Stephen W. Meader facts for kids
Stephen W. Meader (born May 2, 1892 – died July 18, 1977) was a well-known American author. He wrote more than forty exciting novels for young readers. His stories often focused on young men who built their own businesses, even when things were tough. Other books took readers on adventures through different periods of American history.
Stephen Meader's Early Life and Work
Stephen Meader graduated from Haverford College in Philadelphia in 1913. After college, he started working in Newark, New Jersey. He helped children in need at the Essex County Children's Aid Society. By 1915, he was working with the Big Brother Movement.
In 1916, he worked for a publishing company in Chicago. Later, he joined the Curtis Publishing Company in Philadelphia. He eventually became an editor for their sales publications. In 1922, he moved his family to Moorestown, New Jersey.
Meader's First Book and Legacy
Stephen Meader's first novel was The Black Buccaneer. It was published in 1920. This book was one of the first children's books from the new company, Harcourt, Brace and Howe.
Today, many of his books are still available to read. You can find them from a company called Southern Skies. This website also has a story about Stephen Meader's life.
Popular Books by Stephen Meader
Stephen Meader wrote many adventure-filled books. Here are some of his popular titles:
- The Black Buccaneer (1920) - A story about pirates along the Atlantic coast in the 1700s.
- Down the Big River (1924) - Follows a pioneer family's journey down the Ohio River.
- Longshanks (1928) - A young hero's adventures on the Mississippi River, where he meets Abraham Lincoln.
- Red Horse Hill (1930) - Life on a New Hampshire farm and an exciting horse race.
- Away to Sea (1931) - Jim Slater runs away to sea, only to find himself on a slave ship.
- King of the Hills (1933) - A boy helps catch deer poachers, featuring a famous stag named Old Scarback.
- Lumberjack (1934) - Dan earns money for college by working as a lumberjack in New Hampshire.
- T-Model Tommy (1938) - How Tom Ballard started and grew his own trucking business.
- Boy with a Pack (1939) - A boy's adventures in Ohio in 1837. This book received a Newbery Honor.
- Clear for Action! (1940) - A Maine boy's adventures on a British ship during the War of 1812.
- Blueberry Mountain (1941) - Two boys start a successful blueberry farm in the Pocono mountains.
- Shadow in the Pines (1942) - A fifteen-year-old helps capture a Nazi spy ring in New Jersey.
- The Sea Snake (1943) – A teenager from North Carolina is captured by a German submarine.
- The Long Trains Roll (1944) - A young railroad worker helps the FBI stop saboteurs.
- Skippy's Family (1945) - The true story of Skippy, a loyal dog who was part of the Meader family for 17 years.
- Jonathan Goes West (1946) - An exciting journey from Maine to Illinois in 1845, showing America's westward movement.
- River of the Wolves (1948) - Young Dave Foster learns to survive in the Canadian wilderness as an Indian captive.
- Bulldozer (1951) - A Maine boy starts a contracting business with a rebuilt bulldozer.
- The Fish Hawk's Nest (1952) - A dramatic tale of smuggling in Cape May, New Jersey, in the 1880s.
- Sparkplug of the Hornets (1953) - An exciting story about a high school basketball team's fight for a state championship.
- Guns for the Saratoga (1955) - Gideon Jones's adventures in the early US Navy during the Revolutionary War.
- Sabre Pilot (1956) - Kirk Owen joins the US Air Force and becomes a jet fighter pilot in the Korean War.
- Everglades Adventure (1957) - Toby Morgan guides a naturalist through the Florida Everglades in the 1870s.
- Wild Pony Island (1959) - A city boy moves to North Carolina's Ocracoke Island and discovers a new way of life with wild ponies.
- Topsail Island Treasure (1966) - Don Douglas searches for buried treasure along the New Jersey coast.
- Lonesome End (1968) - A shy cowboy finds his place on a high school football team in Kansas.
