Summary
Summary of The Grammar School Boys of Gridley; or, Dick & Co. Start Things Moving
The Grammar School Boys of Gridley; or, Dick & Co. Start Things Moving at a glance
Summary: 8 min to read
- Reading time
- About 3 h 5 min2 h 25 min fast, 3 h 40 min slow
- Length
- 44,100 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
- First published
- 1911by H. Irving Hancock
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
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Key ideas
Key idea 1
A clear head beats a grudge
When Dick Prescott refuses to repeat a story that might hurt someone's feelings, Old Dut turns a tale about a woodshed into a public spanking. Dick stops his friends from damaging the flower beds, but still wants revenge. At recess, he deliberately throws a book at the principal, leaving him with a bloody nose.
Later, Dick admits what he intended. Old Dut responds without another punishment: getting even can cost someone chances to get ahead. Their exchange establishes mutual respect and gives Dick a principle that his coming adventures will test.
Key idea 2
Courage stays tied to the truth
A woman's scream brings the six friends into Mrs. Dexter's struggle with her husband, Abner, over a bag.
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Key idea 3
Friends help Dick resist a bully
Dick's plan for grammar school football gives the friends something to build together, but Abner Dexter soon brings another kind of struggle.
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Key idea 4
Small clues guide a loyal search
After dangerous attacks near Dick and Dave, Greg disappears during a canoe trip.
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Key idea 5
Friendship proves itself through action
An attempt to form a football league collapses when the schools quarrel over uniforms and trade insults.
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Key idea 6
Loyalty does not mean joining wrongdoing
Halloween gives Dick room for invention, but his jokes also reveal limits.
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Key idea 7
Honor gives winning its value
Dick's choices keep returning to what it costs to do right.
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Key idea 8
Clear rules meet real danger
Across the autumn's school comedy and adventures, Dick's character rests on a few clear rules.
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Go deeper: the whole of The Grammar School Boys of Gridley; or, Dick & Co. Start Things Moving
About 3 h 10 min to read.Start freeWho it’s for
You will love this book if you enjoy boys' adventure stories, school pranks, loyal friendships, small-town mysteries, and heroes who win with quick thinking and good manners.
What this book is
What happens when a clever thirteen-year-old gets spanked in front of his whole class and decides to get even? In this book, the answer is a thrown book, a bloody nose, and a quiet lesson about revenge. The principal, Mr. E. Dutton Jones, whom everyone calls Old Dut, does not punish the boy. He says that sweet things often make you sick, and revenge is one of them.
H. Irving Hancock wrote The Grammar School Boys of Gridley as the first of a series. It follows Dick Prescott and his five friends through one autumn, with pranks, football, a missing boy, a hidden cave, a burning house, and a real villain in Abner Dexter.
In this summary
- 1A clear head beats a grudgeFree
- 2Courage stays tied to the truth
- 3Friends help Dick resist a bully
- 4Small clues guide a loyal search
- 5Friendship proves itself through action
- 6Loyalty does not mean joining wrongdoing
- 7Honor gives winning its value
- 8Clear rules meet real danger
A principal and a pupil match wits
The story begins in the eighth-grade room at Central Grammar School. Dick Prescott is caught whispering a funny story to his friend Harry Hazelton. Old Dut orders Dick to stand and tell it to the whole class. Dick refuses, because the story might hurt someone's feelings.
So Old Dut tells a story of his own, about a father and a woodshed. He acts it out by laying Dick across his knee and slapping him for every whack in the tale. The class roars. Dick goes red, then pale with outraged dignity. His friends plan to wreck the flower beds, but Dick stops them and says he can settle his own grudges.
At recess he steers a talk about a famous pitcher until Old Dut asks to be shown the curve ball. Dick picks up a small, heavy book and sends it straight into the principal's face. A nose bleeds, and a white shirtfront is ruined.
At noon Dick goes back and admits the throw was no accident. Old Dut does not punish him. He says that a person who spends too much time getting even misses good chances to get ahead. Revenge is sweet, he adds, but sweet things often make you sick.
That talk sets up the whole book. Both are sharp, dry and fair, and each respects the other.
Planned revenge is a poor way to settle a score, and a clear head wins more than a hot one.
That’s 1 of 8 key points.
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Check yourself
What does Old Dut teach Dick about revenge?
Right. “He says that a person who spends too much time getting even misses good chances to get ahead.”Not quite. “He says that a person who spends too much time getting even misses good chances to get ahead.”
What helps Dick follow the trail of the missing Greg?
Right. “He sees a boot print with a torn heel, and he remembers that Greg tore his heel at football practice.”Not quite. “He sees a boot print with a torn heel, and he remembers that Greg tore his heel at football practice.”
Why does Dick refuse to join the attack on the railway signal lights?
Right. “Dick warns him that breaking signal lights is a crime that could kill people, and he leads his five friends away.”Not quite. “Dick warns him that breaking signal lights is a crime that could kill people, and he leads his five friends away.”
Go deeper: the whole of The Grammar School Boys of Gridley; or, Dick & Co. Start Things Moving
About 3 h 10 min to read.Start freePaperback, hardcover and large print, printed for you at cost, are on their way.Email me when it is printed
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 44,100 words
- Reading timeAbout 3 h 5 min
Questions about The Grammar School Boys of Gridley; or, Dick & Co. Start Things Moving
What is The Grammar School Boys of Gridley about?
It follows Dick Prescott and his five friends through one autumn in Gridley. They start a football team, play Halloween jokes, and protect Mrs. Dexter and her daughter from her scheming husband.
Who is Old Dut in the book?
Old Dut is the nickname of Mr. E. Dutton Jones, the principal of Central Grammar School. He is strict and dry, and he respects Dick's quick mind even while he scolds him.
Who is Abner Dexter?
Abner Dexter is Mrs. Dexter's lazy husband. He wants her inheritance and keeps scheming against her and the boys who help her, often with a partner named August Driggs.
Is this book a true story or a series?
It is a work of fiction and the first in a series of Grammar School Boys stories by H. Irving Hancock. The closing pages point to a next volume about winter sports.
What is the main message of the book?
The book says that honor, loyalty and fair play matter more than revenge or easy money. Dick shows that quick thinking, honest speech and steady friends can handle even dangerous bullies.
Cite this edition
Hancock, H. Irving. The Grammar School Boys of Gridley; or, Dick & Co. Start Things Moving. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-grammar-school-boys-of-gridley-or-dick-co-start-things-moving.
Hancock, H. I. (2026). The grammar school boys of Gridley; or, Dick & Co. start things moving. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-grammar-school-boys-of-gridley-or-dick-co-start-things-moving (Original work published 1911)
Hancock, H. Irving. The Grammar School Boys of Gridley; or, Dick & Co. Start Things Moving. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-grammar-school-boys-of-gridley-or-dick-co-start-things-moving.
@book{hancock2026grammar,
author = {Hancock, H. Irving},
title = {The Grammar School Boys of Gridley; or, Dick \& Co. Start Things Moving},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-grammar-school-boys-of-gridley-or-dick-co-start-things-moving},
note = {First published 1911}
}
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