A Blue Hare in Gunder's Glade (The Willow City Boys Book 4)

A rather charming uncomplicated 1955 American 'boys own' style adventure. Set in the small North Dakota town of Willow City, across the Christmas holidays, it follows the local group of four boys in their early teens. Mike, who is our lead protagonist, likes to go out and stalk and try and shoot jackrabbits who are a scourge to crops and farmers. It seems he seldom has any luck and blames his old air rifle. When a local of german descent, Mr Gunder NilsonGunder, starts seeing blue hares and offers Mike his air rifle as a reward for catching the blue hare that he says is a curse on his family, Mike can't resist.The story of the blue hare and Mr Gunder is one the whole town knows. Some say he is crazy, others say the hare was real, or at least was and his stories grow at each telling. Either way, Mike and his pals set off to track down the hare and get the promised reward.If this story was only about that, it would be a cold and somewhat unfulfilling story. The real adventure starts when a new family moves to the town. They are native Chippewa's who have moved from the reservation and bought a nearby farmstead. The daughter of the family, called Omi, loves rabbits. In fact, she has a collection of them, all white, safe and secure within their new barn.But when they start to go missing, Mike offers to help her find out how and why. The mystery takes off and Mike is soon in the frame for the rabbit thefts. But he wouldn't. He has fallen for Omi, and like all good heroes, he must solve the case, save the rabbits and, with any luck along the way, help crazy old Gunder.OK. I like the scene-setting which does not burden the younger reader with too much detail, yet describes well the harshness of the winter Dakota environment, the diversity of the inhabitants, as well as the predators' prey and the damage they do. This is certainly an adventure I would have loved as a youngster.Not forgetting the time frame and location, the reference to the pop gun/BB gun is, I think, well within bounds, especially given a boys expectations in that sort of farming environment. It certainly was whilst I was growing up and still is to my knowledge.Nothing is glorified in this, or out of context. In fact, arguably it is rather comical. Mike is to be found trying to catch a jackrabbit by running after it, only to fail miserably.Overriding for the vast majority of the story is the mystery adventure of the blue hare. And that right is seen to be done, and the case closed.Given this is a period piece, I think its relevance to a modern mass audience is rather limited. The quite justified sensitivities regarding the abuse of air riffles on both domestic pets and people in the UK would caution me from saying this was for the UK market without guidance for younger readers. For that reason alone, I have docked it one star. Otherwise, adults can read and enjoy for what it is, a good adventure.

I read books written for children occasionally, to vet them (no pun intended), for our local library shelf. So I was intrigued with the cover of A Blue Hare in Gunder's Glade. In my experience, anything cute and cuddly would usually catch the attention of the young, so I thought I would give this the once over.It definitely was not what I expected. Set in Dakota in the 1950s the text has a mixture of languages to wade through. It is all mainly English, but there are other dialects. Norwegian, German and others to wrestle with.When guns and snares started to be used, I realised that this would be something for the American market and the great outdoors. The children involved seemed quite comfortable with hunting and nature in general. The whole way of life would be for much older children than the cute picture on the cover suggests.The story itself was okay, but I was a bit surprised by the gift for Mike at the end. Might be worth a read, but not for our library, I think.Thank you, NetGalley and W. Brand Publishing, IBPA, for the arc.