5 h 24 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 5 h 24 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
On the river, earning a living is hard work. Keeping your courage takes something more.
Randy earns his living as a young deckhand in a river world where work is hard and people test his resolve. In Randy of the River, the adventure rests on a clear question: how does a young man make his way while holding on to what is right?
Horatio Alger Jr. places honest effort at the heart of this boys' adventure. Randy answers difficulty with steady courage, giving you a hero you can trust. The storytelling is direct, the scenes move briskly, and the moral stays in view: making a living also means choosing how to live.
What you’ll discover
- A working river world Follow a young deckhand whose daily labor gives this adventure its setting and purpose.
- A hero to trust Meet Randy, a young man who faces the people testing him with steady courage.
- Honest effort matters Explore a story that puts hard work and the fight for right at its center.
- Adventure without detours Enjoy direct prose and brisk scenes that keep your attention on the young hero's challenges.
- A clear moral compass Discover the appeal of an adventure where courage and honest conduct carry real weight.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy rags to riches stories, steamboats and the Hudson River, brisk plots with clear heroes and villains, and tales where honest work earns its reward.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Honest work gives Randy direction
- Patience goes with a clear conscience
- The fathers face another dishonest struggle
- Randy turns worry into useful work
- A river rescue opens a door
- New work brings trust and danger
- Helping others creates allies and enemies
- Wealth means more than having money
- Randy carries his values into trouble
Who’s who
- Randy ThompsonA fourteen-year-old carpenter's son who wants to earn money for his sick father and takes any honest work he can find.
- Jack BartlettRandy's loyal friend, whose father loses control of an ironworks to a rival and who wants to help his family.
- Bob BangsThe rich town bully who looks down on poor boys, tells lies and plays mean tricks to get even.
- Amos BangsBob's father, a rich and harsh manufacturer who takes over the ironworks and holds papers that belong to Philip Bartlett.
- Andrew ShalleyA steamboat owner and former carpenter who offers Randy a deckhand's job after Randy rescues his daughter.
- Captain HadleyThe strict but fair captain of the Helen Shalley who gives Randy a chance and values his quick thinking.
- Peter PolkThe purser of the steamboat, sour and spiteful, who handles the boat's money and dislikes Randy from the start.
- Rose ClareA thin, brave girl who helps Randy after he is robbed and hopes to escape the poverty of the city.
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Randy of the River 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.
Randy of the River
by Horatio Alger Jr. · 1906
A poor carpenter's son signs on as a Hudson River deckhand and finds a crooked purser aboard.
Easy read2–5 hours to read2 languages
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In short
Why does a boy who loves fishing end up hauling trunks on a Hudson River steamboat? In Randy of the River, the answer begins with a few stolen fish, a sick father and a bully whose father is rich.
Randy of the River at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 5 min2 h 25 min fast, 3 h 40 min slow
- Length
- 43,500 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
- First published
- 1906by Horatio Alger Jr.
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 fishing day shows who Randy is
The story begins in the town of Riverport. Randy Thompson is the only son of a carpenter, a good student and one of the best fishermen around. His friend Jack Bartlett asks his secret, and Randy says patience. Other boys moved upriver when the fish did not bite, and they caught half as many as he did.
The same quality carries Randy through the book. He sticks with a job and gives it a fair try. He is also kind. He carries water and wood for his mother, and in the evening he brings two fish to a poor washerwoman.
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- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1906
- Language
- English
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Alger, Horatio, Jr. Randy of the River. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/randy-of-the-river.
Alger, H., Jr. (2026). Randy of the river. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/randy-of-the-river (Original work published 1906)
Alger, Horatio, Jr. Randy of the River. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/randy-of-the-river.
@book{alger2026randy,
author = {Alger, Horatio, Jr.},
title = {Randy of the River},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/randy-of-the-river},
note = {First published 1906}
}
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What is Randy of the River about?
It follows Randy Thompson, a poor carpenter's son, as he takes a job as a deckhand on a Hudson River steamboat. He faces a bully, a crooked purser and a fraud against his friend's father.
Who is Peter Polk in Randy of the River?
Peter Polk is the purser of the steamboat Helen Shalley. He handles the boat's money and buying, treats the crew badly and holds a grudge against Randy after Randy helps the Clare family.
Who wrote Randy of the River and when?
Horatio Alger Jr. wrote it as a story for young readers about honest work and courage. Alger died in 1899. It is a work of fiction, though its steamboat setting on the Hudson River is real.
The author
Horatio Alger Jr.
1832–1899 · American novelist
Horatio Alger Jr. (1832–1899) was an American novelist. He was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, and died in Natick, Massachusetts. He moved to New York City in 1866. He wrote novels for young readers during the nineteenth century, including Ragged Dick (1868) and Fame and Fortune (1868).
More by Horatio Alger Jr.
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