Like Robert Lytle’s other seven novels, Mr. Blair’s Labyrinth is marketed for the 9- to 14-year-old set. However, these Michigan-based adventures extend to a much greater audience including teachers, parents and senior citizens. Many are read in Michigan schools for their life lessons and fast-paced adventures.
Mr. Blair’s Labyrinth tells of two teenaged brothers who visit Grampa’s new home as he is rebuilding an old garden, originally built by the estate’s first owner, Frank Blair. Mr. Blair, a wealthy Detroit banker, lost everything during the Great Depression, including his summer home on Indianwood Lake in Orion Township, the site of this story.
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At midnight on Midsummer’s Eve, the brothers walk Grampa’s rebuilt labyrinth. Each hopes the garden will grant his wish. Charlie wants a baseball glove. Jack wants to know more about life during those interesting but terrible times. As the brothers finish the garden’s path Jack gets his wish. The boys emerge in 1935, during the depths of America’s worst economic nightmare.
As trespassers, the brothers elude an angry policeman by fleeing across Lake Orion in a stolen canoe. Cold and hungry, they are taken in at a hobo camp. From there they hop trains, hitchhike and walk from place to place. Living from hand to mouth, the boys work in a circus, pick fruit and sweep floors. Their stops include Holly, Traverse City and Rudd’s Mill—always avoiding starvation and the persistent policeman.
The boys learn lessons and make friends as they travel the state while experiencing the most exciting adventure of their lives. Incidentally, Charlie gets his wish, too. Mr. Blair’s Labyrinth is a must read for those who survived the Depression, those who wish to avoid another one, and young adults who enjoy fast-paced adventures.
About Tom and Ann Gendich