The Fifth Form at St. Dominic's facts for kids
Cover of the First Edition (1887)
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| Author | Talbot Baines Reed |
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| Illustrator | Gordon Browne |
| Country | England |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Religious Tract Society, London |
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Publication date
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1887 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
The Fifth Form at St. Dominic's is a famous school story written by Talbot Baines Reed. It was first published in 1881. This book is Reed's most well-known work.
The story first appeared in the Boy's Own Paper magazine. It was later published as a book by the Religious Tract Society. Gordon Browne created the pictures for the book. This popular story was even made into a film in 1921.
About the Story
Talbot Baines Reed did not go to a public school himself. Because of this, his book is more about fun adventures than super realistic school life. It is different from other school stories of its time. For example, it does not preach too much or get overly emotional.
However, Reed wrote the book with a lot of excitement. It helped start a new trend. Many other boarding school stories for young people in Britain followed. This tradition lasted for many years, even until after World War II.
The novel also became a comic! It was turned into a 14-part comic series. This comic appeared in Look and Learn magazine. You could read it between December 1979 and March 1980.
What Happens in the Book?
The main part of the story is about a senior student named Loman. He starts to make bad choices. This happens because of a tricky innkeeper who is a bad influence. Loman has a younger student he looks after. This younger student also gets into trouble because of the innkeeper.
Luckily, the younger student is saved by his older brother. But this older brother faces his own problems. People at school wrongly think he cheated on a big test. His friends and classmates start to avoid him.
The story ends with things getting set right. The good characters are proven innocent. Those who made mistakes are forgiven. The book also shows a lot about how the students run their own groups. It describes the traditions they have at school. You will also read about different kinds of sports they play.
