Most boys and girls in Grade 6 can read this book themselves. Those in Grades 5 to 9 will find it of compelling interest from beginning to end.

Will Bradford like excitement. He was brave, too, and when a boy has a brave heart and a love of excitement, adventure seldom passes him by.

When he grew up, Will became one of the Pilgrims and was their leading member for many years. The adventures that befell Will and the Pilgrims on their journey across the stormy Atlantic, when they landed at Provincetown, and in the early days of their settlement at Plymouth, are told in this fine book.

James Daugherty's story and pictures carry a genuine feeling of life in the Plymouth colony. Here are real people having real adventures. At first, they suffered many discouragements and troubles, but gay and comical things often happened too, and the Pilgrims were well able to enjoy fun and a good joke. Then, there were the pleasant, happy things: the first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims' friendships with the Indians, and the birth of Peregrine White, the first white baby to be born in New England.

Across the pages move many of Plymouth's people: Captain Miles Standish, called a "little runt" by an Indian who soon regretted his words; jolly Mrs. Hopkins, the inventor of New England corn pudding; and the efficient Master Jones who captained the "Mayflower" across the Atlantic. Here, too, are the young Billingtons, easily the most mischievous boys in Plymouth.

Readers will like this story because it tells about things that really happened. They will like it, too, because it is a swiftly moving tale, full of action, fun, accomplishment, and suspense.

From the dust jacket