Gabriels Horses by Alison Hart

Gabriels Horses Reviews

• 
  maria

  Great read-aloud for a 'mature' 5th grade class. It was slow going at first, but turned out to be a great read. Suspense, horses, civil war... just about every kid had a connection! About a third of the way through the class was begging me not to stop reading and now they are hounding the librarian to order the rest of the series!
  PS- Texas Bluebonnet nominee
• 
  Rivkah

  A student gave this book to me as a going away present and it was quiet good! It was well written and had excitement as well as historical accuracy. Granted, it's a young adult read so everything is okay at the end, but it also plays around with what qualifies as a "good guy" and a "bad guy" and what freedom really is and how it's acted out. A great read.
• 
  Cristine Braddy

  This was a great read aloud, my boys and I LOVED reading this together.
• 
  SFrick

  The amount of research that Allison Hart apparently performs makes all of her books a worthwhile reading journey.
• 
  Lindsey McCord

  Summary: Gabriel Alexander is a young slave who works on a Kentucky ranch. He and his Pa take care of the thoroughbreds and train them for horse racing. Gabriel dreams of becoming a famous jockey. All of this takes place during the Civil War, and Gabriel’s dream seems to become more complicated. With Pa joining the Union army, the ranch getting a new horse trainer and jockey, and the threat of confederate soldiers, Gabriel fears he may never achieve his dream. Read Gabriel’s Horses to learn about a young slave whose passion and love for horses might just turn him into a hero.
  
  Evaluation: I read this book with my 5th grade guided reading group, and I really liked it. My students and I agreed that the story started out as boring but quickly became an action-packed story that made me and my students excited to discuss in guided reading each day. This book provided great opportunities for deeper discussions about slavery and freedom for me and my students. We were able to connect with a boy who lived a very different life than us and understand why he was felt the way that he did throughout the book. By the end, we were all cheering on Gabriel as he fought for his dream of becoming a jockey.
  
  Teaching Point: I would recommend using this book as guided reading book for advanced readers. There are several changes in the story that can make comprehension difficult for lower readers. This book is great for teaching how to make predictions based on text because each chapter ends on some kind of cliffhanger.
• 
  Jessica Brown

  I found this book at a local birdhouse in the park, Take A Book Leave A Book. I give this book 3 stars as an alright/good read. This is quite the story of young Gabriel and his love for horses like his Pa. When his Pa goes off to join the Union Army, he is left to stay with his Ma who is with child and Pa has gained his freedom along with Ma's. However, Gabriel is still owned by Mister Giles. Gabriel races a horse TenPenny and is almost caught by the Raiders and One Arm. He gets away but later at the farm when Gabriel is asked to race one of the stable horses the Raiders show up. Gabriel is spooked and takes the horses to one of the barns. Mister Giles meets up with One Arm and Gabriel turns out to be quite the hero in the end gaining his freedom from Mister Giles with his heroism. The story is amazing and adventurous so I recommend it to anyone who has a heart for horses and a history to learn about freedom.
• 
  Rebecca

  This was a read aloud in conjunction with HOD’s Revival to Revolution curriculum set. This book was a disappointment. The bones of a good story are here, but the execution is lacking. I often felt like I was reading someone’s narrative journal of daily experiences. The plot lacks clear forward movement, so I often lost interest in reading.
• 
  Elaine

  My son loved this book. We used it as a read-aloud book for school. Historically accurate and yet a very entertaining read. He wants to read the remaining two books of the trilogy now!
• 
  Leah Good

  When Pa shows me something, I take note. Pa's the best horseman in Kentucky, and I aim to follow in his path.
  
  Horses and horse racing are Gabriel's life. He is the son of a freedman and a slave woman, making him a slave. He enjoys jockeying for his master and learning about horses from his father. He is happy until war sends his world spinning. His father leaves and a new horse trainer with harsh training methods arrives. To top things off, Confederate soldiers begin stealing horses. Gabriel must make sense of his new life while trying to protect the horses he loves.
  
  This is the first book in the
  Racing to Freedom Trilogy. I read the trilogy several years ago. My library purchased the second book in the trilogy. After reading that book, I begged the librarians to buy the first and third book to add to their collection. They did and I enjoyed all three books. The story is fast paced and provides an unusual look at a popular period of history.
  
  
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• 
  Rakean

  I liked this book. Historic fiction isn't usually what is on my shelves, but this one was good. I don't usually understand too many books set up during the civil war, but this one, I did. I started reading this for the sole purpose of a city battle of the books competition, but when I started reading it, I got kind of excited about it. I felt the unfairness of civil war and how hard it was to be free. Alison Hart actually captured the meaning of freedom in it. The work Gabriel had done and his relationship with his horse... Outstanding. This is a book that won't leave you until a very long time.
  
• 
  Haley

  Texas Bluebonnet for the '08-'09 school year.
  Set in the year 1864, Gabriel has to learn to overcome several obstacles. His father and mentor leaves the family to enlist in the Union army to earn money to buy his family's freedom. The horse trainer that takes his father's place has opposite views of training than his father. The new horse trainer, Mr. Newcastle, believes in whipping the horses into submission. Gabriel has to learn to stand up to Mr. Newcastle in order to save the horses he loves.
• 
  Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance

  Gabriel’s father is free, but his mother is a slave, making Gabriel a slave, too. All three work on a horse farm, training and caring for horses that will one day race. It is the time of the Civil War and Gabriel’s father is given an opportunity to join the Union Army and earn enough money to buy his family’s freedom. This leaves Gabriel to care for the horses and protect them from Confederate raiders and a new cruel horse trainer.
  
  I liked the story a lot, but the characters and the plot felt a little too pat, a little less nuanced than I might wish for.
  
  
• 
  Kimberly

  Usually I enjoy horse stories, but this one fell flat to me! I couldn't actually torture myself to finish this one because it was so BORING! There was too much description and not enough suspense at the beginning. The dialogue also lacked authenticity. Alison Hart, the author, didn't make me like the main character. I didn't feel anything negative or positive towards Gabriel. I do not recommend this book, except if you are suffering insomnia.
• 
  Sherrie

  Ms. Hart has written a book that middle school children can understand. They can also learn some history from this book. This is a story about a little known piece of American history. Horse training and horse racing. I really enjoyed reading and learning about the history of the horses. Ms. Hart gives info about the history at the end of the book. I'm really looking forward to reading the next 2 books. Does Gabriel save the horses from One-Arm Dan? You'll have to read the book to find out.
• 
  Debbie Tanner

  This was a really great book about a slave boy who wants to ride and train horses. He has been taught by his father to listen to the horses and develop trust with them. I'm not sure how historically accurate that would have been, but it makes for a good story. It's also exciting because of the threat of military men who are looking for fast horses. It would be a good comparison to something like the Black Stallion or National Velvet.
• 
  Kendall

  Mark Twain nominee 2009-2010. Really...a nominee? I have got to get on that committee. Boring, predictable and uninteresting read about slavery. The book's only redeeming quality is its use of horses and jockeys, which are not a common subject for middle school books. I'm not interested in the other two books in the trilogy, that's for sure.
• 
  Emily

  This book is probally the BEST book I have EVER READ!! This book is about a 12 year old slave boy named gabriel. He workes on a jockey farm named Woodville Farms. His dad is the trainer there and they have a race in lexington and there jockeys name is Jackson. I love this book because I love horses !! =D
• 
  Bonnie

  This historical fiction was a good read. I enjoyed the setting and found the information at the back to be very interesting. I know that my students will be glad that the story continues as it is part of a trilogy.
• 
  Sally

  Racing to Freedom Trilogy; book 1.
  
  Author includes "The History Behind Gabriel's Horses" along with bibliographical notes.
  
  
  "...soldiers gallop...pursuing the raiders....
  The din recedes. I hear shouts from the woods. Then shots."
  
  page 139
• 
  Zonia

  Great historical fiction story! Can't wait for the next book.