5 h 19 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 5 h 19 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when two small-town friends bring their curiosity—and their mischief—to the crowded streets of a big city?
In Josephine Siebe’s The Star Boys in the Big City, two young friends leave the familiar world of a small town for busy city life. Everything feels larger and less familiar. With each other beside them, the Star Boys face the unknown with curiosity, courage, and room for mistakes.
This gentle comic tale puts friendship at the heart of growing up. The boys share worry, laugh when things go wrong, and discover that people live in many different ways. Siebe treats their mischief with a smile, keeping the adventure light and friendly rather than cruel or harsh.
What you’ll discover
- Small town, big world See familiar habits meet crowded city life as the boys step beyond the world they know.
- Friends through the unknown Follow a partnership that gives both boys courage and someone to laugh with when things go wrong.
- Mischief with a smile Enjoy the gentle comedy of curious children whose eagerness leaves plenty of room for mistakes.
- Lessons beyond the streets Discover how meeting different ways of life helps the boys see beyond their own small town.
- A gentler kind of adventure Settle into a warm, unhurried story where friendship and growing up matter as much as mischief.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy gentle family stories, mischievous children, old-fashioned fairs and zoos, and warm humor with a kind heart. It suits anyone who likes to read aloud.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A grand visit begins in mischief
- A practice trip becomes a warning
- The comfort boys discover hidden sorrow
- An apology opens a friendship
- A friend stays when others flee
- The musician brings questions closer
- Homesickness calls for gentle care
- Loyalty matters more than polished manners
- Small mishaps reveal unexpected care
Who’s who
- Mathes HinzThe elder Star Boy, a curious, boastful and tender-hearted innkeeper's son who wants to see everything and cannot keep out of trouble.
- Peter HinzMathes's younger brother, a mischievous and lively innkeeper's son who shares his brother's adventures and longing for home.
- Eva von RingewaldA kind young woman who invites the boys to comfort her sad mother and becomes their patient Aunt Eva.
- Frau von RingewaldThe boys' godmother, a gentle widow who grieves for her missing son and finds her smile again in the boys' company.
- HuldaThe cook of the Ringewald house, loud and gruff, who claims she dislikes boys and secretly loves the family she serves.
- Annedore ReinachA lively, loyal girl from the neighborhood who becomes the boys' buddy and refuses to leave them in trouble.
- Herta and IreneTwo spoiled neighbor girls who mock the boys at first, then play with them, and quarrel over what is proper.
- Mr. BuchnerEva's strict uncle, nicknamed Brummerjan by the household, a stern bookseller who cares more than he shows.
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- Paperback
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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The Star Boys in the Big City
Two small-town brothers in new gloves board a train to Leipzig and turn a quiet grand house upside down.
Medium level2–5 hours to readEnglish
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In short
Imagine being allowed to travel to a big city all alone, wearing leather gloves you have never owned before. That is the dream of Mathes and Peter Hinz, two brothers from the inn called the Silver Star in the small town of Breitenwert.
The Star Boys in the Big City at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 25 min2 h 40 min fast, 4 h 5 min slow
- Length
- 48,700 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
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 rich godmother invites two rascals
The book opens in the kitchen of the Silver Star, where the maid Mina cannot stop saying good heavens. The boys are going to Leipzig next week. A rich lady has invited them, because Mathes is her godson. Mina fears that the lady has no idea what little rascals they are.
Out on Lion Lane, the brothers boast to every child in sight. Since their godmother was nursed at the inn by their mother, a box of toys arrives every Christmas. The grumpy pharmacist Mr. Baldan mutters that she will be in for a surprise.
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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
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 3 h 25 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Siebe, Josephine. The Star Boys in the Big City. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-star-boys-in-the-big-city.
Siebe, J. (2026). The star boys in the big city. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-star-boys-in-the-big-city
Siebe, Josephine. The Star Boys in the Big City. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-star-boys-in-the-big-city.
@book{siebe2026star,
author = {Siebe, Josephine},
title = {The Star Boys in the Big City},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-star-boys-in-the-big-city}
}
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What is The Star Boys in the Big City about?
It follows two brothers, Mathes and Peter Hinz, who leave their small hometown to stay with their rich godmother in Leipzig. Their visit is full of mishaps, new friends and a mystery that touches the family they came to comfort.
Who are the Star Boys?
They are Mathes and Peter Hinz, sons of the landlady of the Silver Star inn in Breitenwert. Their neighbors call them the Star Boys, a name associated with their home, the Silver Star inn in Breitenwert.
Who is the Gypsy the boys keep seeing?
He is a violinist who plays at the fair and keeps appearing wherever the boys go. Mathes insists that he looks like someone they know, and the question of who he really is drives much of the story.
The author
Josephine Siebe
1870–1941 · German children's writer
Josephine Siebe was a German journalist and writer born in Leipzig in 1870. She lived in Leipzig and died there in 1941. She wrote children’s books in German during the early twentieth century. Her works include the book known in English as The Star Boys in the Big City.
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