The Boy Trapper

"The Boy Trapper" by Harry Castlemon is a novel written in the late 19th century. The story centers around David Evans, a resourceful young boy determined to improve his family's struggling situation by trapping quails. The narrative delves into themes of family, ambition, and rivalry, particularly highlighting David's interactions with his indolent brother Dan and the brash newcomer Lester Brigham, who threatens David's plans. At the start of the novel, David grapples with the fallout from his father's reckless behavior during the war and the struggles of keeping his family afloat. His father’s absence leaves the burden of responsibility on David and his mother, as they try to piece together a living amid financial hardships. The opening chapters introduce David's determination to capture quails for a lucrative order while navigating the conflicts posed by Dan, who desires a share of the potential earnings, and Lester, who seeks to sabotage David's efforts. The challenges that arise set the stage for a blend of adventure, loyalty, and the quest for self-sufficiency in a post-war landscape. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Charles Austin Fosdick, better known by his nom de plume Harry Castlemon, was a prolific writer of juvenile stories and novels, intended mainly for boys. He was born in Randolph, New York, and received a high school diploma from Central High School in Buffalo, New York. He served in the Union Navy from 1862 to 1865, during the American Civil War, acting as the receiver and superintendent of coal for the Mississippi River Squadron. Fosdick had begun to write as a teenager, and drew on his experiences serving in the Navy in such early novels as Frank on a Gunboat (1864) and Frank on the Lower Mississippi (1867). He soon became the most-read author for boys in the post-Civil War era, the golden age of children's literature.