by Rudyard Kipling
Recommended Age: 10+
Kipling, as you probably know, was a British author with strong ties to India. But you may not know that he married an American woman and wrote some of his best-loved works while living in Vermont, USA. This book in particular was inspired by the deep-sea fisherman of the New England seaboard. And it is yet another "adventure at sea" that I recommend to lovers of magical worlds, on the rationale that the sea is very much another world, strange and even magical to many of us. Certainly the vocabulary of fishing and boats is challenging and mysterious to the newly initiated, but I think many of you (boys especially) could find it a very exciting, even addicting subject. And there are other sorts of magic in this story, too - a bit of voodoo, a bit of prophecy, and a good deal about the superstitions and ghostly tales and eerie experiences that men of the sea share.

This knuckle-sandwich proves to be a life-changing moment for young Harvey, who soon adapts to the discipline of a fishing schooner, bonds with its hands, and makes his own contribution to their fishing expedition. Along the way he encounters the joys and heartbreaks of life at sea, witnesses tragedies and triumphs, and learns to appreciate people like Long Jack and Tom Platt, Uncle Salters and Penn, Manuel and the mysterious cook with his spooky, prophetic trance.
What makes this a typical Kipling story is that he zooms in on the traditions, the spoken language, and the way of life of a fascinating, noble, but little-thought-of tribe. In this case, though, the tribe is deep sea fishermen, who come together from different cultures but share in a common culture on the seas around Nova Scotia. And again, it is a depiction of a fading way of life, preserved in loving and colorful detail by a master of language and observation.

Still, this remains an excellent sea adventure, with a bit of a railroad adventure at the end (complete with a demonstration of American capitalist philosophy at its peak-- comparable to Kipling's typically rosy depiction of the noble British empire and its manifest destiny). Okay, so the politics that Kipling expresses are a bit faded and out of date, but they are only part of the story - not the other way around.
There is a classic movie based on this book, starring Spencer Tracy who won an Oscar for his performance. Once you read the book, I think you'll look forward to your chance to see the film, as I do.
The Jungle Book
by Rudyard Kipling
Recommended Age: 10+
Kipling wrote this book in 1894 while living in India. Born to British parents in Bombay, he was raised and educated in England, and lived in England most of his life; but he spent many of his happiest years in India. The Jungle Book and its sequel,

The chief thread in The Jungle Book is the myth of the wild boy, raised by animals in the jungle. In this case the wild boy is Mowgli, who as an infant (or, "man-cub") strays from his village and ends up being raised by a family of wolves, like one of their own pups. The growing boy survives the malice of the great tiger Shere-Khan and the wiles of the serpent Kaa, by a combination of his own pluck and cleverness, the protection of his wolf brethren, and the friendship of the bear Baloo and the black panther Bagheera. He learns to hunt, fight, go to ground, and be careful of the wicked monkeys. He also returns to civilization for a while - just long enough to learn who his true family is, and where true civilization lies. And he vanquishes his greatest enemy.
Not all of The Jungle Book is the story of Mowgli, however. In and amongst the many poems and songs that Kipling lavishes on us, there is the adventure of a young white seal who searches for a safe place for his people to mate... the battle between the mongoose Rikki-Tikki-Tavi and a nest of cobras... the secret dance of the elephants, ever seen by only one human being, and that a boy...

Children of all ages will love to read these stories and have them read to them. If you've only seen the Disney animated feature, but have never read the book, you don't know what you've missed! Here is a kind of magic that, to us, is very strange and foreign; for it is not only the magic of a strange and faraway land, but also of a time that is no more. American children will not be as quick to understand and identify with the settings and characters, because (unlike British children) India and the Empire are not part of their nation's history or their cultural background. For us children of the Rebels, the Jungle Books will always have the same fascination as any story of exotic climates, cultures, and myths, or any story that depicts man's relationship with nature from nature's point of view.
The Jungle Book II
by Rudyard Kipling
Recommended Age: 10+

There are also several stand-alone stories, including an account of a westernized Hindu politician who turns his back on all that he has accomplished, takes up a beggar's bowl, and becomes a wandering holy man - a theme Kipling returned to in his colorful novel of espionage, culture, and coming-of-age, Kim. And another favorite is the story of the Eskimo boy Kotuko, who saves his village from starvation.

Just So Stories
by Rudyard Kipling
Recommended Age: 6+

Kim
by Rudyard Kipling
Recommended Age: 12+
If you've ever seen a spy thriller (as a movie), or read one (as a book), you may have encountered a fascinating little training exercise known as Kim's Game. Basically, it's an exercise in noticing as much as possible at a glance. If you can look for one second at an assortment of objects and then describe them with precision and accuracy, you may be a good spy. It's both a test and a tool to build your powers of observation and recall.

Kim, the "little friend of all the world," is a British orphan boy running around wild in the Indian city of Lahore in about 1900. He rubs elbows with Muslims, Hindus, and all kinds of sects and ethnic groups. Being small and fleet of foot, he carries out little missions of intrigue - smuggling, messengering, even a little espionage.
Soon Kim is being groomed to be a real spy, while going to an expensive school and (later) following a Tibetan lama on a pilgrimage. In between dangerous tight spots and crafty adventures, Kim grows to love his master, and to be loved in return. And through their eyes, you see a kaleidoscope of colorful people, strange and exotic places and customs, often conflicting but sometimes complementary lines of loyalty and interest, and the coming of age of an appealing young hero whose special gift is "to be all things to all people."

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