is going to fall in the steps of his father and be a famous bullfighter. At the age of eleven Manolo had to fight his first bull. He practiced and practiced but still could not get the hang of it. He was terrified to fight a bull. Th...more
Sep 05, 2011
Greta
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
junior-fiction,
newbery-medal-winners
Despite being a well-written story, the subject of bullfighting and eleven-year-old Manolo's attempt to come to terms with his own perceived cowardice and the legacy of his father's bull-fighting skill was a bit tedious. Much of the plot feels like a lesson in Spanish and bullfighting terminology, with a coming-of-age story thrown in as an aside. Having said that, Manolo's discovery of his true trajectory in life, his relationship to his father, and to his friend Juan, is actually a satisfying r...more
Even as a kid, I hated most children's literature, and that was especially true of Newbery works. While it's hardly great literature, "Shadow of a Bull" represents one of their very best.
For starters, the book is set in the bullfighting world of Spain in the 1920s, and author Maia Wojciechowska goes to great lengths in describing it. We learn about specific bull-fighting techniques, the type of cloth used to bait them, the various men ready to lance the bull, as well as the type of bull used. (...more
For starters, the book is set in the bullfighting world of Spain in the 1920s, and author Maia Wojciechowska goes to great lengths in describing it. We learn about specific bull-fighting techniques, the type of cloth used to bait them, the various men ready to lance the bull, as well as the type of bull used. (...more
This one's the tale of a matador in the making. Manolo Olivar is nine years old, the son of a famous bullfighter who was killed when Manolo was three. Everybody in his town is expecting him to follow in his father's footsteps, to bring glory back to his community. A group of bullfighting experts take him under their collective wing and start preparing him for his first match, to be held when he's twelve--just like his father. The question is, does Manolo want to be like his father? To the book's...more
Mar 12, 2008
(B) Archer at KIPP
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommended to (B) Archer by:
Jorge Cruz
Shelves:
boys-have-read
The book Shadow of a Bull was good because you meet a kid from Spain named Manolo that is 13 or so, he also looks like his father at a very young age. Whose father is a professional bull fighter, but when a horrible thing happened that one day. Manolo’s father dies to a horn in the gut or something. Then you also learn how the son of a bull fighter has to go threw to live up to his father's name. Also he has to fulfill he’s destiny to become a professional bullfighter like his father was.
So Ma...more
So Ma...more
A book about bullfighting seems like the last book I would want to read, but Shadow of a Bull is not just a book about bullfighting. Shadow of a Bull is a rich book about the trials of being the son of a hero, a book about the struggles of a boy trying to find his own way in a world that is attempting to force him to take a path the boy does not want to take. Manolo is the son of a magnificent bullfighter. When Manolo’s father is killed in the ring, the people look to Manolo to become the man hi...more
Manolo Olivar lives in the shadow of his father's legacy of being a famous bull fighter. He is coming to the age where he will decide if he wants to follow in the footsteps of the great Juan Olivar. Manolo must decide soon if he wants to go in the ring and fight his first bull.
I thought this was a great coming of age story. I liked how Manolo dealt with the feelings of the people around him who want him to be another Juan Olivar and his own feelings of filling his fathers' shoes.
I thought this was a great coming of age story. I liked how Manolo dealt with the feelings of the people around him who want him to be another Juan Olivar and his own feelings of filling his fathers' shoes.
I love the ending of this book, especially. The rest is good but a little slow. It was fun to learn about bull fighting and how it's a part of some cultures. What an incredible (and crazy to me) activity! I wonder what young boys would think of this book. It has a lot for them to connect to but it is a bit slow. But since I don't always "get" the boys, maybe they would think just the opposite--miss the connections but like the action.
And interesting, and short, story about a boy who doesn't want to be a bull fighter and a boy who does. It's about expectations, about the things people expect without ever asking if it's ok. It's about the pressure put on children who have parents that were the best at something.
A short read, read it at work in a few hours. Not good enough to keep but good enough to entertain me for a few hours one afternoon.
A short read, read it at work in a few hours. Not good enough to keep but good enough to entertain me for a few hours one afternoon.
Manolo struggles with the expectations placed on him -- to follow the footsteps of his father, a famous bullfighter. I liked that the story explored this issue of a young man finding his own path, and I liked too the fable-like quality of the writing, and the suspense that held to the very end. But my disapproval of the "sport" of bullfighting frequently took me out of the story. 1965 Newbery Award.
This book illustrates how people expect that a child will take after his parent but this is usually not the truth. I felt pity for Manolo, being forced to be something he does not wish to be yet has to from the legacy he has received.
The country is know for their passion for their bullfighting. They live for the fight, the dance between man and bull. Their eyes gleam as they shout approval for those who risk their life for the thrill of the sport.
However, Manolo wants nothing with it. He believe...more
The country is know for their passion for their bullfighting. They live for the fight, the dance between man and bull. Their eyes gleam as they shout approval for those who risk their life for the thrill of the sport.
However, Manolo wants nothing with it. He believe...more
Fantastic! This is another book about a boy who fears he is a great coward and rises above his fears. I think I loved this book even more that others in this genre because he didn't do what I expected and I think what he did do showed even more courage.
"You cannot confuse bravery and courage with lack of fear. Real courage, true bravery, is doing things in spite of fear, knowing fear."
"You cannot confuse bravery and courage with lack of fear. Real courage, true bravery, is doing things in spite of fear, knowing fear."
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Maia Wojciechowska was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1927, and later lived in France and England. Eventually, her family moved to the United States.
A writer of books for young readers, in 1964 Maia Wojciechowska wrote the book "Shadow of a Bull", which was named the Newbery Medal winner in 1965.
In 2002 she died of a stroke in Long Beach, New Jersey. She was seventy-four years old.
More about Maia Wojciechowska...
A writer of books for young readers, in 1964 Maia Wojciechowska wrote the book "Shadow of a Bull", which was named the Newbery Medal winner in 1965.
In 2002 she died of a stroke in Long Beach, New Jersey. She was seventy-four years old.
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