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Between schoolboy trouble and the woods of Nova Scotia, a boy learns that growing up means choosing who to become.
Bert Lloyd grows up among the harbours, farms, woods and close-knit towns of Nova Scotia. Friends, schoolboy trouble and outdoor adventure fill his days. In Bert Lloyd's Boyhood, J. Macdonald Oxley follows a boy whose character takes shape through everyday choices. The question is not just what Bert will do next, but what kind of person he wants to be.
Friendship brings companionship, but it also tests Bert as he learns his way through childhood. Home, church and the quiet pull of faith help guide him. Oxley tells the story in plain prose at a steady pace, bringing together the pleasures of adventure and the gentle moral lessons of a boyhood rooted in the Maritime provinces.
What you’ll discover
- A place to explore Step into Nova Scotia, where harbours, farms and woods give boyhood its setting.
- Friendships that shape character Follow Bert as companionship and trials help him discover the person he wants to become.
- Schooldays and outdoor adventure Enjoy a childhood filled with schoolboy trouble, friends and the pull of the outdoors.
- Faith in everyday life See how belief quietly guides Bert within a world centred on church and home.
- A gentle storytelling voice Settle into clear prose that offers encouragement alongside the everyday pleasures of growing up.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy old-fashioned school stories, farm summers, harbour towns and warm family life will find plenty here. It suits anyone who likes a hero learning right from wrong.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Trust gives Bert room to grow
- A runaway coach tests quiet faith
- A stern face hides deep affection
- Farm life teaches respect and kindness
- Friendship brings loyalty and temptation
- Courage can mean refusing to hurt
- Hidden faults grow until Bert confesses
- Real strength means refusing wrong
- Growing up happens through guided encounters
Who’s who
- Bert LloydThe lively, thoughtful hero, a Halifax boy who wants to be manly and learns honesty through scrapes and temptations.
- Mr. LloydBert's father, a respected lawyer who guides his son with humour, trust, and firm faith.
- Mrs. LloydBert's small, strong-minded mother, who wants to teach him to resist temptation instead of hiding him from it.
- MaryBert's older sister, who adores him, helps with his lessons, and offers the wise idea about influence.
- Frank BowserCalled Shorty, Bert's brave, loyal and rather careless schoolmate, who wants a friend and a better life.
- Squire StewartBert's stern Scottish grandfather, who keeps a strict Sabbath and hides deep love.
- Dr. JohnstonThe feared headmaster of Bert's second school, a classics lover who demands honest work and fair play.
- Mr. SilverBert's Sunday school teacher, who teaches the boys what real manliness means.
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Bert Lloyd's Boyhood
by J. Macdonald Oxley · 1889
A lively Halifax boy faces a runaway coach, a school hazing ritual and a secret Latin translation.
Medium level5–10 hours to read20 languages
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“Quit yourselves like men, be strong.”
In short
Can a boy be taught to be good without being shut away from the world? That is the question at the heart of Bert Lloyd's Boyhood, a novel by the Canadian writer J. Macdonald Oxley, published in 1892.
Bert Lloyd's Boyhood at a glance
- Reading time
- About 5 h 10 min4 h 5 min fast, 6 h 10 min slow
- Length
- 73,700 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1889by J. Macdonald Oxley
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A lively boy meets loving, firm parents
Cuthbert Lloyd arrives in Halifax in the middle of the nineteenth century with every advantage. He is healthy and the only son of a respected lawyer. His mother is slight in body but strong in mind. Yet the boy seems determined to test her.
At four he builds a fire of newspapers in a playmate's bathroom. No wonder she calls her son a pickle.
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Details
- First published
- 1889
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Oxley, J. Macdonald. Bert Lloyd's Boyhood. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/bert-lloyds-boyhood.
Oxley, J. M. (2026). Bert Lloyd's boyhood. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/bert-lloyds-boyhood (Original work published 1889)
Oxley, J. Macdonald. Bert Lloyd's Boyhood. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/bert-lloyds-boyhood.
@book{oxley2026bert,
author = {Oxley, J. Macdonald},
title = {Bert Lloyd's Boyhood},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/bert-lloyds-boyhood},
note = {First published 1889}
}
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What is Bert Lloyd's Boyhood about?
It follows Cuthbert Lloyd, called Bert, from early childhood in Halifax to the edge of college. Through a farm summer, two schools, accidents, and temptations, he learns honesty, courage, and faith with the help of loving parents.
Is Bert Lloyd's Boyhood a true story?
It is a novel, but the author says in his preface that he drew on his own school memories of Nova Scotia. Oxley published it in 1892 and set it about a quarter century earlier.
What does hoisting mean in the book?
Hoisting is a school custom at Dr. Johnston's. Older boys hold a new pupil against the yard fence and pound him with fists. Bert and Frank endure it and later help to end it.
The author
J. Macdonald Oxley
Canadian children's author
Archaeologist.
“Quit yourselves like men, be strong.”
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