The Varmint

A newly illustrated edition with reader's notes for tricky words. Complete and unabridged.

A new school, a stolen collection of train signs, and a boy who claims he can drive a team of horses—John Humperdink Stover has arrived at Lawrenceville with mischief in every pocket. But can even the boldest troublemaker survive being the new boy?

Stover steps into Lawrenceville with a battered suitcase and a reputation he’s still making up. At this lively boarding school, baseballs sail past ivy-covered houses, older boys set the rules, and every fresh face is fair game for a little teasing. Stover is quick with a boast and quicker with a prank—but his new classmates may be harder to fool than the teachers he left behind. As he tries to find his place, one wrong move could make the whole house his enemy, while the watchful Doctor seems to see straight through him. Will Stover turn his wild energy into something that earns respect—or will he get himself into more trouble than he can talk his way out of?

This complete and unabridged edition of Owen Johnson’s story includes reader’s notes to help young readers with tricky words.

At Wise Minds Press we believe the years between childhood and the teenage leap are a golden window: curiosity runs high, vocabulary explodes and a single page can spark a lifetime of possibility. We were those wide‑eyed readers once—hungry for challenge, eager to roam far‑flung worlds, and guided by parents and teachers who knew the right story could light the path ahead. Today we honor that legacy by bringing time‑tested classics to young readers complete and unabridged, with reader's notes for the tricky words, and original illustrations for Grades 4‑7 (Ages 9‑12).

Our mission is simple: to place in every young reader's hands a bridge to literature's greatest adventures, turning boundless imagination into confidence, empathy, and the readiness to write their own remarkable futures.