8 h 18 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 8 h 18 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
At Lawrenceville, the masters enforce the rules—but the boys decide who belongs.
Dink Stover arrives at Lawrenceville bright, eager and unsure of himself. This New Jersey boarding school already has its own laws, and not all of them come from the masters. In Owen Johnson’s The Varmint, a newcomer must find his place among boys whose approval matters as much as any classroom lesson.
Pranks, athletic contests and quarrels turn school life into a constant test of standing. Mischief-loving Doc Macnooder belongs to this world of daring and trouble, where jokes can grow beyond their first purpose. Dink wants to belong, but he makes mistakes. Around him, fierce loyalty sits beside small cruelties, and the adults see only part of what happens.
What you’ll discover
- A newcomer worth following Meet an eager, imperfect boy learning what his schoolmates truly value.
- The boys’ unwritten laws Explore a school where student opinion carries an authority the masters cannot fully see.
- Mischief with real stakes Follow tricks, escapes from rules and jokes that become more than their plotters intend.
- Rivalry beyond the classroom Games, class contests and group quarrels reveal the pull of standing among schoolmates.
- Humour with a warm eye Enjoy Johnson’s lively sympathy for boys whose education reaches far beyond their lessons.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this if you love school stories, quick comic dialogue, football and baseball scenes, and the feeling of watching a boy grow into someone others trust.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A cherub with an imp inside arrives
- The new boy meets the Green House
- Two clever merchants teach him a lesson
- A dropped fly ball brings disgrace
- Fighting for respect leads to isolation
- The knack of talking back
- Schemes, inventions and high finance
- Learning to play with his head
- Learning to look beyond himself
Who’s who
- Dink StoverA fifteen-year-old with a wild imagination and a fierce temper, who wants to be liked and to count for something at school.
- The Roman (Mr. Hopkins)Dink's Latin master, dry and teasing, who flunks students and keeps a sharp eye on his favorite troublemaker.
- The Tennessee ShadDink's lazy, brilliant roommate, who schemes from his armchair and sees through Dink's sporting pose.
- Dennis de Brian de Boru FinneganA tiny, quick-tongued Irish boy who teaches Dink how to talk back and joins his wildest plans.
- Tough McCartyA strong, good-natured boy who becomes Dink's rival at the Green House and then a teammate.
- Doc MacnooderA round-headed schemer who sells anything to anybody and always keeps the controlling share.
- Garry CockrellThe calm football captain who teaches Dink to play with his head and sets the standard for the school.
- Butsey WhiteDink's first roommate, a roly-poly older boy who guides the new boy and enjoys his misfortunes.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 8 h 18 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Read and hear Der Störenfried in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Der Störenfried
by Owen Johnson · 1910
Fifteen-year-old Dink Stover lies his way up to Lawrenceville school and tells his tall tales to his own Latin master.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
What happens when a boy who lies for fun arrives at a school full of clever tricksters? On the stagecoach to Lawrenceville, fifteen-year-old John Humperdink Stover invents a shipwreck, a dead mother and a knife fight, and the man listening is his future Latin master.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A cherub with an imp inside arrives
The story opens with Stover stepping off a train at Trenton with stolen railroad signs hidden under his shirt. He looks angelic when he is clean, but his tie, cuffs and pockets tell the truth. He has just left Miss Wandell's Select Academy, where the teacher admitted she could not handle him.
On the Lawrenceville stagecoach he spins his tales to the driver, Jimmy, and a quiet passenger in the back seat. He claims he was expelled for a knife attack, then that his mother died saving him from a shipwreck. He grabs the reins and whips the horses down a hill, nearly overturning the coach.
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What is The Varmint about?
It follows John Humperdink Stover, called Dink, through his school life at Lawrenceville, a boarding school in New Jersey. He bluffs, fights, plays football and plots schemes while learning how to win real respect.
Who is Dink Stover?
He is the central character, a quick-witted, hot-tempered boy with a huge imagination. The boys call him Rinky Dink. His struggle to find a place among them is the heart of the book.
Who is The Roman in The Varmint?
The Roman is the nickname of Mr. Hopkins, a Latin master who also leads Kennedy House. He is known for dry jokes and flunking students, and he plays a larger role in Dink's life than Dink first sees.
The author
Owen Johnson
1878–1952 · American novelist
Owen Johnson (1878–1952) was an American novelist and short story writer. He was born in New York City and studied at Yale University. His books include The Varmint (1910) and Stover at Yale (1912). He lived in the United States and wrote fiction during the early twentieth century.
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