THE MOST consistently popular writer in her field, Marguerite Henry has in SAN DOMINGO created another classic. Turning to the Nebraska Territory of the 1850s, she has discovered a memorable set of characters: Peter Lundy, a frontier boy with a talent for doctoring and training animals; Jethro, his mysterious, brooding father, who operates a trading post in the Platte River valley; Emily, his brave, sensitive mother; Brislawn, an aging surveyor, who brings to the stern land the song, mirth, and understanding of an Irish heart.

At twelve, Peter is given a foal bearing the head-markings of a Medicine Hat. The Indians believe such a horse is sacred—that neither bullet nor arrow can harm the rider. Naming him San Domingo, Peter gentles and develops the colt until he becomes a rugged two-year-old with almost incredible speed and endurance.

But Jethro Lundy, whose one joy is bargaining, trades the Medicine Hat for a Thoroughbred. Peter is left desolate. In his loneliness he joins the Pony Express, and for a brief time is reunited with Domingo. On the long, wild rides, the bond between them strengthens. In a climax of triumph and tragedy, Marguerite Henry captures the poignancy, faith, and hope of a boy suddenly become man-grown.

The vivid oil paintings and crisp black-and-whites of gallery artist Robert Lougheed accompany the text like a fine melody.

From the book