Wild Life

This boy Erik has been taking a hunter safety class and practicing his aim on clay pigeons. He wants nothing more than to go hunting for the first time with his friend on the upcoming weekend. But gets some shocking news- his parents are unexpectedly deployed to Iraq and he has to go stay with his grandparents in the big emptiness of North Dakota. At least it feels empty. There’s not much to do. His grandfather is stern and short with words. When he finds a hurt dog- a hunting dog with a face full of porcupine quills- he suddenly knows what he will do. Run away with the dog, hunt his own food, live off the land like he’s always dreamed. Some parts of this quick plan turn out surprisingly easy to accomplish, but other aspects are very difficult. And after a few days out on the prairie with just the dog, reality comes crashing down on him. The best parts of this story involve Erik’s relationship with the dog, a pointer who obviously has been well-trained, and is confused at first when the boy doesn’t succeed in bringing down birds. He improves rapidly (a bit too rapidly to be believed) just in time to avoid going hungry, but obtaining food is not his only problem. When he gives in and returns back home, some things are immediately better (the grandfather has a change of heart, shocked by the possibility of loosing his grandson) but at least the story didn’t have a super pat ending SPOILER (highlight to read) the boy wasn’t able to keep the dog, in fact accused of stealing it by the real owner. I liked the survivial parts, which seemed a bit more realistic than the resolution of problems with his grandparents, having run away, stolen things, etc.