Wilson, Diane Lee. Black Storm Comin’. New York: Aladdin Books, 2005. 295 pages. (Historical Fiction)When Colton Wescott saw a sign for the Pony Express, he thought he had the solution to his problems. He was stuck with his ma and two younger sisters on the wrong side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains with no way to get across. They were on a wagon train heading to California when Pa accidentally shot Colton, in the leg, and then galloped away. Ma is sick, and Colton needed money to pay back the doctor. He’d make good money as a Pony Express rider. He also needed to get to California to deliver freedom papers to his Ma’s sister, a runaway slave. The Pony Express could get him there…, but does Colton have what it takes to be a Pony Express rider? And if so, will traveling the dangerous route over the mountains bring him closer to family, freedom, and everything he holds dear?
After you pick this book up you can’t put it down, and you are on the edge of your seat almost the whole time. Its descriptive chapters make you feel like you are on top of a horse riding for the Pony Express. Loaded with action and risky decisions, Black Storm Comin’ is an action filled historical novel. Kirkus Reviews said, “An exciting story written with style.” It leaves you wanting more. I am currently looking for Fire Horse, written by the same author, another book to be on the look out for.
Reviewed by: naturegrl
