Hunter in the Dark

Although best known for her works of speculative fiction for young readers, Monica Hughes has also explored insightfully the lives of contemporary teens in powerful novels. Among them is Hunter in the Dark, for which Hughes was awarded the Canada Council Prize (the precursor to the Governor General's Award for Children's Literature), the Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award, and the Beaver Award. It's not easy being 16, especially when you've just discovered that you are suffering from leukemia. Mike Rankin decides that the way he's going to deal with his coming struggle against the disease is by physically testing his strength and resourcefulness. He's not going to submit himself to a barrage of debilitating hospital treatments without first seeing if he can survive a winter hunt in the Swan Hills of Alberta, where he aims to track and kill a white-tailed buck. He secretly heads off into the bush, defying his parents, only to discover that, like the buck, he is both hunter and hunted. And, when he finally corners his quarry, his decision whether to kill the buck or not becomes a sign to him of his resolve in fighting his disease. Hunter in the Dark is a powerful novel sure to touch young readers with its moving portrait of a young man determined to survive. (Ages 10 and older) --Jeffrey Canton