Little Bobtail; or, The Wreck of the Penobscot.

"Little Bobtail; or, The Wreck of the Penobscot" by Oliver Optic is a tale where a boy named Robert, also known as "Little Bobtail", finds an abandoned yacht and takes on all the tasks related to being its caretaker. The book happens in a time of family problems, honesty, and the hard times that young people face. At the start, we meet Little Bobtail in a home full of stress, shown through his tough relationship with his dad, Ezekiel Taylor, who is an abusive drunk. Robert is very caring for his mother, and this is shown when he gets rid of some alcohol to stop his father from hurting them. Soon, because he is adventurous, he discovers a yacht called Skylark that has floated ashore. As Little Bobtail looks at the boat and thinks about what he could do with it, we see that he is a clever and strong young man, ready to deal with the problems in his life. The story brings up bravery, questions about whether smuggling is right, and the story of a boy growing up, drawing readers in with excitement and thinking about what is right and wrong.