Don Strong, Patrol Leader

The election is over, and the Wolf Patrol has chosen Don Strong as their new leader. But Tim Lally, passed over for the job, has a hot temper and a grudge. When the Scoutmaster announces a competition for the coveted patrol cup, both boys must learn what it really means to lead, not through force or showy bravery, but through loyalty, discipline, and the willingness to put the patrol above personal glory. Heyliger, writing in an era when Scouting was still new and revolutionary, captures something genuine about boyhood: the fierce desire to prove oneself, the complicated bonds of friendship tested by competition, and the slow, sometimes painful growth into responsibility. Don faces a choice: win the cup and prove himself right, or discover what it truly costs to be a leader. The result is a story that understands how a boy becomes a man, not through grand gestures, but through the small, daily decisions of honor and persistence.