Hal and Roger Hunt facts for kids

Hal and Roger Hunt are exciting characters from a series of adventure books. These books are called Adventure Series and were written by Willard Price. Hal and Roger are the sons of John Hunt, a famous animal collector. Because of their dad's job, they grew up around many amazing and sometimes dangerous wild animals.

In their very first book, Amazon Adventure, Hal is 18 years old and Roger is 13. The brothers take a year off from school to help their father. They capture animals for his business, "John Hunt - Wildlife." These animals are then sold to zoos, circuses, and nature parks. Later, their father's business was even renamed "John Hunt and Sons" because the boys proved how helpful they were.

Character biography

Hal Hunt

Hal Hunt is like a classic hero. He is tall, handsome, and strong, but also very quick. He has survived a sting from a Portuguese man o' war. He even fought and defeated a panther all by himself, without any weapons!

Hal is also very caring and trusting. During his travels, he became "blood brothers" with a man named Omo. This friendship was so strong that Omo once saved Hal by taking a bullet for him. Hal also helped a character named Vic Stone in Tiger Adventure and feels responsible for his younger brother, Roger.

Hal knows a lot about almost any topic or animal they meet. He is also a skilled doctor. He often tells the story in the books when lots of explanations are needed. Even though he is very smart, Hal sometimes doesn't understand people very well. For example, in Cannibal Adventure, he couldn't understand why a villain he had imprisoned would want to harm him.

Roger Hunt

Roger is the typical younger brother. He often argues with Hal but also looks up to him. Roger is shorter and slimmer than Hal, but he is still very tough. He has survived a hit from a large gorilla. He also survived being temporarily blinded by a spitting cobra. Roger even fought an octopus and almost drowned because of a saltwater crocodile.

Roger loves to play jokes, especially on Hal. Sometimes his pranks, like one in Amazon Adventure, got out of hand. But Roger isn't mean; he's just young and loves mischief. He always wants to prove how brave and capable he is.

Roger has shown his courage to Hal many times. In African Adventure, he captured a buffalo. In Whale Adventure, he had to fight off a group of killer whales. In Diving Adventure, he defeated a Mako shark and rescued a girl. And in Lion Adventure, he killed a lion with only a wooden spear!

Roger has a special gift: he can attract and tame almost any animal. Sometimes this is funny, like when he was attacked by ants in Amazon Adventure. Other times, it's very serious, like when he had to care for valuable animals. The best example of his skill is when he tamed a furious, man-eating lion in Lion Adventure with just a few soft words. He has also tamed crocodiles, baby gorillas, polar bears, a killer whale, and an elephant during their adventures.

The Adventures of Hal and Roger

Here are the books in the Adventure Series:

• Amazon Adventure (1949)
• South Sea Adventure (1952)
• Underwater Adventure (1954)
• Volcano Adventure (1956)
• Whale Adventure (1960)
• African Adventure (1963)
• Elephant Adventure (1964)
• Safari Adventure (1966)
• Lion Adventure (1967)
• Gorilla Adventure (1969)
• Diving Adventure (1970)
• Cannibal Adventure (1972)
• Tiger Adventure (1979)
• Arctic Adventure (1980)

Allies

Hal and Roger meet new friends in almost every book. But a few special friends appear more than once. These include Captain Ike, an old World War II captain who sails their ship, the Lively Lady. Another important ally is Omo, Captain Ike's first mate. Omo helped the boys on their adventures across the South Seas.

Other important friends are the big game hunters who worked for their father. They joined the boys on their African adventures. One of them is Joro, a chief tracker. He was first hired by a bad group called the Leopard Society to harm Hal, Roger, and their father. But Joro changed his mind and joined the boys instead. Two other team members often mentioned are Toto, Hal's gun bearer, who always has a big smile,  and the brave Mali, who owns a wonderful Alsatian dog named Zulu.

Enemies

Hal and Roger have made many enemies during their journeys. These include Hal's former school friend, Sylvester K. Inkham (also known as "Skink"). They also faced an angry witch doctor. Some of these enemies learned from their mistakes and changed for the better. Others simply faced the consequences of their bad actions. Only one villain, "Reverend" Merlin Kaggs, appeared in more than one book.