Not much is known about it, because the author chose not to answer an e-mail requesting an interview, but there’s a new book out about Hartland.
The author is Lowell Tukua, who grew up in Hartland. The fact he didn’t respond to the e-mail did not surprise the person who contacted the Star Eagle.
The name of the book is “Once Upon a Hartland Summer.”
Here’s Amazon’s description of the book:
“The year is 1947. It’s summertime in Hartland, Minnesota. Exciting adventures and endearing moments abound for a boy and his friends/family in their idyllic hometown. Join six-year-old Lowell Tukua as he encounters hobos, Grandpa’s ornery bull, gets scared as a rat in the chicken house, rides Beauty, the Doodlebug train, the ‘Dig-Dig’ model A truck, Dad’s new dragline, and chases the old firetruck on his bicycle. Learn the painful mistake that costs him several stitches, and how he unintentionally turns his kitchen into a sooty mess. Discover what boys do for fun and how they earn enough spending money to buy root beer at Vivian’s Café before the Saturday night western movie in the ball field. Read the one job Lowell never wants to do again, no matter the pay. Rewarding times include valuable life lessons at home and on his grandparents’ farms. Find out how Lowell earns ten gold stars in Sunday School and uncovers a startling surprise about his Norwegian heritage. He loves horses and caring for farm animals and sees firsthand how important it is to help others when farming neighbors work together to harvest and thresh oats on Grandpa’s farm. (Check the bonus pages in the book to find out how you can earn ten gold stars too.)