6 h 17 minAudiobook6 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 6 h 17 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
How does a boy with little money fight for justice and a better life?
Ralph Nelson starts with little and must make his way toward something better. In Edward Stratemeyer's The Young Bridge-Tender; Or, Ralph Nelson's Upward Struggle, a bridge forms part of his working world. His fight for justice, inheritance, and a new life in the city gives that struggle its stakes.
This boys' novel places effort, fair dealing, and hope among working people and the pressures of city life. Ralph's upward struggle invites you into an old-fashioned adventure where getting ahead is not the only thing that matters. Honest work and the wish for fair treatment give his search for a better future its heart.
What you’ll discover
- A boy worth following Meet Ralph Nelson, a young hero whose poor start leaves him much to overcome.
- The dignity of work Explore a world where honest effort matters in the climb toward a better life.
- A fight for fairness Follow a struggle that places justice alongside the hope of getting ahead.
- The pull of the city Look toward a new life shaped by the demands and pressures of city living.
- Old-fashioned adventure and hope Discover the appeal of a plucky young hero who must make his own way.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy old-fashioned adventure with a brave, honest hero, lake sloops, village rivalries, lively villains, and a boy finding his way in the great city of New York.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A Missing Deed and a Bridge Job
- A Toll, a Fight, and a Lost Bill
- Smashed Windows and a Heroic Rescue
- A Storm, a Stranger, and Job Hunting
- A Robbery and a Pocketknife
- Squire Paget Pays a Visit
- Two Passengers Bound for Three Top Island
- A Country Boy in the Big City
- Honesty, Money, and How It Is Told
Who’s who
- Ralph NelsonA brave, honest young bridge tender and boatman who wants to keep his mother safe, find the lost land papers and earn his way up.
- Mrs. NelsonRalph's widowed mother, a kind seamstress who holds the bridge post in name and wants to keep her cottage and her son's good name.
- Squire PagetThe proud, scheming head of the village board who wants to protect his son's name and control the waterfront land.
- Percy PagetThe squire's spoiled, arrogant son who bullies Ralph and hopes to win Julia Carrington's favor.
- Horace KelseyA well-off New York insurance broker whom Ralph rescues and who becomes his loyal friend and possible employer.
- Bob SandersonAn old fisherman and boat repairer who helps at the bridge, boards with the Nelsons and stands by Ralph.
- Julia CarringtonThe kind daughter of a rich family who thanks Ralph for stopping a runaway team and sees through Percy.
- Uriah DicksA miserly general storekeeper who sides with whoever has money and power and cares most about his cash drawer.
Formats and delivery
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- The same book in bigger, clearer type, once the book texts are online.
- Audiobook
- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 6 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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Der junge Brückenwärter; oder: Ralph Nelsons Kampf nach oben in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Der junge Brückenwärter; oder: Ralph Nelsons Kampf nach oben
by Edward Stratemeyer · 1895
Ralph Nelson, a young bridge tender, battles a scheming squire for his family's land, and the trail leads to New York.
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In short
A poor boy swings a drawbridge open for passing boats and finds that doing right can cost him everything. Ralph Nelson tends the bridge between sleepy Westville and busy Eastport, collecting tolls to keep his widowed mother fed.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Missing Deed and a Bridge Job
Ralph Nelson lives with his mother in a cottage by the bridge. His father bought a strip of waterfront land, but the sale was never recorded and the papers have vanished. Squire Paget, who heads the village board, doubts the purchase ever happened.
Ralph took over the bridge job when his father died. It pays six dollars a week. Eastport booms across the channel, while Westville lags behind. Land near the bridge could soon be valuable, and that gives the lost papers their weight.
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What is The Young Bridge-Tender about?
It follows Ralph Nelson, a boy who tends a lake drawbridge in the village of Westville. He fights a scheming squire over missing land papers, faces a post office robbery charge, and ends up on a dangerous trip to New York.
Who is Squire Paget in The Young Bridge-Tender?
Squire Paget is the powerful head of the Westville village board and the father of Percy. He is rich, proud and stubborn, and he uses his influence against Ralph and his mother because of a hidden plan about the waterfront land.
Who is Horace Kelsey?
Horace Kelsey is a young insurance broker from New York whom Ralph rescues when his sloop hits the bridge pier. He rewards Ralph, believes his story and later offers him help, advice and a place in his office.
The author
Edward Stratemeyer
1862–1930 · American children's writer and publisher
Edward Stratemeyer was an American writer and publisher, born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1862. He wrote books for young readers, including the Rover Boys series, which began in 1899. He founded the Stratemeyer Syndicate in 1905 to produce children’s book series. He died in Newark, New Jersey, in 1930.
More by Edward Stratemeyer
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