8 h 18 minAudiobook14 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
Readers who love school stories, practical jokes, clever schemers and football will feel at home here, as will anyone who remembers a first term of feeling out of place.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A Teller of Tall Tales Arrives
- The Green House Teaches Its Newcomer
- The Souvenir Set Teaches a Costly Lesson
- One Dropped Ball Brings Disgrace and a Triumph
- A Lonely Spring Ends With a Vow
- The Knack of Talking Back and the Call of Football
- Schemes, Signals and the Great Dressing Race
- A Single Word Decides a Game
- The Boy Who Rules the House
- What the Story Is About and How It Is Told
Who’s who
- Dink StoverA cherub-faced boy with a gift for tall tales who wants to be admired and slowly learns what earns respect.
- The Roman (Mr. Hopkins)The Latin master whose dry wit and twitching lip make Dink certain that he has a deadly enemy.
- The Tennessee ShadDink's lazy, brilliant roommate who prefers to talk others into doing the work and has a plan for everything.
- Doc MacnooderA schoolboy businessman who sells anything to anyone and always keeps the controlling share.
- Dennis de Brian de Boru FinneganA tiny, endlessly talkative joker who teaches Dink the knack of talking back.
- Tough McCartyA strong, honest boy who starts as Dink's rival and slowly becomes his closest friend.
- Garry CockrellThe football captain who teaches Dink to think before he charges and to play with a cool head.
- Butsey WhiteDink's roly-poly first roommate who guides him around the village and laughs hardest at his mistakes.
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 14 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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The Varmint
by Owen Johnson · 1910
A fifteen-year-old with stolen railroad signs in his shirt tells a wild tale to a Latin master on a stagecoach.
Medium level5–10 hours to readfrançais
Excellent
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In short
What happens when a fifteen-year-old steps off a train with stolen railroad signs hidden in his shirt, then tells a stagecoach driver that he once pulled a knife on a man? Dink Stover invents a dead mother, a shipwreck and a ship's cat.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A Teller of Tall Tales Arrives
Dink Stover steps off at Trenton station with his pockets full of loot. Two gilt signs from a railroad car stick to his back, and two nickel knobs from a washbasin weigh down his coat.
On the stagecoach to Lawrenceville he sits beside the driver and decides to be a legend. He says his last school expelled him for pulling a knife on a man who insulted his mother. Then he adds that she died in a shipwreck saving him, and that only he and the ship's cat survived. The dignified passenger behind him listens with a twitching lip.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1910
- Language
- français
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Johnson, Owen. The Varmint. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-varmint.
Johnson, O. (2026). The varmint. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-varmint (Original work published 1910)
Johnson, Owen. The Varmint. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-varmint.
@book{johnson2026varmint,
author = {Johnson, Owen},
title = {The Varmint},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-varmint},
note = {First published 1910}
}
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What is The Varmint about?
It is a school novel about Dink Stover, a boy with a wild imagination who arrives at Lawrenceville full of boasts. Through pranks, a fight, football and friendships, he learns what earns him respect and becomes a leader.
Who is The Roman in The Varmint?
The Roman is the nickname of Mr. Hopkins, the Latin master and Dink's house master. Dink meets him on the stagecoach without knowing who he is, and sees him as a lifelong enemy.
What does the nickname the Varmint mean?
Varmint is an affectionate word for a mischievous scamp. Characters, including Tough McCarty, call Dink a little varmint, and the word marks his stubborn, restless, fighting spirit as he grows up.
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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