Old Ramon

By Jack Schaefer and Harold E. West

Awarded a 1961 Newbery Honor, Old Ramon tells the timeless coming-of-age story of a young boy who spends a summer with an old shepherd in the Mojave Desert. He leaves his textbooks behind for real life lessons with Ramon as his mentor. He learns not only how to care for the sheep but how to overcome fear, how to face death and responsibility, and the difference between being alone and being lonely. Written in Schaefer’s charming and engaging style, the novel details a boy’s discovery of both the value of friendship and the hardship of life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: University of New Mexico Press
• Release date: Oct 30, 2016
• ISBN: 9780826357656

Book preview

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Reviews for Old Ramon

[kslade-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Pretty good YA novel about an old sheepherder, a young boy learning the trade, and two sheepdogs. Short but sweet. I think I would have complained if I was forced to read this in elementary school, but I really enjoyed it now! I like the outdoors and dogs, but not necessarily sheep! I picked this up at a yard sale Saturday and read it in a couple of hours.

[electrascaife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A coming-of-age story about a boy who spends a summer with a sheep flock and the old man who tends them, learning about friendship and life.Meh. I think my Newbery Books about Boys Shepherding in the Wilderness compartment is chockablock full at this point.

[fingerpost_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A boy (who is never named, but just called "the boy") goes on a long trek across the American Southwest with a flock of sheep, two dogs, and Old Ramon, an elderly, experienced sheep herder. Old Ramon, who has no formal education, has plenty of wisdom regarding what he does, and he imparts it patiently to the boy. The setting is beautifully described, and the story moves at the unhurried pace of a flock of sheep.This is more of a short story than a novel. There are no characters other than the boy and Old Ramon; there are no sub-plots. I found it irritating that the boy is never named. I had the same complaint with "Sounder." It's well done for what it is. If a boy learning about life and sheep herding from a wise old man sounds appealing to you, you'll love this book. If it doesn't, then skip this one.