The Winter Hare

November 1, 1996
Gr 6-9-Meticulously crafted, this 12th- century coming-of-age story is dense with English history. A long bout with the pox has made 12-year-old Will Belet small for his age and inspired his nickname, Rabbit. As he is released from his mother's protective embrace, he is brimming with optimism that becoming a page to his uncle, Earl Aubrey, will inevitably lead to knighthood. He is unprepared, however, for the carnage of the battlefield or the complex social and political forces shaping his nation's destiny as well as his own. Caught in the middle of a bitter civil war plus a feud between his father and uncle, Will confronts physical hardships and life-threatening danger in a world where learning whom one can trust may be the most important lesson of all. In the book's most suspenseful sequence, Will plays a key role in Empress Matilda's daring escape from Oxford Castle as it is besieged by her enemies. The novel is well plotted, paced, and vividly drawn, but fails to make an emotional connection. Supporting characters are clearly delineated but not fully developed, and Will is empathetic but not very interesting. The historical thoroughness and accuracy will weigh heavily on an audience unfamiliar with the socio-political structure of medieval Europe. Preface, epilogue, and author's note offer background information, but there is no glossary. Good for school assignments, but unlikely to fly off the shelf on its own.-Margaret Cole, Oceanside Library, NY

November 15, 1996
Gr. 4^-8. A preface sets the scene: England in 1140, with a tug-of-war for the crown bringing civil war to the countryside. Twelve-year-old Will Belet, small for his age but eager for knighthood, leaves to join his brother as a page in the household of the wicked Earl Aubrey. He grows in strength through coping with hard work and mortal danger and in wisdom by observing the world around him. A sympathetic young protagonist, Will has faults enough to make him human and courage enough to make him a hero of sorts. Vivid details of everyday life bring the twelfth-century setting to life. Attractively designed, the book features small ink drawings at chapter headings, adding to the medieval flavor. At first glance the figure on the jacket looks like a girl; however, this is one of the few recent historical novels set in the Middle Ages featuring a boy. A good book to recommend to those who loved Marguerite De Angeli's "A Door in the Wall" (1989) or Elizabeth J. Gray's "Adam of the Road" (1942). ((Reviewed November 15, 1996))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1996, American Library Association.)