A horse called El Dorado

A Horse Called El Dorado is another brilliant contribution to the list of excellent new books for young readers

The story begins when 12 year old Pepe, deserted by his Irish father, is forced to flee with his mother from the commune where they live in the Colombian jungle to the city of Cali in order to escape from the dual threat of drug barons and self-termed liberators of the oppressed Colombian people. The tale ends four years later when Pepe graduates as an apprentice jockey in Ireland.

Kevin Kiely doesn't flinch from describing the savagery and the low value placed on life in a country where people are caught between equally ruthless criminal factions in rural areas and a life of marginal existence in the big cities.

He also gives us vivid details of everyday life in the jungle, where Pepe suddenly finds himself having to face the realities of life, before skillfully describing a bus journey across Colombia where neither passengers nor vehicle are safe from almost casual assaults from bandits.

Pepe's life with his grandparents in County Meath is equally vividly described as is Pepe's love of horses and his eventual finding of a replacement for his beloved horse, El Dorado, that saw him through so many dangers when the story first begins. Engaging and informative.

A horse called El Dorado by Kevin Kiely from The O'Brien Press  €7.95 Ages nine to 12

Tony Hickey

Tony Hickey has been nominated for The Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2006 More www.alma.se