Review of
Boys’ Life Mystery Stories,
by editors of Boys’ Life
Five out of five stars
Fairly typical YA adventures of the fifties
There are ten
short stories in this collection and nearly all open with a hint of
supernatural activity. However, once the investigators pursue the issue, in all
cases there is a fundamental, scientific, human behavior explanation. All of
the players are male, after reading it I could not remember even a reference to
a female.
The best story in
the collection is “The Whirlpool,” by Robb White. Barry Benton is an Eagle
Scout and on a naturalist expedition in the Brazilian rain forest. He severely
damages both ankles and since they are some distance from the nearest outpost
of civilization, the other explorer on the expedition took the boat. His plan
was to go to that outpost and have them send a helicopter to rescue Barry. He
was left plenty of food and water as well as a rifle with ammunition.
Barry get
nervous when he hears a rustling on the outskirts of the camp. He does not
recognize the sounds as being that of an animal and when he looks closely,
there is no discernible shape. To his horror, he realizes that the sound is
being made by a colony of ants on the move towards his position. While he is on
the edge of the river, going into the water is not an option, for there are
piranhas. Leaving him with the options of being eaten by ants or by fish. How Barry manages to survive is an example of
a knowledgeable person using the basic principles of nature to create a simple,
yet effective solution.
While the other
stories do not have the intensity of “The Whirlpool,” they are still pretty good.
Even though there are no females, the adventure stories have maintained their
quality over the intervening decades.
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