Little By Little; or, The Cruise of the Flyaway

"Little By Little; or, The Cruise of the Flyaway" by Oliver Optic is a story from the 1800s about a boy named Paul Duncan, who learns to be responsible and independent while on a sailing adventure. After his father dies, Paul steps up to help his family, showing how tough and determined he is. At the beginning, Paul and his friend Thomas are getting ready to sail, even though the weather is bad, and Paul must decide whether to listen to his mother's worry and stay safe, or go against her wishes. The core ideas of the story are established around family loyalty, the difficulties of growing up and wanting freedom, and the risks of being too adventurous when young.