Paul the Courageous

Paul Anketell finds his comfortable town of Slewbury painfully dull and dreams of boats, mountains and daring adventures. A proposed family holiday in Norway sets him imagining feats of bravery, while his younger siblings, Stella and Michael, eagerly study maps and fairy tales. Then his parents' anxious discussion of money troubles introduces a kind of difficulty quite different from the dangers he pictures for himself.

Mabel Quiller-Couch's children's novel places Paul's confidence beside the awkward consequences of his choices. In one scene, he tries to hide a pair of muddy boots while keeping up a story about an injured ankle, only to encounter the farmer whose questions make concealment harder. The contrast between grand ambitions and small embarrassments gives the story its humour. Readers interested in family stories about growing responsibility will find courage tested through everyday conduct as well as the promise of adventure.