4 h 18 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 4 h 18 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Wires, batteries, and headphones open a world of surprising news—but can friendship hold when trouble comes?
In Radio Boys Loyalty; Or, Bill Brown Listens In, curiosity begins with a wireless set. Bill Brown wants to know what the airwaves can carry. This adventure by Wayne Whipple and S. F. Aaron takes you into the early days of home radio, when listening offers the excitement of discovering something others do not know.
Radio gives Bill and his companions more than a gadget to explore. Information from the airwaves becomes the spark for a puzzle, while trouble puts friendship under strain. Alongside the pleasure of invention comes a harder question: will the boys stand by one another when things get difficult? Practical minds and loyalty share the heart of this adventure.
What you’ll discover
- The thrill of wireless Step into a world where a home radio opens doors to unexpected news.
- Bill Brown's curiosity Follow a young listener drawn to the possibilities of what the airwaves carry.
- Friends under strain Explore the loyalty that matters when companions face trouble and difficult choices.
- A puzzle worth hearing Discover how information heard by radio gives the boys a mystery to pursue.
- Practical minds at work Enjoy an adventure that brings invention, friendship, and problem-solving into the same world.
Who will love it
You will enjoy this book if you like early radio and homemade gadgets, clever school pranks, loyal friendships, sports scenes, or a rescue plot where two quick boys use their wits and a radio set.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Two friends bring different strengths
- Clever defenses put hazing to rest
- Sharing credit makes room for friendship
- An old feud reaches the workshop
- Fairness gives a rival another chance
- A warm shelter hides a threat
- A broken signal opens a path
- Loyalty means sharing risks and responsibility
- Listening matters more than shouting
Who’s who
- Bill BrownA brilliant, lame freshman with a crutch who builds radios, devises clever tricks and shares credit with his partner by saying we.
- Gus GrierBill's strong, quiet partner, a gifted boxer and pitcher who is also handy with tools and loyal to the end.
- Tony SabasteA warm, generous Italian senior and a banker's son who builds a radio and shares his friendship, while an old feud follows him.
- Luigi MalatestaA hot-tempered Sicilian student whose family feuds with Tony's relatives, and who vows to watch and harm him.
- SieboldThe proud, athletic sophomore leader who holds a grudge against the freshmen but wants his school to win.
- Doctor FieldThe school president, fair and good-humored, who trusts the boys and gives them the use of the transmitter.
- Oysterman DanA friendly old bachelor of the coast who loves spinning yarns and gladly lets the boys set up their wireless.
- Lucy WaringA brave young woman, the daughter of a nerve specialist, who sends an urgent call for help from her father's yacht.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- 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
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook and the audiobook open when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Radio Boys Loyalty; Or, Bill Brown Listens In 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.
Radio Boys Loyalty; Or, Bill Brown Listens In
by Wayne Whipple; S. F. Aaron · 1922
Two student inventors, one on a crutch and one with fast fists, turn radio into a rescue tool for a kidnapped friend.
Medium level2–5 hours to read16 languages
Learn a language with medium classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then USD 0.14 a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
In short
What would you do if school bullies planned to ruin your only good suit, and you could not afford another? Bill Brown, a lame boy with a crutch and a quick mind, wires his dormitory door with electricity.
Radio Boys Loyalty; Or, Bill Brown Listens In at a glance
- Reading time
- About 2 h 30 min2 h fast, 2 h 55 min slow
- Length
- 35,400 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1922by Wayne Whipple; S. F. Aaron
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
Two Freeport boys arrive at Marshallton Tech
William Brown and Augustus Grier are on a train to Marshallton Technical School, which is really a university with departments in engineering, electricity and chemistry. They earned the chance by building a water-powered plant and a lighting system for the Hooper estate, and by making radio receivers good enough to hear Thomas Edison speak.
The two are opposites who fit together. Bill has a twisted leg and walks with a crutch, but his teacher says he has the mind of a philosopher. Gus is quiet, practical and strong. Classmates call them the head and the body. Neither takes credit alone.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer. Your place follows you, and you can make the type as big as you like.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1922
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 2 h 50 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Whipple, Wayne, and S. F. Aaron. Radio Boys Loyalty; Or, Bill Brown Listens In. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/radio-boys-loyalty-or-bill-brown-listens-in.
Whipple, W., & Aaron, S. F. (2026). Radio boys loyalty; or, Bill Brown listens in. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/radio-boys-loyalty-or-bill-brown-listens-in (Original work published 1922)
Whipple, Wayne, and S. F. Aaron. Radio Boys Loyalty; Or, Bill Brown Listens In. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/radio-boys-loyalty-or-bill-brown-listens-in.
@book{whipple2026radio,
author = {Whipple, Wayne and Aaron, S. F.},
title = {Radio Boys Loyalty; Or, Bill Brown Listens In},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/radio-boys-loyalty-or-bill-brown-listens-in},
note = {First published 1922}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Radio Boys Loyalty; Or, Bill Brown Listens In
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Radio Boys Loyalty about?
Two freshmen at a technical school, Bill Brown and Gus Grier, build radios, stop hazing with a clever trap, and then use their skills to search for a kidnapped friend named Tony Sabaste.
Who is Tony Sabaste in the Radio Boys books?
Tony is an Italian senior and a banker's son who becomes a close friend of Bill and Gus. His father knows Guglielmo Marconi, and an old family feud draws Tony into danger.
Is Radio Boys Loyalty a true story?
No, it is fiction from the 1920s. It mixes invented characters with real names such as Marconi and Edison, and its radio explanations follow the knowledge of its time.
The author
Wayne Whipple
1856–1942 · American writer
Wayne Whipple (1856–1942) was an American writer who lived in the United States during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He wrote books about American history. His works also included Radio Boys Loyalty; Or, Bill Brown Listens In, which was published in the early twentieth century.
More like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
