Penrod and Sam

Set in the last lazy summer before the Great War, this sequel to Tarkington's beloved Penrod follows ten-year-old Penrod Schofield and his best friend Sam Williams as they plunge headlong into mischief that threatens to destroy everything in their path. The boys stage epic fencing battles with wooden swords that careen through the neighborhood, attempt dangerous stunts with a loaded pistol, and hatch a secret society complete with dubious "nishiation" rituals. They steal food for a starving horse hidden in an empty stable, try to fish a cat from a cistern using a pair of trousers, and inevitably bring chaos to Miss Amy Rennsdale's dance. What elevates Tarkington's portrait beyond mere nostalgia is his clear-eyed affection for the species of heroism that children invent: the earnest schemes, the swaggering ignorance of consequence, the fierce loyalty that makes every disaster a shared adventure. These are boys who believe themselves dangerous and sophisticated, and the gap between their self-image and reality is where the comedy burns brightest. More than a century later, Penrod and Sam endures because it captures something true about the way childhood feels from the inside: the urgency, the imagination, the absolute certainty that the world is your sword and your kingdom.