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BOY WITH A PACK
Set in 1837, this work of historical fiction for young people follows the journey of seventeen-year-old trader Bill Crawford from New Hampshire to the Ohio Country.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1939
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About the author
Stephen W. Meader
67 books21 followersStephen W. Meader (May 2, 1892 – July 18, 1977) was the author of over forty novels for young readers. His optimistic stories generally tended to either concern young men developing independent businesses in the face of adversity, or else young men caught up in adventures during different periods in American history.
Meader graduated from Haverford College in Philadelphia in 1913, and initially worked in Newark, New Jersey as a cruelty officer with the Essex County Children's Aid Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and by 1915 was working for the Big Brother Movement. After working for a Chicago publishing house in 1916, he took a position with the Circulation Department of the Curtis Publishing Company in Philadelphia, eventually reaching the position of Editor of the Sales Division publications. His first novel, The Black Buccaneer, was the first juvenile publication of the newly founded Harcourt, Brace and Howe.
Meader graduated from Haverford College in Philadelphia in 1913, and initially worked in Newark, New Jersey as a cruelty officer with the Essex County Children's Aid Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, and by 1915 was working for the Big Brother Movement. After working for a Chicago publishing house in 1916, he took a position with the Circulation Department of the Curtis Publishing Company in Philadelphia, eventually reaching the position of Editor of the Sales Division publications. His first novel, The Black Buccaneer, was the first juvenile publication of the newly founded Harcourt, Brace and Howe.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
November 14, 2024
Boy With a Pack exemplifies Stephen W. Meader's writing style. First published in 1939, the story follows the lone journey of almost-seventeen-year-old Bill Crawford as he crosses the United States from New Hampshire to Ohio in the early 1800s in hopes of a career as a peddler of wares. The future looks none too bright for Bill if he hangs around home; with nought but a low-paying, back-breaking job in manual labor awaiting him in New Hampshire, his chances of prospering look pretty bleak unless he shakes things up and takes an alternative route. That's exactly what Bill has decided to do by becoming a peddler, parting ways with his family and setting off by himself a quarter of the way across the U.S. mainland, with no guarantee anyone will purchase his products or even receive him cordially. Stephen W. Meader made a career of crafting this type of teen novel, and in Boy With a Pack he got the storytelling mixture just right to catch the fancy of the 1940 John Newbery Committee, who cited this book as a runner-up for the Newbery Medal to James Daugherty's Daniel Boone. A warm, perceptive, and honest book, it's not hard to see why Newbery liked Boy With a Pack. I only wish more of today's readers were familiar with it.
It's a lonesome undertaking, venturing solo into the world when you've never been completely on your own. But Bill knows it's his best shot at the life he wants, so he gathers his resolve and treks westward with nothing but a pack of salable items on his back and a small bag of rations prepared by his sister. His childhood is ending, and Bill can't rely on the former failsafes of his parents and older siblings to protect him against the wiles of the grownup world he's about to meet. Having out of necessity severed ties to every person on earth who knows and cares about him, Bill now depends on his own hard work and the kindness of strangers to keep food in his belly as he journeys near and far, but he isn't fated to remain alone for long before providence lends a companion to hit the trail beside him. With everything that matters of Bill's old life left behind in New Hampshire, he starts forming new connections right away, slowly strengthening them until they mean as much as his erstwhile relationships. Along the way he'll learn who to trust with his life, and who to be wary of from first handshake. Good, hardworking men and thieving rapscallions populate the nation's trade routes in equal numbers, and villains will be salivating at the opportunity of bilking a greenhorn like Bill.
America of the early 1800s is a land with much left to be explored, including the majority of the west coast, but Bill and his growing number of companions on the road have all they can handle just traversing the country's northeastern section. The United States has systemic rifts to be set right and scores to be settled among its idealistic populace, and transport of escaped slaves along the Underground Railroad is but one in-house controversy Bill will be confronted with on his travels, requiring that he choose a definite side on the issue and stick by his convictions when the pressure mounts against him. There are threats galore to a boy of conscience alone on the rural highways and byways of nineteenth-century America, and Bill must earn the experience to spot and circumvent these threats when they arise, though the learning curve won't be fast or easy. With an open mind and willingness to accept his new friends as loved ones, Bill has already begun settling into the life he knew he wanted at the start of his odyssey. He has a long way to go before he's ready to stop wandering, but the design is set and well on its way to hardening less than fifty pages into the story, and it's a beautiful design that could become a nice family scene someday if everything goes according to plan. At a time when family and friends living more than a few miles apart were hard-pressed to stay in communication, but an ideological teen could hit the road and transform his future with hard work and grit, it's no wonder Bill finds the opportunity he wished for in life. America always was the land of the free and the home of the brave.
There's some quality content in Boy With a Pack, and I'm not surprised it was a 1940 Newbery Honoree. The novel takes a quietly principled stance on racial equality, at a time when such opinions weren't popular everywhere in the U.S. I appreciate the book's casual appraisal of Bill's view on African Americans: "They were folks, not so very different from white folks." There are shades of To Kill a Mockingbird in that line, one might say, twenty-one years before Harper Lee's classic was published. But there's an underlying wistfulness about Bill's cross-country journey that moved me at every part of the story. I strongly identify with his uncertainty as he packs up and leaves behind the life he loved, everything that made his first nearly seventeen years of life what they were. Bill's going somewhere foreign with no way to predict what's ahead, no way of knowing if he'll be accepted or rejected, if his friendship and love will be held dear by the people in this new region of America. Leaving what's familiar to head toward so many question marks is frightening, but Bill's experience on the road shows that it doesn't have to be so bad. There are individuals wherever he goes who come to care about him, just like when he was growing up with his parents and brothers and sisters. He's building his own life now, but it's a life unquestionably worth building, without tears or regret for the yesterdays he is bidding goodbye. As we read near the conclusion of the narrative, "He had a feeling, as he marched along, that he was nearing the end of a long journey. It seemed queer to him that he should have no wish to go back to his old home. And yet he knew there wasn't much for him there." It's a hopeful, helpful picture of moving forward, to be recalled whenever we must step out in faith in a big way in our own lives, and it's why I won't forget Boy With a Pack. I reckon I'll always be obliged to this book.
Stephen W. Meader's writing is straightforward, but sometimes surprisingly lovely, fitting for a Newbery author. Popular acclaim for his novels didn't carry over to future generations, which is lamentable, but he left a sizable batch of sturdy works to be loved and enjoyed by readers lucky enough to get their hands on them. I would give Boy With a Pack two and a half stars, and I hope the book's Newbery Honor designation continues guiding readers its way for time immemorial. As long as humans still embark on voyages to strange new places and need their failing courage bolstered, young Bill Crawford's journey to claim his destiny will serve as vital encouragement. And that's a worthy end for any book.
It's a lonesome undertaking, venturing solo into the world when you've never been completely on your own. But Bill knows it's his best shot at the life he wants, so he gathers his resolve and treks westward with nothing but a pack of salable items on his back and a small bag of rations prepared by his sister. His childhood is ending, and Bill can't rely on the former failsafes of his parents and older siblings to protect him against the wiles of the grownup world he's about to meet. Having out of necessity severed ties to every person on earth who knows and cares about him, Bill now depends on his own hard work and the kindness of strangers to keep food in his belly as he journeys near and far, but he isn't fated to remain alone for long before providence lends a companion to hit the trail beside him. With everything that matters of Bill's old life left behind in New Hampshire, he starts forming new connections right away, slowly strengthening them until they mean as much as his erstwhile relationships. Along the way he'll learn who to trust with his life, and who to be wary of from first handshake. Good, hardworking men and thieving rapscallions populate the nation's trade routes in equal numbers, and villains will be salivating at the opportunity of bilking a greenhorn like Bill.
America of the early 1800s is a land with much left to be explored, including the majority of the west coast, but Bill and his growing number of companions on the road have all they can handle just traversing the country's northeastern section. The United States has systemic rifts to be set right and scores to be settled among its idealistic populace, and transport of escaped slaves along the Underground Railroad is but one in-house controversy Bill will be confronted with on his travels, requiring that he choose a definite side on the issue and stick by his convictions when the pressure mounts against him. There are threats galore to a boy of conscience alone on the rural highways and byways of nineteenth-century America, and Bill must earn the experience to spot and circumvent these threats when they arise, though the learning curve won't be fast or easy. With an open mind and willingness to accept his new friends as loved ones, Bill has already begun settling into the life he knew he wanted at the start of his odyssey. He has a long way to go before he's ready to stop wandering, but the design is set and well on its way to hardening less than fifty pages into the story, and it's a beautiful design that could become a nice family scene someday if everything goes according to plan. At a time when family and friends living more than a few miles apart were hard-pressed to stay in communication, but an ideological teen could hit the road and transform his future with hard work and grit, it's no wonder Bill finds the opportunity he wished for in life. America always was the land of the free and the home of the brave.
There's some quality content in Boy With a Pack, and I'm not surprised it was a 1940 Newbery Honoree. The novel takes a quietly principled stance on racial equality, at a time when such opinions weren't popular everywhere in the U.S. I appreciate the book's casual appraisal of Bill's view on African Americans: "They were folks, not so very different from white folks." There are shades of To Kill a Mockingbird in that line, one might say, twenty-one years before Harper Lee's classic was published. But there's an underlying wistfulness about Bill's cross-country journey that moved me at every part of the story. I strongly identify with his uncertainty as he packs up and leaves behind the life he loved, everything that made his first nearly seventeen years of life what they were. Bill's going somewhere foreign with no way to predict what's ahead, no way of knowing if he'll be accepted or rejected, if his friendship and love will be held dear by the people in this new region of America. Leaving what's familiar to head toward so many question marks is frightening, but Bill's experience on the road shows that it doesn't have to be so bad. There are individuals wherever he goes who come to care about him, just like when he was growing up with his parents and brothers and sisters. He's building his own life now, but it's a life unquestionably worth building, without tears or regret for the yesterdays he is bidding goodbye. As we read near the conclusion of the narrative, "He had a feeling, as he marched along, that he was nearing the end of a long journey. It seemed queer to him that he should have no wish to go back to his old home. And yet he knew there wasn't much for him there." It's a hopeful, helpful picture of moving forward, to be recalled whenever we must step out in faith in a big way in our own lives, and it's why I won't forget Boy With a Pack. I reckon I'll always be obliged to this book.
Stephen W. Meader's writing is straightforward, but sometimes surprisingly lovely, fitting for a Newbery author. Popular acclaim for his novels didn't carry over to future generations, which is lamentable, but he left a sizable batch of sturdy works to be loved and enjoyed by readers lucky enough to get their hands on them. I would give Boy With a Pack two and a half stars, and I hope the book's Newbery Honor designation continues guiding readers its way for time immemorial. As long as humans still embark on voyages to strange new places and need their failing courage bolstered, young Bill Crawford's journey to claim his destiny will serve as vital encouragement. And that's a worthy end for any book.
May 28, 2015
A nice easy read. Reminds me of an early American Adam of the Road.
I was sorry to read another reviewer's ill-founded complaint about "demeaning and stereotypical" portrayals of the black ex-slaves. What would she rather have? A make-believe world where they speak perfect Latin and are insolent and resistant to those who are helping them escape? How ridiculous would that be?
I was sorry to read another reviewer's ill-founded complaint about "demeaning and stereotypical" portrayals of the black ex-slaves. What would she rather have? A make-believe world where they speak perfect Latin and are insolent and resistant to those who are helping them escape? How ridiculous would that be?
March 15, 2015
I thought that it was a pretty good book. I will disagree with some other comments people have left. The book is not racist. In my opinion, it is not racist to have a runaway slave talk like their uneducated. It is just realistic. I wish it wasn't, but telling the truth isn't always what people want to hear.
Anyway, I did enjoy the book, but the boy was more lucky than clever. He took up a notion to possibly gamble his life away and everything turned out pretty good for him. And he helped a runaway slave, helped someone find their stolen horse, got away from being killed twice, etc. Oh, well. Still worth the read.
Anyway, I did enjoy the book, but the boy was more lucky than clever. He took up a notion to possibly gamble his life away and everything turned out pretty good for him. And he helped a runaway slave, helped someone find their stolen horse, got away from being killed twice, etc. Oh, well. Still worth the read.
December 3, 2021
Read this in two sittings. Nicely paced. Good action and cliff-hanging chapter endings. And a strong independent female character!
January 18, 2024
Very sweet story, good little adventures that keep you moving along quite well entertained. Young me would have LOVED this. I'm confused as to how the escaping slaves were seen as being depicted demeaningly. They were not. Perhaps another reviewer saw the outdated words that were used in 1939 and couldn't see that the author actually writes respectfully of the escape of a young boy. Surprisingly independent and spunky young "co-star" woman for this time frame of writing!
January 16, 2013
I enjoyed this book, but then again, I seem to enjoy every book that Stephen W. Meader has written.
I agree with other reviews that it seems that Bill Crawford was a little too lucky at times on his travels.
However, I don't agree that the portrayal of the runaway slaves was demeaning in the book. Then again, I don't agree with the decision to edit Mark Twain's books either.
I agree with other reviews that it seems that Bill Crawford was a little too lucky at times on his travels.
However, I don't agree that the portrayal of the runaway slaves was demeaning in the book. Then again, I don't agree with the decision to edit Mark Twain's books either.
February 2, 2016
I just loved this book. It is a beautifully written and historically accurate portrayal of American life in 1837. Anyone who loves historical fiction about early America and settling the Old Northwest will enjoy this book. An American classic.
March 24, 2019
4.5-5 stars. Well-told historical novel of a young man (17 yrs old), Bill Crawford, who travels as a "Yankee peddler" from his home in New Hampshire into Ohio. It's 1837 and while Bill does much of the journey on foot, he is not averse to getting rides on wagons from time to time, and at one point he works as a horse driver on the Erie canal. There quite a lot of adventure on the way as Bill meets various people (a canal cook and canal boatman, a horse trader, thieves, a bear hunter, a slave owner) and acquires his family: a young dog he names Jody and a horse named Martha. The historical detail is good too. Bill leaves NH because he wants a better chance than factory work in the clothing mill will give him. The info about his work on the Erie canal and the various homesteaders he meets travelling in covered wagons all show a time when the US was heading west into new lands. Also interesting were the different cultures he encounters from the canalers, the Amish farmfolk, and the Quakers, as well as his encounter with runaway slaves. All in all, it was a good, quick, fun read, and it's a book I'd be happy to own. I read this for my 2019 Reading Challenge and my Newbery Challenge (Honor Book, 1939).
January 21, 2019
In the 1830's a young man decides to invest what little savings he has in a peddler's pack and heads west from New England to Ohio. He has all sorts of adventures, both fun and dangerous, along the way, makes new friends, helps various folks out, and decides on a path for his life.
This Newbery Honor book was surprisingly good. Bill - the main character - is easy to root for and the story moves along at a good pace, with some honest-to-goodness seat-edgy moments scattered throughout.
This Newbery Honor book was surprisingly good. Bill - the main character - is easy to root for and the story moves along at a good pace, with some honest-to-goodness seat-edgy moments scattered throughout.
March 5, 2023
This book was a delightful surprise. It's too bad this is one of the harder to find Newbery Honor books. I expected another fine but boring Westward Expansion story. This delivered engaging plot, with run-ins with a horse thief and a time on the Underground Railroad. It did not use the n-word, but even the good guys called the people escaping from slavery "darkies." Otherwise, this stands out along other Newbery books of its time.
April 25, 2018
Exciting story of the early days of America and the adventures of a young man setting out to see the world and pay his own way. Lots of things going on and the history is great. Love this book.
July 27, 2019
A historic novel where a New Hampshire boy starts selling things out of a pack in order to earn his living as he heads west. Haven't read this in some decades, but it is excellent.
December 16, 2019
One of my all-time favorite books by one of my all-time favorite authors. :) I grew up reading this book and i still love it after all these years. A great old fashioned adventure story.
February 3, 2024
Great way to travel America in 1837, by traveling with a young peddler. There are many twists and turns and a wide array of people to be met.
Want to read
June 14, 20251940 Newbery honor book
May 27, 2017
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
On an April morning in 1837, seventeen-year-old New Hampshire native Bill Crawford picks up his peddler's pack and sets off for Ohio, hoping to see some new sights and to earn more than the two dollars he could make working at the local mill. Along the way, he acquires a few animal friends, encounters unpleasant enemies in the form of a crooked horse trader and a slave owner searching for runaways, and finds a series of allies to help him reach his destination.
Though there is some hardship in the story, Boy with a Pack is mostly a feel-good adventure tale of traveling the open road, which provides the reader with insight into the way people lived in the United States prior to the Civil War. Much of the story focuses on the adventure rather than historical context, but references to factory work and involvement with escaped slaves ground the action in the specific time period and make it possible to connect the story to a history lesson. It is not quite as complete a history lesson as Adam of the Road's portrayal of medieval England, but I actually think I enjoyed this book more, because I liked its main character better. While Adam of the Road makes better assigned reading, Boy with a Pack is the more entertaining of the two novels.
Kids who complain of having to read historical novels where nothing happens will not have that objection to this book. Every chapter introduces a new and exciting episode in Bill's story, and even his down time is filled with thrilling moments, such as the birth of a new foal, and the sighting of a circus elephant. It is a bit frustrating that the story ends where it does, without a neatly tied up resolution, as I could happily have followed Bill all the way back home again, but kids will appreciate the author's decision to end the story before the action has a chance to die down.
Though the character is an older teenager, this book suits the same audience as many of Gary Paulsen's books: grades 4 to 8. It would also make a fabulous read-aloud, provided the reader is prepared to grapple with several dialects.
On an April morning in 1837, seventeen-year-old New Hampshire native Bill Crawford picks up his peddler's pack and sets off for Ohio, hoping to see some new sights and to earn more than the two dollars he could make working at the local mill. Along the way, he acquires a few animal friends, encounters unpleasant enemies in the form of a crooked horse trader and a slave owner searching for runaways, and finds a series of allies to help him reach his destination.
Though there is some hardship in the story, Boy with a Pack is mostly a feel-good adventure tale of traveling the open road, which provides the reader with insight into the way people lived in the United States prior to the Civil War. Much of the story focuses on the adventure rather than historical context, but references to factory work and involvement with escaped slaves ground the action in the specific time period and make it possible to connect the story to a history lesson. It is not quite as complete a history lesson as Adam of the Road's portrayal of medieval England, but I actually think I enjoyed this book more, because I liked its main character better. While Adam of the Road makes better assigned reading, Boy with a Pack is the more entertaining of the two novels.
Kids who complain of having to read historical novels where nothing happens will not have that objection to this book. Every chapter introduces a new and exciting episode in Bill's story, and even his down time is filled with thrilling moments, such as the birth of a new foal, and the sighting of a circus elephant. It is a bit frustrating that the story ends where it does, without a neatly tied up resolution, as I could happily have followed Bill all the way back home again, but kids will appreciate the author's decision to end the story before the action has a chance to die down.
Though the character is an older teenager, this book suits the same audience as many of Gary Paulsen's books: grades 4 to 8. It would also make a fabulous read-aloud, provided the reader is prepared to grapple with several dialects.
May 25, 2012
For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. However, I did not at all like the demeaning and stereotypical portrayal of the two runaway slaves Bill encounters. (Fortunately Bill didn't meet an Native Americans, as I'm sure they would have received similar treatment!) If the author had portrayed the black man and boy more sensitively, I might have given the book 4 stars. However, the book was published in 1939, and many cultural depictions in books of that era are appalling, so I am at least grateful that they were no worse than they are. Things seem to work out rather too well and too easily for our hero, but his journey was still quite interesting.
October 17, 2024
This was a solid four-star book until closer to the end when you realize the real significance of the title. Bill leaves home and goes west, selling things from his pack as he goes and meeting all sorts of people, good and bad alike. The further west and south he goes, the more he learns about runaway slaves and the underground railroad. Great writing and story. I really enjoyed the characters.
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August 28, 2008for my review of this book see my blog www.newberyquest.blogspot.com
February 17, 2012
This was another boy adventure book but I felt that the main character was rather conveniently taken care of on his travels.
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October 22, 20144216f5d0-4a2e-4d51-8900-7bad4f1bebb9
January 30, 2015
A lot of stuff happens the a young man who sets out from home as a peddler.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews