The Magical Adventures of Pretty Pearl

By Virginia Hamilton

Book Overview

One long time ago, Pretty Pearl god child lived high on a mountaintop in Africa with all other gods. Curious about mankind and itching to show off her powers, she came down off the mountain with her brother, know-all best god John de Conquer, and sailed on a slave ship for America. There she saw the suffering of the black people, and felt their sorrow right behind her eyes . Pretty Pearl knew now was her time to act.Brother John gave her a magical necklace, a set of rules to follow, and a warning to be careful. "Them human bein's be awful tricky," he said."they has most winnin' ways."

Drawing upon her fabulous storehouse of black legend, myth, and folklore, Virginia Hamilton has ventured into new ways of exploring the human spirit in this extrodinary fantasy filled with mysteries, beauty, and hope.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0064401782
• ISBN13: 9780064401784
• Release Date: December 1986
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 309 Pages
• Weight: 0.52 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.1" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 11 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 6 and higher

Customer Reviews

Pretty Pearl takes us on a fun, magical ride!

Virginia Hamilton takes her readers on an adventure-filled ride in The Magical Adventures of Pretty Pearl. This book was quite enjoyable because of the mix of fantastic, mythological, and historical content. My imagination was immediately captured by Pretty Pearl's "voice" in black dialect as she described her wonderful life as a god-child. The story begins when she comes down from Mount Highness in Africa to live among the humans and use the four special spirits given to her by her brother, John de Conquer, to help mankind. She witnesses the trials of the American slaves, tries to combat Hunger, and lives in Promise, a hidden place for Native Americans and escaped slaves. Younger readers will like Pearl's willingness to try to fix "adult things" and older readers will enjoy recognizing Hamilton's frequent distribution of historical figures throughout the story. We can all find something to identify with in this story because it emphasizes that though we may all look different, we are still the same in our needs and beliefs. The ending of the story surprised me and left me with a great respect for Hamilton's storytelling skills. I strongly recommend this book.