The Christmas I was nine, I got a boxed set of Marguerite Henry novels and while I loved all of them and read them day and night during the break from school, I think this one goes down as my favorite. A few years after I first read this novel, my family moved and I discovered it was also, by a nice coincidence, one of the favorite books of a girl I met in our new neighborhood, who went on to be my best friend to this very day. That connection, too, makes this a special read. However you might come to possess this wonderful book, I think you'll agree, it's one to be cherished.

King of the Wind is the story of a mute boy named Agba, who lives works in the royal stables in Morocco during the eighteenth century, where the Sultan has perhaps the finest collection of horses on earth: maybe the greatest ever in history. Among the animals Agba cares for is a colt who has long been Agba's favorite. This horse was born with a mark called the wheat ear, that is regarded among Moroccans as so unlucky, custom mandates that any foal possessing it be destroyed at once. However, this colt also is marked by a sign of extraordinary good fortune, which reprieves the death sentence and is there to battle the wheat ear in the animal's life: the good in constant yin/yang conflict with the bad.

As a gesture of goodwill, the all-powerful Sultan elects to send a shipment of his finest horses to his friend and ally, King George of England. As the horses chosen for the journey are prepared, Agba is given the chance to accompany these prized animals by ship to the far-off Christian kingdom. One of the colts hand-picked by his Excellency is none other than the omen-marked horse Agba has grown to love. The journey northward upon the ocean is undertaken, but an unscrupulous sea captain has shortchanged the Sultan's agents and not provided food for the equine passengers. Therefore, the cargo of fine desert steeds who are unloaded in England appear little better than half-starved nags, and never find their way to the royal court.

Cast out among beggars and in a strange, cold nation where he knows no one and does not understand the language, Agba refuses to leave his beloved horse's side and the happenings that come to pass in the life of the desert stable boy and the fine, though seemingly run-down stallion, form the basis of a delightful novel that is simultaneously a tale of a boy and his extraordinary horse, and a history lesson in eighteenth-century equine lore. In Miss Henry's story, fact and fiction meet as Agba's horse becomes the celebrated Godolphin Arabian, from whom roughly one-third of all modern thoroughbreds can trace descent.

I guess you can tell I really like this book, and I think almost anyone would as well!

This is my favorite horse story ever! This book stands above all others for me and I will always remember it. My mom read this to me when I was 9 years old and still to this day, I have never read it's equal. Henry's writing is so beautiful, the story so touching and the characters so real. A plot unfolds about a young stable boy in Morocco and his golden-bay stallion who would one day be known as the Godolphin Arabian, who's bloodline still runs in race horses of today. It's quite possible a lot of this book is based on fact. A simply amazing story in all respects! I must warn sensitive readers however, there are some very intense parts of this book, some sad parts which are sure to make most people cry and a few parts where there is fairly harsh abuse and neglect of animals. Maybe not the best choice to read to very young kids, especially if they are the type to get scared easily. Overall, I would say the book has an excellent balance of tragedy and triumph. The ending is a beautiful one, both happy and a little sad but satisfying and well worth reading the story.

King of the Wind is a great book by Marguerite Henry. It is about a mute boy named Agba and his horse Sham. Agba goes with Sham on many adventures together. Agba goes with Sham from the royal stables in Morocco to Gog Magog. Sham also sires many winning foals and when he is gone, Agba goes back to Morocco.
I enjoyed this book very much. I liked it because it is about horses. I also liked it because it was full of adventure. It was sad and exciting and there were many parts where Sham and Agba were seperated. Agba was very brave for a young, mute boy and Sham kept him company with his firy spirit that only Agba could control.
My favorite part was when the cook tried to drive Sham. He wanted to show that he did not need Agba to drive Sham. He left Agba at the royal kitchens then set out. Sham bidded his time till the cart was groaning with goods and a young pig. Then "BAM!" He went wild and ran like the wind, sending the goods, the pig, and the cook into the air. The cook runs after first the pig, then Sham, then the pig, until he is so confused that he catched nither. In the end the apple woman cathes Sham and the cook is so fustrated that he sells Sham to a cruel man. I like this part best because it is so funny and shows Shams firy nature.

King of the Wind is a good story, and you are hearing that from someone with an aversion to horse stories. The book is about Sham, an Arabian horse and the stable boy who cares for him, Agba. When the sultan decides to send some horses to France as a gift Sham is chosen and Agba is sent with him. They are rejected because of size and Sham is given to the kitchen guy. From there he has some bad luck, them some good luck. Then sire the greasiest race horses ever.

This story was ok, but you must remember I am nor a 2nd or 3rd grader and don't like horse stories. It was nice and readable, perfect for the age group. It seemed to be highly romanticized. I guess some of these things could have happened but it runes the course of all horse stories so consequently, is highly predictable. I would recommend it for young kids, but not really any one else.