Rover Boys facts for kids
The Rover Boys series, also known as "The Rover Boys Series for Young Americans," was a very popular set of books for young readers. These adventure stories were written by Arthur M. Winfield, which was a pen name (or pseudonym) for a famous writer named Edward Stratemeyer. His company, the Stratemeyer Syndicate, published the books.
Between 1899 and 1926, 30 different Rover Boys books were released. They stayed popular and were printed for many years after that!
The first main characters were three brothers: Tom, Sam, and Dick Rover. Later, their children became the stars of the "second series." These new characters included Fred (Sam's son), Jack (Dick's son), and Andy and Randy (Tom's twin sons). The older Rover brothers still appeared in these newer books too.
There was also a related series called Putnam Hall. These six books featured other characters from the Rover Boys world, even though the Rover Boys themselves weren't in them.
The Rover Boys were students at a military boarding school. They were known for being adventurous, playing pranks, and often getting into trouble. They frequently caused mischief for both school authorities and even criminals! The series often included new technologies of the time, like the automobile and airplanes. It also sometimes mentioned real-world events, such as World War I.
Contents
Why the Rover Boys Were Important
The Rover Boys books were very successful and had a big impact on other stories for young people. Even though other series like The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew became more famous, the Rover Boys set the stage. They created the basic idea for many later series from the Stratemeyer Syndicate.
This was the very first series that Edward Stratemeyer created, and it was one of his favorites. He wrote all of these books himself. For many of his later series, he hired other writers (called ghostwriters) to do the writing.
The Rover Boys in Pop Culture
The Rover Boys have been mentioned or parodied in many places:
- In 1942, Warner Brothers made a funny cartoon called The Dover Boys. It was a parody of the Rover Boys. Characters from this cartoon later appeared in Animaniacs and the movie Space Jam.
- In the 1950s, a music group called "The Rover Boys" had a popular song about school called "Graduation Day."
- The 1955 movie It's Always Fair Weather mentions the Rover Boys twice.
- The books were even mentioned in the TV show Dark Shadows.
- More than a million Rover Boys books were sold! They were printed by companies like Grosset & Dunlap for many years.
- In Harper Lee's famous novel To Kill a Mockingbird, the character Scout mentions the names Tom, Sam, and Dick Rover.
- An episode of The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet was titled "Rover Boys."
- In an episode of The Andy Griffith Show, a bank robber complains about running into the "Rover Boys" when Opie and Arnold try to get him to confess.
- In the TV show I Spy, Scotty refers to three characters as "The Rover Boys."
- In the 1952 movie Macao, a character asks if "the Rover Boys are still here," referring to some tough guys.
The Rover Boys Book Titles
There were 30 books in the main Rover Boys series. Here are some of the titles:
|
Second Series TitlesThese books feature the next generation of Rover Boys:
|
Some of these books are available to read for free online at Project Gutenberg.
Main Characters You'll Meet
The Rover Boys series has many characters. Here are some of the most important ones from both the first and second series:
|
