University of lllinoii, Library Scheel, POPULAR BOOKS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS A GRADED LIST WITH ANNOTATIONS Compiled by CARRIE E. SCOTT Assistant Organizer Public Library Commission of Indiana INDIANAPOLIS Public Library Commission of Indiana 1911 TABLE OF CONTENTS. Introduction Grades 1-2. . Grade 3 Grade 4. . . . Grade 5. . . . Grade 6. . . . Grade 7 ... . Grade 8. . Page. 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 ( 2 ) INTRODUCTION. 0 £(,.11 “What is a good book to read?” is a question that comes to every teacher many times a year. Teachers are looked upon as intellectual advisors to the young, and both the children and their parents turn naturally to teachers for information about books. Often the teacher has to face the problem of making recommendations with an inadequate knowledge of juvenile liter- ature. The crowded curriculum of the normal school or college offered no place for a course of lectures on children’s reading or on the aids and principles of juvenile book selection, and in the rush of school work she has not found time to make a special study of these subjects. Yet the teacher probably has more to do with forming a child’s reading habits than any other person. The books she recommends will be read, and if they are good books suited to the reader’s age and temperament, good reading habits will result. If the books are not well adapted to the reader’s needs, the results will be bad, and the child will either learn to dislike reading altogether, or will turn to books that are not wholesome nor worth while. This list has been prepared for teachers and others, as a guide in making recommendations. As the title implies, the books are popular and are not offered as supplementary to any particular course of study. Only those books which children will read for pleasure have been included. The books are arranged by school grades. In order that the grading might be according to actual experience rather than ac- cording to theory, special tests were made with average school children and the results carefully considered. It is hoped that the compiler will receive many expressions of opinion from users of the list, so that the grading in later editions may be revised, if necessary, to conform to a wider experience. Annotations have been taken from the following sources: A. L. A. booklist; A. L. A. Catalog; Arnold’s A mother’s list of books for children; Prentice and Power’s A children’s library; Power’s 500 children’s books; and lists prepared by the Cleveland public library, New York State library, Pittsburgh Carnegie library, and the Oregon and Wisconsin public library commissions. (3) 2—27835 Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Alternates https://archive.org/details/popularbooksforbOOscot POPULAR BOOKS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS: A GRADED LIST WITH ANNOTATIONS. GRADES 1-2. Adelborg, Ottilia. Clean Peter and the children of Grubbylea Longmans, $1.25. The story is told in rhyme and is illustrated with colored pictures. Aspinwall, Mrs. Alicia. Short stories for short people. Dutton. $1.50. Fantastic tales which appeal to a child’s sense of humor. Baldwin, James. Fairy stories and fables. American Book Co., $.35. An excellent collection of old favorites. Blaisdell, M. F. Polly and Dolly. Little, $.60. Stories of four children and their good times at home, at school and in the country. The sentences and words are short and the book carefully graded to meet the needs of children from five to seven. A. L. A. Booklist. Brooke, L. L. Golden goose book. Warne, $2.00. The stories of the golden goose, the three bears, the three little pigs, and Tom Thumb, in large print with humorous illustrations. Published separately in paper covers at 50c each. Brooke, L. L. Johnny Crow’s garden. Warne, $1.00. An old nursery rhyme with humorous illustrations in black and white, and full-page drawings in color. Pittsburgh. Brooks, Dorothy. Stories of the red children. Educational Pub. Co., $.40. Indian nature myths told in simple language. Craik, G. M. So-fat and Mew-Mew; ed. by Lucy Wheelock. (Home and school classics.) Heath, $.20. The adventures of two household pets, a dog and a cat. Crane, Walter. Beauty and the beast picture book. Lane, $1.25. Contents: Beauty and the beast — The frog prince — The hind in the wood. Deming, F. O. Indian child-life. Stokes, $1.00. Written for children and made attractive by many full page«colored plates after paintings in water color. Prentice and Power. ( 5 ; 6 Grade 1 — Grade 2. Francis, J. G. Book of cheerful cats and other animated animals. Century, $1.00. Humorous verses and pictures. Greenaway, Kate. Marigold garden, pictures and rhymes. Warne $1.50. Beautiful colored pictures and simple rhymes. Hopkins, W. J. The sandman: his farm stories. Page, $1.50. Delightful narrative of the life of a little boy on a farm seventy-five year ago. Told with the repetition children like. Lefevre, Felicite. The cock, the mouse and the little red ten. Jacobs, $1.00. An old tale simply told and illustrated with colored pictures. Mother Goose. Mother Goose melodies; or, Songs of the nursery, ed. by W. A. Wheeler. Houghton, $1.50. Old nursery rhymes and pictures that have the real Mother Goose spirit . Potter, Beatrix. Tale of Benjamin Bunny. Warne, $.50. Gives an account of Benjamin Bunny’s visit to his cousin Peter Rabbit. All the Potter books are popular with children but should be purchased in special bindings. H. R. Huntting, Springfield, Mass., sells the series in re-enforced binding, with original cover designs, $.50 per copy. Poulsson, Emilie. Child stories and rhymes. Lothrop, $1.25. Simple home rhymes and stories for little children. s Scudder, H. E. Book of fables and folk stories. Houghton . $.75. Contains many old favorites. Smith, M. E. E. Eskimo stories. Rand, $1.00. Stories of real little Eskimos and their daily manners and customs, told in simple language. Stevenson, R. L. A child’s garden of verses; illus. by E. Mars and M. H. Squire. Rand, $.75. Poems whose fanciful humor and catchy rhythm appeal to children. There are many excellent editions, but this one is especially suitable for young chi I dren, because of the large type and simple, colQred illustrations. GRADE 3. Aesop. Fables of Aesop; ed. by Joseph Jacobs. Macmillan, $1.50. Children cannot read an easier, nor men a wiser book. Thomas Fuller . Alcott, L. M. Jimmy’s cruise in the Pinafore. (Aunt Jo’s scrap- bag, v. 5.) Little, $1.00. Contents: Jimmy’s cruise in the Pinafore — Two little travelers— A jolly Fourth — Seven black cats— Rosa’s tale — Lunch — A bright idea — How they camped out — My little school-girl — What a shovel did — Clams — Kitty’s cattle show — What becomes of the pins. Baldwin, James. Fifty famous stories retold. American Book Co., $.35. Time honored stories, some true, some legendary, which relate romantic episodes in the lives of famous heroes. Oregon. Blanchard, A. E. Mabel’s mishap. Jacobs, $.50. How a little girl tried to replace a valuable book of her father’s which she had ruined. Pittsburgh. Brown, A. F. The lonesomest doll. Houghton, $.85. A fanciful story of a lonely little queen, her lonelier splendid doll, her por- ter’s happy little daughter, and the remarkable adventures of the three. Pren- tice and Power. Browne, Frances. Granny’s wonderful chair and its tales of fairy times. Dutton, $.35. A series of delightful wonder stories through which runs a vein of true wisdom. Arnold. Coolidge, Susan. New-year’s bargain. Little, $1.25. Twelve stories told by the months of the year. Craik, Mrs. D. M. (M.) Adventures of a brownie. Harper, $.60. Mystifying tale of a house brownie who lived in a coal cellar. Eddy, S. J., comp. Friends and helpers. Ginn, $.60. Short stories and poems chiefly about animals. Contains chapters on the care of household pets. Power. Eggleston, Edward. Stories of great Americans for little Ameri- cans. American Book Co., $.40. A collection of many noted tales with which all of our children should be familiar. It includes Franklin’s whistle, Putnam and the wolf, and Daniel Boone and his grapevine swing. Arnold. Greenaway, Kate. Under the window; pictures and rhymes for children. Warne, $1.50. Beautifully illustrated by the author. ( 7 ) 8 Grade 3. Holbrook, Florence. Book of nature myths; illus. by E. Boyd Smith. Houghton, $.65. The subject-matter is of permanent value, culled from the folk-lore of the primitive races. Preface. Lang, Andrew, ed. History of Whittington, and other stories; based on the tales of the Blue fairy book. Longmans, $.30. Other stories: The goose-girl — Trusty John — The forty thieves — The Master-maid — Aladdin and the wonderful lamp. O’Shea, M. V., ed. Six nursery classics. Heath, $.30. Contents: The house that Jack built — Mother Hubbard and her dog — Cock Robin and Jenny Wren — The old woman and her pig — Dame Wiggins of Lee and her seven wonderful cats — The three bears. Peary, Mrs. J. D. Snow baby; a true story with true pictures- Stokes, $1.20. Story of the Arctic explorer’s little daughter who was born in the far North . Gives much interesting information about the home life of the Eskimos. Segur, S. (R.) de. Story of a donkey. Heath, $.20. Humorous adventures of Neddy, the donkey, related by himself. Tappan, E. M. Dixie Kitten. Houghton, $1.00. “A true story about a real cat” who begins life in a barn and becomes a household pet. A. L. A. Booklist. Valentine, Mrs. L. (J.) Aunt Louisa’s book of fairy tales. Warne’ $ 1 . 00 . Contains story of the three little pigs, Hop o’ my thumb, Cinderella, Little Red Riding Hood, and a number of other favorites. White, E. O. When Molly was six. Houghton, $1.00. A pleasant sunny story of the simple happenings in the every-day life of a small girl Arnold. Williston, T. P. Japanese fairy tales. Rand, $.75. Brief folk stories; have an ethical and poetic value, and reflect much of the customs of the country. The grotesque, brightly colored pictures by a Japanese artist give a good idea of Japanese life. Cleveland. GRADE 4. Alcott, L. M. Under the lilacs. Little, $1.50. Story of a stray circus boy and his trick dog, veho found friends at tnt country house under the lilacs. Andersen, H. C. Stories. (Riverside literature series.) Hough- ton, $.40. Every child should know the stories of Hans Christian Andersen. Thir is one of the best cheap editions. Among the more expensive editions, one of the best translations is by Mrs. E. Lucas, published by Dutton, $2.50. One of the best editions for little children, illustrated by Helen Stratton, is puV> lished by Lippincott, $1.50. Baldwin, James. Old Greek stories. American Book Co., $.45 Any child who grows up knowing nothing of the old Greek stories suffer:- a great lack, for all great thought is largely Greek in its origin. This is one of the most pleasing of the simpler versions of these tales. Prentice and Power Brooks, E. S. True story of Benjamin Franklin. (Children' lives of great men.) Lothrop, $1.50. One of the best lives of Franklin written for children. Brown, A. F. In the days of giants; a book of Norse taler Houghton, $1.10. One of the most readable and attractive collections of Norse myths Oregon. Carroll, Lewis, pseud. Alice’s adventures in Wonderland. Mac millan, $1.00. The most delightful of all nonsense books and one that has already be come a classic. Pittsburgh. Coolidge, Susan. Eyebright. Little, $1.25. Experiences of a little girl who keeps house for her father on a lonely island. Craik, Mrs. D. M. (M.) Little lame prince; with pictures by Hope Dunlap. Rand , $1.25. Little Prince Dolor, shut up in a lonely tower, was befriended by a good fairy. His many wonderful adventures furnish the details of a story in which children delight. Greene, F. N. Legends of King Arthur and his court. Ginn, $.60. These legends, based on Tennyson’s Idylls of the King, give excellent pictures of feudal times. 10 Grade 4. Grimm, J. L. K. & W. K. Household stories; tr. by Lucy Crane. Macmillan, $1.50. Carefully selected and well illustrated. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. Wonder-book for girls and boys; with il- lustrations. in black and white by Walter Crane. Houghton, $.75. Hawthorne’s beautiful retelling of the classical myths, with the addition of some of his own quaint fancies, is so well known as scarcely to need remark. Prentice and Power. Hodges, George. When the King came; stories from the four Gospels. Houghton, $1.25. Life of Christ told in a simple way with much of the dignity and richness of the Bible narrative. The original atmosphere has been kept to an unusual degree. Power , Kipling, Rudyard. Just so stories. Doubleday, $1.20. These stories, which attempt to answer many puzzling “Hows” and “Whys,” are enjoyed by all children who can read and who have a keen sense of humor. Lang, Andrew, ed. Blue fairy book. Longman’s $2.00. This first volume of Andrew Lang’s colored fairy books contains the bet- ter known tales from the folk-lore of many nations, and is, like the others of this series, attractively illustrated. Arnold. Lorenzini, Carlo. Pinocchio, the adventures of a marionette. Ginn, $.50. Of all the fairy stories of Italian literature this is the best known and the best loved. Preface. Miller, O. T. First book of birds. Houghton, $1.00. Intended to interest children in birds by an account of their habits of eat- ing, sleeping, nesting, etc., with illustrative anecdotes s many from original observations. Black and white and colored pictures Audubon Society. Morley, M. W. Bee people. McClurg, $1.25. One of the most successful nature books ever written for children . Miss Morley combines very happily the playfulness in which children delight with serious instruction. Prentice and Power. Sewell, Anna. Black Beauty; the autobiography of a horse. Lothrop, $1.00. The reading of this story inculcates a spirit of kindness for horses and gives a keener appreciation of their intelligence. Grade 4 — Grade 5. 11 Spyri, Johann. Heidi; translated from the German by Helen B. Dole; illus. in color and black and white. Ginn, $1.50. A delightful story of child life on the mountains of Switzerland. Its chief charm lies in the author‘s harmonious pictures of the child Heidi and the out-of-door life about her. Prentice and Power. Stein, Evaleen. A little shepherd of Provence. Page, $1.00. How a little shepherd who lived many hundred years ago was rewarded for befriending a stranger knight who had escaped from a castle dungeon. GRADE 5. Alcott, L. M. Jack and Jill. Little, $1.50. This story shows the possibility of hearty, sensible boy and girl friend- ship. Power. Alden, W. L. Moral pirates. Harper, $.60. Story of the good times of four New York boys who spend a summer cruising on the Hudson river and Adirondack lakes. The sequels to this book are the Cruise of the Ghost and the Cruise of the Canoe club. Ball, Sir R. S. Star-land: being talks with young people about the wonders of the heavens. Ginn, $1.00. Interesting to children and to older readers. Barr, Mrs. A. E. Michael and Theodora. Bradley, $.75. A story of two Russian children whose father and mother were exiled to Siberia. Blaisdell, A. F. Stories from English history from the earliest times to the present day. Ginn, $.65. Some of the most important events of English history are described in a simple, graphic style. Channon, F. E. An American boy at Henley. Little, $1.50. Spirited story ot a boy’s first year in an English public school. His in- troduction to British school traditions, sports and slang affords an interesting contrast to American school life. N. Y. Coolidge, Susan, pseud. What Katy did. Little, $1.25. A series of wholesome, happy stories that have long been popular. The volumes of this series succeed one another in the following order: What Katy did, What Katy did at school, What Katy did next, Clover, and In the High Valley. Wisconsin. Dodge, Mrs. M. (M.) Hans Brinker. Scribner, $1.50. Dutch patience, loyalty and steadfastness stand out clearly in this story as well as the externals of Dutch landscape and society. Through many hardships Hans, Gretel, their brave mother, and their injured father come to good fortune and happiness. Prentice and Power. 12 Grade 5. Ewing, Mrs. J. H. Jackanapes. Houghton, $.25. The self-sacrifice of an English soldier boy. Finnemore, John. Switzerland. (Peeps at many lands.) Mac- millan, $.75. Description of country, peasant’s homes, famous lakes, some of the legends, story of the fight for freedom, mountain climbing, Swiss sports, the chamois, the Fohn. A. L. A. Booklist. Grinnell, G. B. Jack, the young ranchman; or, A boy’s adven- tures in the Rockies. Stokes, $1.25. Jack came West from his New York home, and he learned to ride, shoot, collect Indian relics and do many interesting things on the ranch. Hill, C. T. Fighting a fire. Century, $1.50. Account of the organization, methods, dangers, and heroism of the New York fire department. A. L. A. Catalog. Kipling, Rudyard. Jungle book. Century, $1.50. Fascinating stories of animal life which reveal the secrets of the East Indian jungle. Followed by the Second jungle book. Lagerlof, S. O. L. Wonderful adventures of Nils. Doubleday, $1.50. Delightful tale of a small boy’s journey with the wild geese on their spring migratory flight to the Northland. Contains much information about Sweden. Lear, Edward. Nonsense books. 4v. in 1. Little, $2.00. Contents: A book of nonsense — Nonsense songs, stories, botany and alpha- bets — More nonsense pictures, rhymes, botany, etc. — Laughable lyrics. Mabie, H. W. Heroes every child should know; tales for young people of the world’s heroes in all ages. (Every child should know series.) Doubleday, $.90. From Perseus and Hercules to Abraham Lincoln — the heroism of charac- ter as well as of brave deeds. Oregon. Moores, C. W. Life of Abraham Lincoln for boys and^girls. (Riverside literature series.) Houghton, $.60. The facts of this short biography are well selected and interestingly told ; it gives an excellent insight into the character and personality of Lincoln. A. L. A. Booklist. Pyle, Howard. Some merry adventures of Robin Hood. (School reading.) Scribner, $.50. An account of the daring deeds of that bold adventurer, Robin Hood, and his life in Sherwood forest with his loyal band of seven score yeomen. This edition is an abridgement from Pyle’s larger book which is published by Scribner at $3.00. Wherever possible this latter edition should be used. Grade 5 — Grade 6. 13 Richards, L. E. Quicksilver Sue. Century, $1.00. Story of an impetuous little girl who loves novelty and show and rushes into a friendship that promises to gratify this love, only to learn that the true love of the plain old friends is best after all. Prentice and Power. Stoddard, W. O. Talking leaves; an Indian story. Harper, $.60. Story of a white girl’s captivity among the Indians and how she escaped. Pittsburgh. GRADE 6. Alcott, L. M. Little women. Little, $1.50. The best story of American home life written for girls. Aldrich, T. B. Story of a bad boy. Houghton, $1.25. A story of New England boyhood, so full of personal reminiscences of the author’s own youthful days and so true to boy ideals that it has become immortal. Prentice and Power. Arabian nights, their best-known tales; ed. by Kate Douglass Wiggin and Nora Archibald Smith; illus. by Maxfield Parrish. Scribner, $2.50. The standard of selection, the beautiful illustrations, and the excellent makeup are the features which recommend this edition as an appropriate book for a child’s library. Austin, O. P. Uncle Sam’s secrets; a story of national affairs* Appleton, $.75. Much interesting information about currency, the mint, railway postal service, foreign mail, banking, and revenue systems conveyed in story form. Pittsburgh. Baker, R. S. Boy’s book of inventions; stories of the wonders of modem science. Doubleday, $2.00. Graphic, concise, untechnical descriptions of sub-marine boats, liquid air, wireless telegraphy, automobiles, X-ray photography, tailless kites, the phonograph, the modern skyscraper, and flying machine. A. L. A. Catalog. Baldwin, James. Story of Siegfried. Scribner, $1.50. Many of the Norse myths are given in this account of the adventures of the hero of the Nibelungen-lied. Barbour, R. H. Four in camp. Appleton, $1.50. The “Big Four” are boys — good comrades — who have a rollicking time together in the summer camp at Wickasaw. Four afoot is the sequel to it. Bostock, F. C. Training of wild animals. Century, $1.00. The author is one of the greatest of wild animal trainers. He tells how lions, tigers and other wild beasts are taught to do tricks, about their traits in captivity, and about the hazardous lives of their trainers. Pittsburgh. 14 Grade 6. Crichton, Mrs. F. E. Peep-in-the-world. Longmans, $1.25. Story of a little English girl who spends a year in her uncle’s castle in Germany. Deland, E. D. Katrina. Wilde, $1.50. Katrina’s experiences with summer boarders at the Perkins’ farm. Harris, J. C. Nights with Uncle Remus. Houghton, $1.50. Adventures of Brer Rabbit and Sly Brer Fox, just as Uncle Remus told them to the “little boy”. Pittsburgh. Hoffman, Franz. Little dauphin, translated from the German by George P. Upton. (Life stories for young people.) Mc- Clurg, $.60. Pathetic story of Louis Charles, second son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Jewett, S. O. Betty Leicester. Houghton, $1.25. A young girl’s summer in a New England country town after a life of travel abroad. N. Y. Kipling, Rudyard. Captains courageous; a story of the Grand Banks. Century, $1.50. A boy’s experience aboard a fishing smack off the coast of Newfoundland. Knapp, Adeline. The boy and the baron. Century, $1.00. Story of the conquest of some robber barons. MacLeod, Mary. Book of King Arthur and his noble knights; stories from Sir Thomas Malory’s Morte D’ Arthur. Stokes, $1.50. Attractive version of the most delightful romances of the Middle Ages. Prentice and Power. Marshall, H. E. Scotland’s story. Stokes, $2.50. Scottish history in story form, enriched with legend and poetry; of un- common charm and value. A. L. A. Booklist. Seelye, E. E. Story of Washington. Appleton, $1.75. Tells many stories and anecdotes of Washington’s life and contains many illustrations. Pittsburgh. Stoddard, W. O. Little Smoke. Appleton, $1.50. A story of the Custer massacre. Twain, Mark (pseud, of S. L. Clemens.) Prince and the pauper. Harper, $1.75. Through a misadventure the boy, afterward Edward VI of England, changes places with a street waif. This book is an account of their adven- tures. N. Y. GRADE 7. Barbour, R. H. The half-back. Appleton, $1.50. Tale of a preparatory school and a freshman year at Harvard. Closes with account of a Yale-Harvard football game. Pittsburgh. Brooks, E. S. Master of the Strong Hearts. Dutton, $1.50.‘ A thrilling Indian story of General Custer’s last battle in the valley of the Little Big Horn against the Sioux tribe under Sitting Bull. Bullen, F. T. Cruise of the Cachalot around the world after sperm whales. Appleton, $1.50. An English sailor’s cruise in a New Bedford whaler. Spirited, graphic picture of methods, dangers and delights. N. Y. Bunyan, John. Pilgrim’s progress. Scribner, $2.50. This will not be read by many children, but to an occasional child it will be one of the books of his life. Cleveland. Cervantes-Saavedra, Miguel de. Don Quixote of the Mancha; retold by Judge Parry and illustrated in color by Walter Crane. Lane, $1.50. An attractive edition of this famous old Spanish classic. Follows the text of one of the best English translations. Dorr, J. C. R. In King’s houses. Page, $1.50. A romance of the days of Queen Anne. Du Chaillu, Paul. Land of the long night. Scribner, $2.00. Record of a winter journey through Sweden, to the extreme end of the European mainland. Abounds in interesting incidents and gives excellent de- scriptions of the picturesque life of the people. Ellis, K. R. Wide Awake girls. Little, $1.50. Story of home and school life, with travel in Germany and in the West. The sequels are Wide Awake girls in Winsted and Wide Awake girls at college. Foa, Mme. Eugenie. Boy life of Napoleon, afterwards emperor of the French; adapted and extended for American boys and girls by E. S. Brooks. Lothrop, $1.25. Napoleon’s experiences as a “king’s scholar” in Paris and as lieutenant of an artillery regiment, are also described. Madam Foa’s work is historically accurate and her style very interesting. Arnold. French, H. H. Lance of Kanana. Lothrop, $1.00. One of the best stories of Arabian life for children. Tells how Kanana, a brave Bedouin boy, gave up his life for his tribe. Hale, L. P. Peterkin papers. Houghton, $1.50. Humerous adventures of the Peterkin family in their search for wisdom. (15) 16 Grade 7. Haines, A. C. Luck of the Dudley Grahams, as related in ex- tracts from Elizabeth Graham’s diary. Holt, $1.50. Story of a family of boys and girls and their effort to help a widowed mother in the support of the family. A. L. A. Booklist. Lummis, C. F. Some strange corners of our country. Century, $1.50. Southwestern United States with its wonderful scenery and curious Indian customs is described in a manner interesting to children and adults. Moffett, Cleveland. Careers of danger and daring. Century, $1.50. It is the aim of this book to present the heroic deeds of men whose daily occupations require courage, steady nerve, and presence of mind. Nash, Mrs. H. A. Polly’s secret. Little, $1.50. Romantic story of a New England girl who kept a secret. Otis, James. Amateur fireman. Dutton, $1.50. A boy’s experience in the New York fire department. Pier, A. S. Crashaw brothers. Houghton, $1.50. Athletic and boarding school life of two brothers, one rowing and playing football for St. Timothy’s, the other for St. John’s. A wholesome, virile story permeated with the spirit of fair play. A. L. A. Booklist. Pyle, Howard. Men of iron. Harper, $2.00. Myles Falworth becomes a retainer in the castle of an English Lord. The story tells how he was trained for knighthood, how he avenged his father’s wrongs, and restored the honor of his house. Twain, Mark (pseud, of S. L. Clemens.) Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Harper, $1.75. Most of the adventures recorded in this book really occurred; one or two were experiences of my own, the rest those of boys who were schoolmates of mine. Huck Finn is drawn from life; Tom Sawyer, also, but not from an individual — he is a combination of three boys whom I knew, and therefore belongs to a composite order of architecture. Preface. Zollinger, Gulielma. A boy’s ride. McClurg, $1.50. An account of the perilous journey of a young boy, who, accompanied by an old Saxon servant, gives the spies of King John a merry chase, and saves the life of a young lord. GRADE 8. Blackmore, R. D. Lorna Doone, a romance of Exmoor. Crowell, $1.50. Tale of the savage deeds of the out-law Doones and of honest John Ridd, yeoman of the downs, whose chance encounter with Lorna makes him a sol- dier and a knight. N. Y. Brown, H. D. Two college girls. Houghton, $1.25. College life with its class-room dilemmas, spreads and holiday merry- making. Pittsburgh. Burroughs, John. Birds and bees, Sharp eyes, and other papers. Houghton, $.40. A collection of his best nature essays, charming in style, accurate in ob- servation, and adapted to the understanding and vocabulary of a child. Oregon. Cooper, J. F. Leather stocking tales. 5v. (Mohawk ed.) Put- nam, $1.25 ea. 1. Deerslayer, 2. Last of the Mohicans, 3. Pathfinder, 4. Pioneers, 5. Prairie, The charm of Cooper’s Indian stories lasts from one generation to another . Defoe, Daniel. Life and strange surprising adventures of Robin- son Crusoe. Houghton, $1,50. The greatest story of a man shipwrecked on a desert island. Delacombe, Harry. Boys’ book of airships. Stokes, $2.00. Treats of' balloons and ballooning in war and sport, of airships, kites, gliders, and aeroplanes. Dickens, Charles. Old curiosity shop. Macmillan, $1.00. Little Nell, Dick Swiveller, Mr. Toots, and Tommy Traddles, are attract- ive characters who will serve to introduce Charles Dickens to young people . Drysdale, William. Beaeh patrol; a story of the life-saving serv- ice. Wilde, $1.50. An excellent picture of life at one of the United States life saving stations Ewing, J. H. (G.) Six to sixteen. Little, $1.00. One of the best stories of life at an English girls’ boarding school. Goss, W. L. Jed. Crowell, $.75. The incidents of the book are real ones, drawn in part from the writer’s personal experiences and observations, as a soldier of the Union, during the war. Preface. 18 Grade 8. Hughes, Thomas. Tom Brown’s school days. (Cranford ed.) Macmillan, $1.50. Every American boy should be interested in the cricket matches, the hare and hound races, and the escapades described in this story of the famous English school, Rugby. Pier, A. S. Boys of St. Timothy’s. Scribner, $1.25. Athletic stories, which in their conservative and cumulative interest, dis- play the best qualities of boy character — the manliness, kindliness, humor and affection of the American boy. Oregon. Pyle, Howard. Story of Jack Ballister’s fortunes. Century, $2.00. Being the narrative of the adventures of a young gentleman of good family, who was kidnapped in the year 1719 and carried to the plantations of the continent of Virginia, where he fell in with that famous pirate, Captain Edward Teach or Blackbeard; of his escape from the pirates and the rescue of a young lady from out their hands. Sub-title. Rolt-Wheeler, Francis. Boy with the U. S. SUrvey. (U. S. serv- ice series.) Lothrop, $1.50. Recounts some of the important work being done by the U. S. Geological Survey in the guise of a story of a sturdy boy’s experience with different de- tachments of the Survey working in the swamps of Minnesota, in the Arizona canyons and deserts, and in Alaskan wilds. A. L. A. Booklist. Scott, Sir Walter. Kenilworth. (Luxembourg ed.) Crowell, $1.50. The tragic Elizabethian story of Leicester and Amy Robsart. It is not beyond the comprehension of most young people of fourteen. Arnold. Seaman, A. H. Jacqueline of the carrier pigeons. Sturgis, $1.25. A story of the siege of Leyden, in which a girl heroine and her young brother play a prominent part. Slocum, Josiah. Sailing alone around the world. Century, $2.00. The author built his sloop, the Spray, and took the interesting, unusual journey of which he writes. Stevenson, R. L. Treasure island. Scribner, $1.25. Stevenson’s fascinating tale of adventure is already a classic. Nothing of the sort, perhaps, since Robinson Crusoe, has so appealed to both old boys and young ones. Arnold. Wiggin, K. D. Rebecca of Sunnybrook farm. Houghton, $1.25. Rebecca is one of Mrs. Wiggin’s most charming characters. This is the story of her life at the home of her aunts. Yonge, C. M. Dove in the eagle’s nest. Macmillan, $1.25. How the little burgher maiden, Christina, became mistress of Schloss Adlerstein and how the Debateable Ford was changed to the Friendly Bridge. Pittsburgh. THE PUBLIC LIBRARY COMMISSION OF INDIANA. The Public Library Commission, by whom this list is pub- lished, is a department of the State government established for the purpose of furthering library extension. Its business is to encourage the organization of public libraries in the different parts of Indiana, to assist in their development, and to circulate free traveling libraries to clubs, societies, schools, etc., which do not have access to good local libraries. Its services are free. Anyone interested in the establishment or improvement of a pub- lic library, or in borrowing traveling library books, is invited to write the Secretary at 104 State House, Indianapolis. MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION. J. P. Dunn, Indianapolis, President. Mrs. E. C. Earl, Connersville. W. W. Parsons, Terre Haute. EXECUTIVE STAFF. Carl H. Milam, Secretary and State Organizer. Carrie E. Scott, Assistant State Organizer. Ora Williams, Assistant State Organizer. Helen Davis, Librarian, Traveling Libraries. Elizabeth B. Noel, Assistant.