The Gang of Steel Land

* Sequel to The club of the snail salt * Daily life in Flanders through the eyes of eleven-year-old Henri * Exciting One morning a little boy is standing next to us, looking at us with a mocking smile. I suddenly spot him and ask: 'Do I have something of yours on?' 'Shittrappers!' says the little boy in a teasing tone. 'Get out of here,' says Stefan bravely. 'Or we'll scoop you up.' 'And who are you going to get for that?' asks the little boy belligerently. I feel that it's going to be a fight and I raise my brush threateningly. The little boy steps back a little. 'Shittrappers!' he says again. 'You can defend yourself with a brush like that, can't you! Just wait, boys, until you get to know my Steel Land!' And before we can recover from our surprise, he runs off at a trot and disappears into one of the houses across the street. 'What is a Steel Land?' asks Stefan. I don't know either. The Gang of Steel Land belongs in Henri Van Daele's series about his youth, which also included The Land Behind the Tuymelaer and The Club of the Snail Salt. In the author's typical narrative style, the book combines an image of post-war life with the ingredients for an exciting story: a gang of thieves (two of them), a dark mill, stolen goods, secret alliances.