Sune och Svarta Mannen facts for kids
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| Author | Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson |
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| Illustrator | Sören Olsson |
| Cover artist | Sören Olsson |
| Country | Sweden |
| Language | Swedish |
| Series | Sune |
| Genre | Children's, Youth |
| Set in | fictional town of Glimmerdagg, Sweden |
| Published | 1989 |
| ISBN | 91-29-59170-8 |
| Preceded by | Självklart, Sune (1986) |
| Followed by | Tjejtjusaren Sune (1989) |
The book Sune och Svarta Mannen (which means Sune and the Dark Man in Swedish) is a fun chapter book written by Anders Jacobsson and Sören Olsson. It was first published in 1989. The story follows Sune Andersson as he turns 9 years old during his autumn school term. This book was special because it was the first one Anders and Sören wrote together! Some of the stories about church and Christmas were even used in the 1991 Swedish TV Advent calendar called Sunes jul.
Contents
Sune's Adventures
The story begins with Sune in 3rd grade at Söderskolan. We meet the whole Andersson family. Sune remembers his summer camp. He thought it would be fun, even though his friend Joakim had been to camps before.
Summer Camp Fun
Sune and Joakim go to a six-day summer camp. About 60 kids, aged 6 to 14, are there. They are split into groups for different activities. Sune and Joakim are in the canoeing group.
Joakim jokes that there are crocodiles in the water. He tells Sune they need to hit them with their paddles. Sune knows there are no crocodiles in Sweden, but Joakim insists!
Joakim's mom, Siw, drives them to "Byholmen." This is a place in the woods where the camp is held. There are rumors about "Svarta Mannen" (the "Dark Man"). People say he pulls up tents and scares kids. He also supposedly gives them "homesickness bacilli."
Sune wonders if the camp leader, Ulrik Bengtsson, is the Dark Man. Other kids at camp include Simon, Jannika, and Mirriam. On the first night, Sune thinks he sees the Dark Man in the woods. But camp manager Britt-Marie Rävberg says he's not real. She explains that homesickness can make anyone imagine things. Sune then realizes Joakim made up the Dark Man. Joakim was just trying to hide his own homesickness. The rest of the week is great, and Sune doesn't even miss home.
Sune and Sophie's Secret Club
Sune and Sophie like to spend time together. Sune's brother Håkan and his friend Pär try to spy on them. They start a club just to find out what Sune and Sophie are doing.
One day, Sune and Sophie are gone. Håkan and Pär hide in the wardrobe with a camera and a tape recorder. Sune and Sophie hear snoring from the wardrobe. Sune thinks it's the Dark Man again! But it's just Håkan and Pär, who fell asleep. From that day on, Sune and Sophie always check the wardrobe first.
A Trip to the Castle
In the autumn, the Andersson family goes on a trip. They want to visit an old castle and learn about history. Anna, Sune's older sister, isn't allowed to bring her boyfriend, Lars-Olof.
The family stops at a petrol station. A bus full of schoolchildren arrives. Sune notices a girl named Åsa Smörgåsa. She gives him a blown kiss! Sune offers a boy named Svenne two ice creams to switch places. Sune jumps into the bus, and Svenne goes into the Andersson family's car. Soon, Sune's parents, Karin and Rudolf, realize what happened. They signal to the bus driver, who stops the bus. The trip continues, but the book doesn't describe it further.
Sophie's Birthday Present
It's Sophie's birthday, and Sune takes the bus into town to buy her a gift. He first thinks he's at a concert hall because a man is playing the accordion. But he soon realizes he's at the right place, a department store.
Sune goes to a toy store. He buys a cap gun he likes. But then he realizes he forgot the money for Sophie's gift, a pink cloth cat. Sune feels ashamed. He takes the cloth cat without paying. He puts it in his jacket pocket, noticing the store has cameras.
Sune takes the bus home. He rings Sophie's doorbell and tells her what he did. Sophie is upset and calls him a "criminal." She worries he might go to prison. Sophie explains that stealing is against the law in Sweden. She tells him to return the cloth cat because she doesn't want it. She also makes him promise never to do it again, or she won't be his best friend.
Sophie goes with Sune back to the store. Sune gives the cloth cat and the cap gun to the store manager. The manager is kind. He pays the difference for the cloth cat. He tells Sune he is "honest and brave" and has "such a kind and clever girlfriend."
Saint Lucy's Day Fun
As Saint Lucy's Day gets closer, Sune tries to be a "star boy." He puts a boot on his head like a star boy hat. He sings a silly version of "Sankta Lucia" that makes fun of the song.
The music teacher rushes over and tells Sune to take the boot off. He doesn't need a star boy hat. Later, when singing another song, Sune is sent to the classroom to draw. Soon, other students arrive to make Christmas decorations. Sune puts his drawing on the headmaster's office door. Everyone laughs, and the headmaster comes into the classroom. He tells Sune that drawing a star boy hat was not needed.
Isabelle's Baptism
Sune's little sister, Isabelle, is being baptized in church. Rudolf, Sune's dad, worries her name will be wrong. Anna says their religious studies teacher told them baptism isn't about getting a name. It's about joining the church.
Sune thinks of the church as the "House of God." He sees the church paintings like a comic book. Uncle Göran videotapes the baptism. The priest is a woman named Anna-Lena.
Håkan touches the church organ, and it makes a loud sound. Sune worries Isabelle will be baptized "Bröööl" (his sound for the organ). He fears she'll be teased at school. But everyone just laughs.
Later, during coffee, they watch the videotape. But Göran used the wrong film! A Tarzan movie appears instead. Tarzan's shouting reminds them of the church organ's "Bröööl" sound.
Moving Away
Rudolf tells the family he has a new job offer. It's with a bigger company and pays better. But they would have to move 15 miles away after New Year. In the new town lives Conny Bertilsson. The Andersson family met the Bertilsson family last summer.
The new school in the other town is called Adolfinaskolan. It's next to a small stream that Conny calls "Missipissifloden" (the "Mississippi River"). Conny tells big stories about the new school.
Sune thinks he will miss Sophie a lot. When he tells her, she gets sad and starts crying. Even though they might see each other sometimes, it's hard. They decide to write a marriage contract. They even have God as a witness! They can't agree on how many children they'll have. They call this their first marriage quarrel. After that, they kiss.
The Andersson family visits the new town. They buy a new house. Sune meets twins named Pär and Pål. He also meets Bengt-Göran. Conny calls Bengt-Göran a "tattarunge" (a rude term for a Romani child). Sune thinks saying that is silly. This part of the book also introduces Sune's new teacher, Marie, and his new classmates.
Saying Goodbye
Sune says goodbye to his old school class. Maria Perez gives him a hug. He goes home to bake gingerbread. Sune and Håkan fight, and Anna gets tired of them.
Sophie shows up. She tells Sune she's going to Småland to celebrate Christmas with her grandparents. She won't be back until January 5th. Sune will move on January 3rd. Both of them are sad.
They exchange Christmas presents. Sune gives Sophie a special diploma and a "farewell poem for Sophie." The last picture shows Sophie inside a heart symbol with the words "Sophie for Ever."
Audiobook Versions
Audio recordings of Sune och Svarta Mannen were released on cassette tape in 1990. They were put out by the Änglatroll company. Some of the tapes were called "Sune och svarta mannen" and "Sune gifter sig."
