Description
Horatio Alger wrote 135 dime novels in the latter part of the 19th century. His stories were rags to riches stories illustrating how down-and-out boys might be able to achieve the American Dream. Alger's stories empathize the need for hard work and honesty as a way to get ahead. The Young Adventurer: or Tom's Trip Across the Plains is the adventure of Tom Nelson. At nearly sixteen years of age, Tom Nelson sets out for California hoping to earn money in the gold fields to pay off the mortgage on his father's farm. Tom must brave thieves, outlaws, and Indians along the way.