Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-11-06
Good Books for BOYS.

Boys want stories that begin at
once, says the n. Y. ECenng Sun. On
this account the preliminary intro
duction which dishgures most of
SCOTS novels is distasteful to them.
The Talisman," for instance, is a
marvelously good story for boy to
read were it not for the tedious ae-
count of the journey of the hero of the
tale through the deserts of Palestine.
''Iyanhoe" is perhaps the only work
of Scott which is entirely free from
this objection. From the time that
Ivanhoe meets Gurth, the swineherd,
and Wanda, the jester. to the close OF
the book there is not a dull page in it.
Robin Hood. Little John. Friar Tuck,
and Richard |. appear in the veritable
flesh. Isaac the jew is clothed in all
the virtues of his race. Even the
sluggish Athelstane is made known to
US as he was.
The only other novel of Scott which
boys find interesting is Quentin Dur
ward. The book begins with the mar
row escape of the hero from hanging,
and the mingled shrewdness and SUI
perstition of Louis XI. is interesting
throughout the book
The best of Marryat's novels are
books which no boy can afford to neg
lect The fun in them has the effer-
veScence Of champagne. Who can for.
get the absurdies of Mr. Midshipman
Easy with his articles Of war? Then
his marvellous triangular duel and his
petticoat flag appeal to every boy with
Z
''Japhet in Search of a Father" IS
another work of Marryat we'll worth
reading. The humorous picture of
the Quakers contained in that book is
always fresh. Jacob Faithful" gives
good picture of the life of the Thames
waterman ii century ago, and New
ton Foster" capital account of life in
the merchant service.
E. M. Ballantyne has written some
excellent books for boys. The best of
them is The Coral Island" A boy
has no difficulty in seeing with his
own eyes Peterkin, Jack, and Ralph
passing the long summer days on one
of the South Pacific islands Every
now aud then there is mad rush TO
battle in the limpid waters of the
lagoon. The sequel to the Coral
Island" called the Gorilla Hunters"
is not nearly so good.
In ''Erling the Bold " by the same
author, there if a good picture OF
America during its colonization by the
Norseman thousand years ago. How
they came here and dwelt here, and
finally went home again. is there fully
set down.
Two old-fashioned books deserve
mention on account of their POPULAR ty
in the past. The Scottish Chiefs
gives the history of the heroic Wallace
without any serious departure from
the truth. est. Clair of the Isles" is
charming story of the career of a
Scottish outlaw duriug the early years
of the Stuart dynasty.
Speaking of novels which have his
toric side to them brings up the name
of Bulwer Lytton. In 'Harold' is a
picture of the last of the Saxon kings
and Of the disastrous battle of Hast
ings. No boy will have his notions of
history warped by reading this book.
boy will find much that is interesting
abont the first and last liking maker'
that England ever had
Every one knows The Last Days of
Pompeii," in which the destruction of
Herculaneum and Pompeii is graph
ically described. But The Gladi-
ators," by Maj. Whyte-Melvile, is
much more interesting book. we'll fit
ted for boys reading. In fact, the
works of " hyte-MelviIle are too much
ne0lected NOWADAYS