SUNNY AND THE BORDER PATROL

Young’s middle-grade novel chronicles friendship and peril among a group of rabbits.

Harrow and Arty are hares and the newest patrollers for the Eastside Warren. Scrounging for food, they discover a fence has been put around the last available garden—meaning their warren is doomed unless they can find a way to break through it. They appeal to Hawkseer, known as a wise but extremely intimidating problem solver, who instructs them to seek out the beaver Samuel Strongtooth for help. The hare council appoints Harrow and Arty to embark on the dangerous mission to find Samuel alongside patrol leader Ruther’s daughter, Sunny, an aggressive and shockingly violent bully who regularly terrorizes the two newbie patrollers. Warned to avoid the inner city—a dangerous place populated by exiled rabbits, criminal rabbit gangs, and rabbits who have been captured and enslaved—the unlikely trio heads off on an adventure that will test their bravery and preconceived notions about each other and the world around them. The book’s portrayal of verbal abuse and physical fighting will likely remind readers of that other novel about bunnies resorting to violence: Watership Down. The parallels are strong; Young’s novel also explores darker themes through the use of traditionally “innocent” characters, as when gang leader Marcus One Ear starves his helpless subordinate: “Little babies that get left out by themselves are no good. So you need to be ever so grateful that I rescued ya. Why...your parents couldn’t even be bothered to give you a name. That’s why I call you No-Name. No name for a no-good little runt like you.” These characters, however, are very much their own. The multilayered portrayal of animal society, as well as the beautiful black-and-white illustrations by Popowich that open each chapter, makes this an ideal book to spark conversation between children and adults about the larger world.

An engaging adventure that expertly wraps heavy themes in a simple bunny tale.