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Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Under canvas, school rivalries and wartime mystery put young cadets’ courage and loyalty to the test.
In Edward Stratemeyer’s The Rover Boys Under Canvas, military school adventure moves into the outdoors. The Rover Boys belong to a close circle of young people whose lives turn on friendship, loyalty and rivalry. Here, camp life provides the setting for a mystery the cadets must puzzle out.
Wartime themes and submarine secrets promise more than an ordinary school story. Expect quick action, loyal friends and clear lines between heroes and villains. Stratemeyer’s plain style, light humor and lively speech keep the adventure direct, while chapters close with the promise of something still to come.
What you’ll discover
- Friendship under pressure Follow young cadets whose loyalty matters as school life gives way to outdoor adventure.
- Life beneath canvas Step into a camp setting where tents bring the school story into the open air.
- A mystery to unravel Share the cadets’ curiosity as strange happenings give them something to puzzle over together.
- Rivals close at hand Discover the small school rivalries that sit alongside friendship in the Rover Boys’ world.
- Adventure with clear stakes Enjoy straightforward heroes, plain villains and lively exchanges that carry you toward the next chapter.
Who will love it
Readers who love boarding school pranks, team spirit, wartime home-front adventure, and a mystery with a dramatic opening will enjoy this novel. It also suits those curious how young Americans pictured the First World War.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A victory becomes a rescue mission
- A rescue uncovers a troubling clue
- Old enemies raise new suspicions
- Mischief shares space with responsibility
- Serving also means staying behind
- Leadership brings a bitter rival
- The woods hold an unanswered question
- Fair play reveals the boys’ character
- Growing up means learning different duties
Who’s who
- Jack RoverThe oldest Rover cadet, steady and fair, who becomes captain of Company C and wants to protect his sister and friends.
- Fred RoverJack's cousin, a loyal and good-natured marksman who becomes first lieutenant and wants to see his father off to war.
- Andy RoverA fun-loving twin who plays pranks on bullies and hides his worry about his uncles behind jokes.
- Randy RoverAndy's twin, quick-witted and bold, who hears odd noises on sentry duty and wants his father to join the army.
- Spouter PowellA talkative cadet who loves long speeches and proves a reliable friend when trouble comes.
- Gabe WernerA sulky former lieutenant who loses the captaincy and plots to get even with Jack and Fred.
- Slugger BrownA spiteful former cadet who bothers the Rovers and their girl friends and hopes to get money from his father's schemes.
- Captain Mapes DaleThe old West Pointer who runs the camp and backs the cadets when they bring him news.
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The Rover Boys Under Canvas in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Rover Boys Under Canvas
by Edward Stratemeyer · 1928
Cadets Jack and Andy Rover chase strange noises in the woods while a war rages across the ocean.
Medium level2–5 hours to read20 languages
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In short
The score is tied in the ninth inning at Colby Hall, and a whole grandstand is shouting. Then a great boom rolls across the lake.
The Rover Boys Under Canvas at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 55 min3 h 10 min fast, 4 h 40 min slow
- Length
- 56,400 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1928by Edward Stratemeyer
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 ball game and an explosion
The story opens at the yearly baseball game between Hixley High and Colby Hall. Hixley wants revenge for losing the football game, and it has a star pitcher. By the sixth inning the visitors lead four to two.
In the ninth inning Jack Rover hits a home run that ties the game. Then Fred slides home with the winning run. The cheering has barely started when the ground shakes. Across Clearwater Lake, the Hasley Shell Loading Company is blowing up. Smoke rolls skyward, small shells pop like machine guns, and wreckage flies through the air.
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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
- 1928
- Language
- English
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Stratemeyer, Edward. The Rover Boys Under Canvas. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-rover-boys-under-canvas.
Stratemeyer, E. (2026). The Rover boys under canvas. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-rover-boys-under-canvas (Original work published 1928)
Stratemeyer, Edward. The Rover Boys Under Canvas. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-rover-boys-under-canvas.
@book{stratemeyer2026rover,
author = {Stratemeyer, Edward},
title = {The Rover Boys Under Canvas},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-rover-boys-under-canvas},
note = {First published 1928}
}
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What is The Rover Boys Under Canvas about?
It follows four cadets at Colby Hall military school during the First World War. A munitions plant explodes, their fathers join the army, and a summer encampment by the sea brings strange noises and a mystery.
Who are the Rover boys in this book?
They are Jack and his cousins Fred, Andy and Randy, the sons of the three Rover brothers from the first series. Jack is steady, Fred reliable, and the twins Andy and Randy are the pranksters.
Do I need to read the earlier Rover Boys books first?
No. The preface says the book is a complete story, and a chapter gives a short account of the Rover family and their friends and enemies, so a new reader can start here.
The author
Edward Stratemeyer
1862–1930 · American children's writer and publisher
Edward Stratemeyer was an American writer and publisher, born in Elizabeth, New Jersey, in 1862. He wrote books for young readers, including the Rover Boys series, which began in 1899. He founded the Stratemeyer Syndicate in 1905 to produce children’s book series. He died in Newark, New Jersey, in 1930.
More by Edward Stratemeyer
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