Summary of Ben's Nugget; Or, a Boy's Search for Fortune

Who it’s for

You will enjoy this if you like frontier adventure, clear heroes and comic villains, or stories of a good boy making his way by honest work.

What this book is

What would you do if two armed strangers rode up to your cabin, tied up your sick friend, and began digging up the floor for gold? In Ben's Nugget, a sixteen-year-old boy from New England faces exactly that, and he meets it with quick thinking and a steady nerve.

Horatio Alger Jr. wrote the book in 1882 as the last volume of his Pacific Series. It follows Ben Stanton, who escorts a young heiress, Florence Douglas, to California and searches the Sierra Nevada for the man she loves. You get lonely cabins, mining camps, a loyal cook named Ki Sing, and a boy who earns trust by being honest, useful and brave.

Questions about Ben's Nugget; Or, a Boy's Search for Fortune

What is Ben's Nugget about?

It follows sixteen-year-old Ben Stanton in the California gold rush. He helps a young heiress find her fiance in the Sierra Nevada, faces thieves and a hasty mob, mines gold beside a loyal friend, and thinks of home.

Do I need to read The Young Explorer first?

No. Ben's Nugget closes the Pacific Series, but the author says it is complete in itself. He explains the earlier events as they come up, so a new reader can follow the characters easily.

Who is Ki Sing in Ben's Nugget?

Ki Sing is the Chinese cook and servant to Richard Dewey. Dewey once saved him from men who wanted to cut off his queue, and he repays that debt with steady loyalty, even when two thieves threaten him.

Is Ben's Nugget easy to read?

Its chapters are short, its plot moves from one clear scene to the next, and much of it is lively dialogue. The heroes, villains and comic touches are easy to follow.