Shadow of a Bull

Infobox Book |
name = Shadow of a Bull
title_orig =
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image_caption =
author = Maia Wojciechowska
illustrator =
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country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Children's novel
publisher = Atheneum Books
release_date = 1964
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages =
isbn = NA
preceded_by =
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"Shadow of a Bull" is a novel by Maia Wojciechowska that was awarded the Newbery Medal for excellence in American children's literature in 1965.

Plot summary

Eleven-year-old Manolo Olivar is the son of Juan Olivar, a renowned bullfighter who was killed in the ring when Manolo was only three. The people in the town of Arcangel, Spain, expect that Manolo will follow in his father's footsteps. His best friend's brother yearns to fight bulls, but Manolo has been trying to conquer his own fears. After seeing the result of a bull goring, Manolo discovers he wants to become a doctor and starts to linger around the outside of the doctor's house.

Bowing to the pressure of the townspeople, including several close friends of his father, Manolo trains in secret as a matador, although without enthusiasm. The day of his first contest arrives, and Manolo is successful in the corrida, when the bull is taunted with the red cape. When it is time for the killing, however, Manolo realizes that he simply does not have the spirit of a bullfighter, and offers his friend's brother Juan a chance in the ring. The doctor who Manolo had met previously offers Manolo an apprenticeship, allowing Manolo to follow his own dream.