1. Ghost Horses
by: Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Ferguson
The genre of this
book is fiction.
PowerPoint by Caroline Henley

2. Setting
This present-day story takes place in
Zion National Park in Utah.
Containing 146,551 acres of space, it
was established in 1919. The park is
full of large cliffs made of sandstone
and has deep canyons carved by the
Virgin River.
The tone of “Ghost Horses is mysterious.

3. Main Characters
Ethan
Jack Ethan Ingawanup is a 12 year old Shoshone
Jack Landon is 12 years old with straight, Indian with dark shoulder-length hair. He is
blond hair. He likes horses and loves hiking. also very muscular. He is an orphan. Ethan
Throughout most of the book, he and Ethan strongly dislikes white men because he
do not get along. Jack thinks Ethan is trying thinks that white men stole land from the
to get rid of the Landons and he says, “look Indians. He says, “all of Yellowstone used to
at Ethan, he doesn’t even care if those be Indian land but the government robbed
rocks had hit us.” the Shoshone and paid them around two
cents an acre.”
Ashley Summer
Ashley Landon is 10 years old. She has Summer Ingawanup is 10 years old and has
long, dark hair that she wears in braids. dark hair. She is very quiet. Summer does
Ashley loves horses and likes to dance. She mostly whatever her brother tells her to do
is very outgoing. She feels bad for Ethan and she knows many legends. Summer is an
and Summer and she tries to make Jack orphan. She doesn’t speak much, but she
understand their life. Ashley says “you tells the story of Ghost Horses. It begins like
ought to try, you know. Liking him I mean.” this, “grandmother’s grandmother saw the
big fire on the mountaintop.”

4. Plot
The story starts at a Shoshone powwow. That is where the
Landon family was going to pick up two foster Indian children,
Ethan and Summer. After the powwow, everyone went to see
Sacagawea’s grave. When they got there, they did the Ghost
Dance, which was an Indian dance that Ethan liked. After the
dance, everyone got in the car to go to Zion National Park.
While Mrs. Landon, an animal scientist, was meeting with
park rangers, Mr. Landon and the four kids went on a hike
near the Narrows Canyons. No one was hurt, but Mr. Landon
decided it was time to go back. The next day, Jack was
supposed to hike the Narrows with his father alone. Ethan had
heard Jack talking about him last night and he started a fight.
Mr. Landon told them they had to be nicer to each other and
the only way for that to happen would be if they spent more
time with each other so he invited Ethan to go on their hike to
the Narrows.

5. Plot
Jack tried to protest but Mr. Landon had made up his mind. At
the beginning of the trail, there was a sign warning hikers to
be careful. Mr. Landon tripped on a small hole and Ethan burst
out laughing. He said it was Jack’s fault because he had done
the Ghost Dance. Ethan explained that the dance was
supposed to get rid of white people so it made the rocks fall.
After awhile, Jack thought he heard thunder, but it was a
flash flood! Everyone hurried along looking for a ledge to
escape the flood. Finally, they found one and Mr. Landon lifted
Ethan up, who pulled up Jack. “HERE IT COMES!”, Mr. Landon
shouted. “GET BACK!” He hung on tight but he just couldn’t
hold on. A big log came up and knocked Mr. Landon off the
ledge and hit Jack in the head. Mr. Landon was swept away
with the current. Jack tried to go after him but Ethan told him
not to move.

6. Plot
Ethan attempted to start a fire with a log but it was too wet.
They stayed until the flood ended, then they got off the ledge.
Jack’s injury made him half-unconscious, so Ethan pulled him
along. After about an hour, they finally got back to the
beginning of the trail. The crowd of people waiting for them
cheered. They had made it! Jack heard his mother calling him
and he woke up completely. “Mom?” He said. “I’m right here
honey. So is everyone else.”, Mrs. Landon said. Jack told his
mother about how Ethan had saved him. At the hospital,
everyone told him about what happened when he was
unconscious and about all the things he said and how none of
them made sense. After Ethan saved Jack’s life, Jack was
grateful and they became friends. And they all enjoyed the
rest of their vacation.

7. My Opinion
I liked this book because I like adventures and this book has
things that might occur in an adventure book. For example, in an
adventure book, the characters usually go on a dangerous
journey and they don’t always get along, but after a conflict on
the way, they are forced to work together. I like the part of the
story where they first hear the flood coming and in your mind,
you are thinking “what’s going to happen? Are they all going to
make it?” I think Ghost Horses is a good book for people who like
suspense and hidden elements important to the story. For
example, in Ghost Horses, you find out in the middle of the story
that the Ghost Dance is supposed to get rid of white people, and
at the end, you find out it’s also supposed to bring back dead
Indians.