6 h 56 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 6 h 56 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A girl jumps into a lake to escape her stepmother—and the boy who rescues her must decide whom to trust.
Ernest Thornton expects a pleasant sail with Bob Hale aboard the Splash. Near Cannondale, a scream interrupts their journey past lakeside gardens. Kate Loraine runs onto a pier, then leaps into the water as a woman approaches. Ernest catches her dress with a boat hook and pulls her aboard, but bringing her to safety is only the first problem.
Kate begs Ernest not to take her back. The woman ashore is Mrs. Loraine, her stepmother, and Kate says she has no friends in Cannondale. Bob thinks they should return her; Ernest hesitates. In Oliver Optic’s Seek and Find; Or, the Adventures of a Smart Boy, a sudden rescue becomes a test of judgment, courage, and the search for truth.
What you’ll discover
- A sail interrupted Follow a quiet outing into urgent action when cries rise from a lakeside garden.
- Quick hands, harder choices Watch Ernest handle an immediate danger, then face a question his sailing skills cannot settle.
- Kate’s urgent plea Meet a frightened girl whose determination to escape leaves her rescuers searching for answers.
- Friends who disagree See Bob and Ernest weigh different responses when the right course is far from clear.
- Character under pressure Explore an adventure tradition that values honesty, resourcefulness, and courage when choices carry a cost.
Who will love it
Readers who love fast adventures with chases, hidden papers and clever escapes will enjoy this novel, as will fans of boats and stories where courage prevails.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Courage begins with careful listening
- Kate escapes through the attic window
- The safe holds a family secret
- The search turns toward his mother
- A friendly invitation hides another trap
- A good aim needs a conscience
- Friends support the search for family
- Ernest gives danger a lively voice
- Cleverness works best with good purposes
Who’s who
- Ernest ThorntonA sixteen-year-old schoolboy and skilled sailor who wants to protect Kate and to learn the truth about his parents.
- Kate LoraineA frightened girl of about fourteen who flees her stepmother and hopes to reach her uncle in New York.
- Bob HaleErnest's loyal, cautious friend who knows some law and helps at every step.
- Uncle Amos ThorntonErnest's silent, haunted guardian who is tormented by a secret he cannot bring himself to undo.
- Tom ThorntonAmos's bold and ruthless son, who lives well and will do anything to keep what he holds.
- Mrs. LoraineKate's polished, cold stepmother and guardian, who wants to get her back and keep her silent.
- Mr. SolomonsA kind traveling gentleman who befriends Ernest and advises him on the steamer to England.
- Freeman LoraineKate's uncle, a New York merchant, who is decisive and kind once he hears her story.
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Seek and Find; Or, the Adventures of a Smart Boy
by Oliver Optic · 1867
A boy pulls a screaming girl from a lake and finds the rescue drawing him toward the secret of his own birth.
Easy read2–5 hours to readEnglish
Excellent
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In short
A scream from a garden, a girl in the water and a boy with a boat hook: that is how this story begins. What does a sixteen-year-old do when he pulls a stranger from a lake and she begs him never to take her back?
Seek and Find; Or, the Adventures of a Smart Boy at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 45 min3 h fast, 4 h 30 min slow
- Length
- 53,600 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
- First published
- 1867by Oliver Optic
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 scream from a garden starts everything
It is the end of May on Lake Adieno. Ernest Thornton, sixteen, is sailing his boat, the Splash, with his friend Bob Hale. The wind is fresh, the water is bright, and nothing seems wrong.
Then a scream rings out from a garden. A girl of about fourteen runs to the end of a pier, and a woman hurries after her. The girl leaps into the lake. Ernest turns the Splash toward her and lifts her aboard with a boat hook.
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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
- 1867
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 4 h 30 min
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Optic, Oliver. Seek and Find; Or, the Adventures of a Smart Boy. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/seek-and-find-or-the-adventures-of-a-smart-boy.
Optic, O. (2026). Seek and find; or, the adventures of a smart boy. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/seek-and-find-or-the-adventures-of-a-smart-boy (Original work published 1867)
Optic, Oliver. Seek and Find; Or, the Adventures of a Smart Boy. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/seek-and-find-or-the-adventures-of-a-smart-boy.
@book{optic2026seek,
author = {Optic, Oliver},
title = {Seek and Find; Or, the Adventures of a Smart Boy},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/seek-and-find-or-the-adventures-of-a-smart-boy},
note = {First published 1867}
}
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What is Seek and Find by Oliver Optic about?
It follows sixteen-year-old Ernest Thornton, who rescues a girl named Kate Loraine from a cruel stepmother and then searches for his own lost mother. Along the way he outwits his scheming cousin Tom Thornton, then faces Dunkswell during his voyage across the sea.
Who is Tom Thornton in the book?
Tom is the son of Ernest's uncle Amos. He is well dressed, bold and ruthless, and he chases Ernest because the boy knows too much about the family's secrets. He is the main opponent through the whole story.
Is Seek and Find part of a series?
Yes. It is the third story in a series about Ernest Thornton, following Breaking Away. It was first printed in a young people's magazine and appeared as a book in 1867. It can be enjoyed on its own because the story is explained as it goes.
The author
Oliver Optic
1822–1897 · American children's author
Oliver Optic was the pen name of William Taylor Adams (1822–1897), an American author and teacher. Born in Medway, Massachusetts, he lived and worked in Boston. He wrote books for young readers during the nineteenth century, including The Yacht Club and Little by Little. He also served in the Massachusetts legislature.
More by Oliver Optic
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