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The Black Pearl

3.4 of 5 stars 3.40 · rating details · 2,756 ratings · 165 reviews

Ramon cannot believe what he has just found in an oyster he's brought up from an underwater cave where the Manta Diablo, the monster devilfish, lurks. Ramon is holding a pearl. Not just any pearl, but the most fabulous gem he or anyone else has ever seen.But neither sixteen-year-old Ramon nor his father foresees the trouble that such a pearl can bring. It will be young Ram...more

Mass Market Paperback, 112 pages

Published May 11th 1999 by Yearling (first published September 9th 1967)

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Jun 09, 2007 Femy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

i had to re-write a book report for this book in the 8th grade cuz the teacher new i didn't really read it after i first handed in the report. ha. turned out it wasn't that bad

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Aug 15, 2012 Jim Haggerty rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Black Pearl, by author Scott O'Dell, is a young readers novel about a young man living in a small fishing village near the Gulf of California who becomes obsessed with finding the world's greatest pearl.

Ramon Salazar works for his father at the family's pearl dealing business. He dreams of someday inheriting the business but knows he must first prove himself to his father in order to do so. On one of his father's diving trips a fellow diver, nicknamed the 'Sevillano', begins to run smack at...more The Black Pearl, by author Scott O'Dell, is a young readers novel about a young man living in a small fishing village near the Gulf of California who becomes obsessed with finding the world's greatest pearl.

Ramon Salazar works for his father at the family's pearl dealing business. He dreams of someday inheriting the business but knows he must first prove himself to his father in order to do so. On one of his father's diving trips a fellow diver, nicknamed the 'Sevillano', begins to run smack at Ramon about what a badass he is. Ramon decides he needs to prove himself to the Sevillano, and his father, that he is capable of finding a better pearl than the Sevillano has ever found. He searches out an old Indian pearl diver by the name of Soto Luzon to teach him better diving techniques. Ramon asks if he may search the old man's lagoon for pearls and says he will share the profits of any pearl he finds. Ramon begins to dive into an underwater cave that appears to have never been searched. One problem: the dark cave is home to a giant freak of a manta ray known as the 'Manta Diablo'. The old Indian warns Ramon that he should not take pearls from the Manta Diablo or he will be cursed and it will hunt him down to the end of his days and never give up until he has completely exacted Biblical type wrath upon him. You get the idea. So, of course, Ramon dives down and comes up with an amazing pearl that gets dubbed 'The Pearl of Heaven'. I think you can see the writing on the cave wall here. Ramon encounters a series of disasters that challenge him in every way, and other parties become interested in getting their hands on the pearl with deadly intent. Lesson learned: if an old wise Indian warns you to not dive into a deep dark cave and steal a giant pearl from a manta ray the size of a small country and who's named the freaking DEVIL MANTA, don't do it!

This was a solid, if unspectacular, book. It was a little light on character development, but had a decent plot. This would make a good book for a book club. It's short, quick to read and could be interpreted in different ways. I found some interesting symbolism and metaphors in the book and I think many people would enjoy this story and come up with their own conlusions about its message.(less)

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Oct 13, 2012 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Genre-Junior Books-Science Fiction
This story is about a young boy,Ramon, that finds a black pearl and awakens a monster, Manta Diablo. Having no luck selling it, and a tragedy of four men drowning with one being the "enemy" of the town, he retuned the black pearl back to church.
A. Area of comment- illustrations
B. I feel the lack of illustrations is appropriate for this stype of story. This is a great story for no illustrations because it gives the reader a sense of imagination. The descriptive...more

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Oct 07, 2012 Wayne S. rated it 4 of 5 stars

It is around the turn of the twentieth century, and sixteen-year-old Ramon Salazar lives in the town of La Paz on the Baja California coast of Mexico, with his father Blas, the owner of a lucrative pearl fishing business, mother, and two sisters. Blas Salazar had promised his son that when he turned sixteen he would make Ramon a partner in his business, allow him to sail with the fleet, and teach him how to dive for pearls. However, following his birthday Ramon gets to go only once, staying on t...more It is around the turn of the twentieth century, and sixteen-year-old Ramon Salazar lives in the town of La Paz on the Baja California coast of Mexico, with his father Blas, the owner of a lucrative pearl fishing business, mother, and two sisters. Blas Salazar had promised his son that when he turned sixteen he would make Ramon a partner in his business, allow him to sail with the fleet, and teach him how to dive for pearls. However, following his birthday Ramon gets to go only once, staying on the boat, and afterwards is left home to work in the shop because his father is afraid of losing his only son to the sea. So Ramon makes a secret arrangement with an Indian diver named Soto Luzon to learn how to dive for pearls from him while his father’s fleet is out.

One of Senor Salazar’s divers, Gaspar Ruiz, a young man who is called the Sevillano because he came from Seville, Spain, claims to have found a giant pearl the size of a hen’s egg in the Gulf of Persia which he sold to the Shah for a lot of money. Also, in the Vermilion Sea off the shores of La Paz, there is a giant ray known as the Manta Diablo, stories of which mothers in La Paz used to frighten their children into obedience. Soto Luzon says that the Manta Diablo lives in and guards the lagoon near his house, so Ramon goes there to dive and finds The Pearl of Heaven. When Senor Salazar is not offered enough money for it, he gives it to the church. But after the Salazar fleet is destroyed in a storm and everyone, including Ramon’s father, is lost, except for the Sevillano who manages to escape, Ramon finds that the pearl has brought him two enemies—the Manta Diablo and the Sevillano. Then the pearl is stolen. Who took it? And what will happen to Ramon?

Author Scott O’Dell has written some great books. We liked Island of the Blue Dolphins, although we did not care for its sequel Zia quite as well, and we really liked The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt by Day about William Tyndale. I wonder if O’Dell based The Black Pearl on the same Mexican legend that John Steinbeck used for his book The Pearl. It is an interesting adventure-type story with a touch of suspense that has little objectionable. The Spanish phrase “Madre de Dios,” which means “Mother of God,” is used a couple of times as an exclamation, which I understand is fairly common in Mexico. As one might expect, there are several Roman Catholic beliefs and practices mentioned, with which those of us who are Protestants would not agree. In fact, one person suggested, “Treatment of the Madonna by the people could be impetus for a paper on the theology errors in the book.” However, I choose to look upon these things as simply O’Dell’s depiction of the religious customs of the people in a historical fiction setting. It won a Newbery Honor in 1968. Another individual said that it contains “elements of The Old Man and the Sea and Moby Dick” and is a “heavily symbolic tale about evil, art, the artist, greed and nature.”(less)

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Aug 15, 2012 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-books, library-sale

I once read a story about a black pearl. It was a Boxcar Children mystery and the magnificence of black pearls plus the aura of exotic adventure intrigued me entirely. So, when I found The Black Pearl by Scott O’Dell, I was excited. No really. Jumping-up-and-down level excited.

The Story.

For all of his years Ramon Salazar has wished to accompany his father on the great pearl harvests. But always his father said he was too young, that when he was sixteen and no longer a scrawny child he could go....more I once read a story about a black pearl. It was a Boxcar Children mystery and the magnificence of black pearls plus the aura of exotic adventure intrigued me entirely. So, when I found The Black Pearl by Scott O’Dell, I was excited. No really. Jumping-up-and-down level excited.

The Story.

For all of his years Ramon Salazar has wished to accompany his father on the great pearl harvests. But always his father said he was too young, that when he was sixteen and no longer a scrawny child he could go. In the mean time he must be content to wait and admire the pearls brought in by the workers.

So Ramon waited and admired the prizes which were collected into his father’s pearl house. He waited and he yearned for the day when he would sail across the sea at his father's side to gather the pearls himself. The day he turned sixteen was the happiest of his life, but it was fearful, too. For as his father walked him through the rooms of Salazar and Son, the great dealers of pearls, and told him of the craft of pearls, Ramon felt that he would never know enough to judge a good pearl, would never try diving through the water himself.

His father brought him on a few diving expeditions, but always Ramon remained above water. But it is under the water that he yearns to be, finding the big pearls himself. So one day when Soto Luzon the Indian comes to Salazar and Son to sell a pearl, Ramon asks of him a favor. He asks Luzon to teach him to dive. Luzon agrees.

Luzon brings Ramon to a hidden lagoon – a lagoon where it is whispered El Diablo, the monstrous devilfish lives. Here Luzon teaches Ramon to dive, and here, in the very cave where El Diablo is said to live he finds a black pearl as monstrous as the fish. He brings the pearl to his house where crowds gather and cheer. Ramon has found the Paragon of Pearls and he is happy.

But happiness is not all that the Pearl brings. It brings death and destruction to the Salazar fleet and doubt to Ramon’s mind. He was warned that Manta Diablo would be angry for the taking of the Pearl, but could the devilfish really have caused the storm? Is returning the Pearl the only way to stop the devastation?

Visit Laura's Bookshelf to read the rest of my review and to read more like it!

http://www.lauraverret.com/blog/2012/...(less)

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Sep 16, 2010 carolyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have always been a fan of Scott O'Dell. His stories are fit for both the young and old and written in a way that both can enjoy. "The Black Pearl" is about a young boy Ramon who becomes partners with his father. They would voyage out to sea and dive for pearls, in hopes of one day finding the heavenly pearl of all others, but many were fearful of bringing forth the monster Manta Diablo, for the stories they have heard were those of mishappenings, curses and death. Ramon dived into the mouth of...more

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Apr 11, 2009 Zarakoda rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: general-fiction, historical-fiction

Ramón Salazar is sixteen and learning from his father how to conduct their business selling pearls. However, Ramón dreams of diving into the waters himself to obtain the largest pearl ever seen by mankind. He seizes the opportunity to do so in a lagoon and discovers the Pearl of Heaven, a great black pearl that is owned by the Manta Diablo. The Manta Diablo seeks to take back his possession and wreak havoc on Ramón's family. Ramón finds himself in a dangerous position in which he must decide wha...more

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Dec 04, 2012 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: eng356-13-25

When Ramon finds the perfect black pearl, he has no idea what he is about to get into. The black pearl supposedly belongs to the Manta Diablo, a giant manta ray who is apparently the legendary king of the seas. Ramon does not believe that such a creature even exists when he finds the pearl, but when crazy things begin to happen, Ramon begins to believe that maybe the manta diablo does exist after all...

This was a Newberry Honor book, but I personally do not see why it was awarded as such. The wr...more

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Jun 17, 2012 Divya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Synopsis:
This YA book is a coming-of-age tale of Ramon Salazar, the sixteen-year old son of a pearl dealer in Baja, California-Mexico.
Ramon discovers the 'Pearl of Heaven' - a huge, magnificent, black pearl - and the town is in awe and celebration. Except for two men.
The first is Soto Luzon, an old fisherman who believes that the pearl belongs to the Manta Diablo, the lord and monster of the seas - who will wreck havoc till the pearl is returned.
And the second is the unscrupulous Gaspar Ruiz -...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Brenda rated it 3 of 5 stars

A boy growing up in Baja California dreams of finding the Pearl of Heaven.

I read this book at the suggestion of my wonderful nephew Josh. The story follows a young man, heir to his family's pearl business, as he learns the ways of pearling and the world. He dreams of gaining some prestige in the eyes of his village and a sinister braggart, the Sevillano, who works for his father and is the best diver in the fleet. His dreams are realized through the discovery of a giagantic, perfect pearl. This...more

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Mar 17, 2009 Dani rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was probably a better book than I remember, but all I know is that when I got in trouble in 6th grade, my mom grounded me from reading "It" by Stephen King, and made me read this instead... So naturally, I'm bitter...

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Jan 13, 2013 Cole rated it 4 of 5 stars

The black pearl

In the book the black pearl by Scott O`Dell was about a young 16 year old boy named Ramón Salazar that live on the coast of a little fishing village called La paz. There was a promise that his father made to young Ramon is when he is 16 he would take him to go search for the biggest pearl on the whole west coast what he dosint know is that there is a massive storm coming his way with a deadly manta ray in the water Ramon is left with a chose sink or swim.

In my book review of the...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Karenc5 rated it 1 of 5 stars

WARNIGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG! i might give to much info about this book was
really boring for me , a part of mexico called La Paz where a young boy name Ramon lives.
His father works under the water, his not a submarine, but he finds pearls under the sea.
beautiful pearls which he sells to the people. Ramon whishes that one day he would be just like his father . Ramon's dad could tell if a pearl was good enough to be sell by raising it up to the sun and weighting it. but first he needed to learn how to op...more

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Jun 21, 2009 Sarah rated it 2 of 5 stars

When forced to read this book in 5th grade class with Ms. Seagull (I really have no recollection of how to really spell her name...), I HATED it. I wanted to throw it across the room everytime we had to take it out of our pile of books and read aloud. When forced to read it again in 8th grade, my teacher didn't believe me that I'd already read it, and I had to prove it. I've since read it a third time, and did actually understand why it's considered an honorable book; however, the original damag...more

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Nov 28, 2011 Allison Jane rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: nook-books

If I didn't have to read this book for a school report, I probably wouldnn't of read it. I rated this book a 2/5 because it just wasn't something that interested me or connected with me. I liked Ramun Salazar's character. He seemed like a shy boy, but he had big thoughts. I really liked O'Dell's aura of mystery written into this book. This book really helped my learn more about the country of Mexico and it's origin. I would not request this book, because it seems to move slowly. There are lots o...more

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May 17, 2011 Sharri rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: aloud-to-kids, juvenile, fiction

Whew! I read this Newbery Honor Book aloud to my 8-yr-old son and, man, did it ever pass the Lego test! (Lego test: if my son is really interested in the story, he puts down his Legos to either sit by me or pace the room.)

It tells the story of the son of a wealthy pearl diver in Baja California perhaps 100 years ago. Ramon grows up hearing stories of the Manta Diablo, a monster-sized manta ray given all sorts of mythical powers by locals. But how much is true? Ramon must figure this out when, on...more

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Dec 11, 2012 Bryan Smidt rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 13-25

The Black Pearl is about a young man named Ramon who lives in Mexico who begins working for his father as a pearl diver. Ramon, who wants to become his father's best pearl diver, gets help from an Indian named Soto and comes across the biggest pearl he's ever seen; a pearl that belongs to a giant Manta ray named Manta Diablo. Despite the Indians warnings, the boy takes the pearl and is faced with the consequences.

This would be a great book for getting young boys interested in reading. The story...more

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Aug 01, 2008 Faith rated it 2 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 12, 2009 karen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mark-harmon

this is the kind of book you dont even need a bookmark for, because it isnt going to take you more than one sitting to finish. i read it because i need to read 3 newbery or honor books i havent read before for class (why am i so honest??) and i love island of the blue dolphins more than most books, but have never read anything else by scott o'dell. i dont know how kiddies respond to it, but for me it was too brief to really grab me. the descriptions are still great, and its a fine story, but as...more

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Sep 16, 2012 Clay Yurman rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just finished my book, The Black Pearl, by Scott o' Dell. This book was a great book if you like suspense or action. One of my favorite parts of the book was when Ramon pulled the giant oyster from the boat and finally managed to pry it open. At first he pulled out two minuscule pearl, then there was a suspenseful pause before he pulled out a gigantic pearl! This made me smile while I was reading the book. My favorite character though was Luzon, the old Indian, I liked him because he was very...more

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Jul 07, 2009 Laura rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a quick fun read. It was a poignant coming of age story. I'd like my kids to read this one, I would enjoy discussing it with them.

In this story Ramon, a 16 year old son of a wealthy Pearler, dreams of finding a gigantic black pearl. He wants to find the great "Pearl of Heaven" to prove that he is a man. After repeated humiliation at the hands of the Sevillano, one of his Father's employees, he desires to prove his worthiness.

He finds the great black pearl, but he has stolen it from the...more

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May 19, 2013 Gale rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: hispainic-experience

GIVE THE DEVIL HIS DUE!

A Mexican youth turns 16 and yearns to become a pearl fishermen like the men in his family, but the most his father will do is make him a partner in the family pearl business. But then there arrives a sneering braggart who claims to be from Seville, Spain, boasting of his strength and skill as a diver. Young Ramon is torn between his 20th century skepticism and the pervading maritime myths of the local Indians regarding the mantas and squids who guard a secret oyster bed....more

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Mar 17, 2012 Erin Sterling rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: character, award-winner, read-in-2012, story, youth-fiction

The highest reading group in my fifth grade class recently read this Newbery honor book about a boy Ramon Salazar whose father is a pearl diver and businessman. On his sixteenth birthday, his father makes Ramon partner in the business and teaches him how to do the accounting and handling of pearls, but what Ramon really wants to do is dive for pearls. To get the better of the braggy, nasty diver in his father's fleet, Gaspar Ruiz, Ramon dives in the lagoon of the Manta Diablo's cave and finds th...more

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Mar 08, 2010 Jadmary713 rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 7th-grade-books

I thought that the book was okay because it was a little too easy for me. I also thought that it was okay beacause it wasn't like the other books that Scott O'Dell wrote. I thought it was actually a little dull.

I can make a small connection with Ramon because sometimes I do get a litte hyper or over excited over something that i found or something that i have acomplished. My favorite part of the book was when Ramon saw Manta Diablo and it's eyes were on him. And then Roman felt that it was telli...more

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Feb 25, 2009 Andrea rated it 4 of 5 stars

I picked this book because I've always wondered about it--I have an old fashioned copy in which the cover portrays a giant manta ray. I also picked it after looking at books that won the Scott O'Dell award. I thought I should read some books by him first. It won the Hans Christian Andersen Award; so, I'm really getting diverse in my award categories. Also, a category I noticed that I often look for when I pick out good books is the Reading Rainbow selection seal. I realize it is not an official...more

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Nov 19, 2009 Roger rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-lit

I know that I read this book like, last year, but it was a GREAT book. The book encapusulates so many themes and lessons, it's nearly impossible for me to delve into the detail this book deserves, so I'll try to cover as many as I can.

1) First off, the thing you need to understand is that this book takes place in another country. The people are very superstitious and a village legend, Manta Diablo, lives in the waters nearby the village. As a matter of fact, it inhabits a cave underwater and gua...more

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Jan 12, 2009 Haynes rated it 5 of 5 stars

If you want to read an adventure book The Black Pearl is for. This book is very good the whole story line drags you into wanting to read more. This book is about a boy who wants to learn how to pearl dive a search for famous and rare pearls. The boy takes classes after he is determined to find the strongest pearl he does not stop searching until the mystical creature manta Diablo has found out that he had stole the pearl it starts to put the town in danger by raining, water pools and etc.

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Jun 11, 2013 Melinda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: newbery-honor

A quick read that highlights how really useless a possession of the highest value is and how powerful greed can become to obtain that item at any cost. These lessons Ramon Salazar learns deftly as he primarily seeks the largest black pearl in hopes of impressing his father. As easily predicted, this great fortune carries with it only tragedy and danger, once Ramon realizes that the only way to escape such misfortunes is to return the pearl from where it came. A commendable adventure.

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Jul 20, 2011 Edy rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Black Pearl is told in first person by Ramon, a sixteen-year-old boy whose father owns a fleet of pearl diving boats and has quite a large pearl exchange. Ramon dives into a cave said to belong to the Devil Manta and finds the Pearl of the Sky. The acquisition of this pearl starts a chain of events that includes tragedy, self-realization, and acceptance.

(I read this novel in the 70s when I was taking an adolescent lit. class. The critique came from one I did for the class.)

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Nov 25, 2011 Dayna Smith rated it 5 of 5 stars

This story is set in Baja California. Young Ramon wants to prove to his father that he is a good pearl diver. Ramon wants to dive for the legendary black "pearl of the heavens", but the grotto where this pearl is said to lie is guarded by a giant manta ray known as Manta Diablo. Ramon finds the pearl and brings it home, but then the trouble begins. Should he keep the pearl or give it back to Manta Diablo? A wonderfully told story, if somewhat lacking in excitement.

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About Scott O'Dell

Scott O'Dell (May 23, 1898 – October 16, 1989) was an American children's author who wrote 26 novels for youngsters, along with three adult novels and four nonfiction books. He was most famously the author of the children's novel Island of the Blue Dolphins (1960), which won the 1961 Newbery Medal as well as a number of other awards. Other award winning books by O'Dell include The King's Fifth (19...more

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Island of the Blue Dolphins (Island of the Blue Dolphins, #1)

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