My guess is that I was in the sixth grade when I found a copy of In the Great Apache Forest in the school library.
It was the true story of George Crosby, a young Boy Scout who served as a fire spotter in the White Mountains of Arizona during the First World War.
The book had particular appeal because my family often camped in the area. I'd not only seen the remains of the old fire tower on the top of Mount Baldy but had even seen George Crosby when he and his wife owned a small store in Greer, Arizona.
The books that are currently recommended for children strike me as all message and no adventure. There is certainly little in many of them that would appeal to a young boy.
An important job. A dark forest. A large grizzly bear. A Winchester rifle.
What's not to like?
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