Snowed Up; or, The Sportsman's Club in the Mountains

Castlemon, Harry, 1842-1915Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.6

Word count: 286K words
Chapters: 29

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Snowed Up; or, The Sportman's Club in the Mountains by Harry CastlemonAuthor: Castlemon, Harry, 1842-1915,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Jan 28, 2018

Editor's review

This is a boys' adventure novel by the American children's author Harry Castlemon, released free in the original English by Project Gutenberg. The story follows the experiences of a "sportsman's club" in the snowy mountains and is a typical example of boys' outdoor adventure fiction, emphasizing courage, comradeship, and quick thinking under pressure. Castlemon's works were aimed at young readers in the English-speaking world, with plain language and brisk plotting, making them suitable as introductory or transitional material for reading in the original English. For Chinese readers, its value lies in offering a plot-driven English reading experience with relatively accessible vocabulary, allowing learners to build up expressions while following the story. Note that this is an English e-book, not a Chinese translation, and that it dates from an early period, so some usages and narrative pacing differ from modern works. It is better suited as language-learning material or as a sample of early boys' adventure fiction than as a work to be read for literary depth.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Intermediate learners who want to boost reading interest with plot-driven books in the original English
Young readers who enjoy outdoor adventure and snow-survival themes
Parents or teachers looking for free English extracurricular reading for children
General readers interested in early English boys' adventure fiction

Not a good fit for

Readers who need a Chinese translation or lack basic English reading ability
Adult readers expecting modern narrative pacing and complex characterization
People with no interest at all in outdoor adventure

Reading tips

Read the first two chapters first to check vocabulary difficulty, then decide whether to go chapter by chapter.
Keep a single list of unfamiliar outdoor and action words, and look them up together after finishing each chapter.
Focus on following the plot; don't get stuck on every new word—keep the reading flowing.
After finishing, retell the main events in a few sentences to check comprehension and practice expression.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What English level is this book suitable for?

It is a plot-driven boys' adventure novel with fairly plain language, suitable for readers with basic to intermediate English reading ability. If your vocabulary is limited, read with a dictionary; complete beginners are not advised to try the original English directly.

Is this book a Chinese version?

No. This is the original English e-book released by Project Gutenberg, with the text in English. Chinese readers need some English ability or translation tools to help them understand it.

Is the story suitable for adult readers?

It is aimed mainly at young readers, with a plot centered on adventure and comradeship. Adults interested in early boys' adventure fiction or in English reading practice may enjoy it, but should not expect complex thematic depth or modern narrative technique.

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About the author

Castlemon, Harry, 1842-1915 Author

Harry Castlemon (1842-1915) was an American author of adventure stories for young readers, though public information about his life and education is limited. Forty of his works are held in the collection, most following young protagonists through frontier and wartime adventures. Frank on the Prairie, Frank Before Vicksburg and Frank on the Lower Mississippi center on a character named Frank and deal with prairie life and the fighting on the Mississippi; Marcy the Blockade Runner and The First Capture; or, Hauling Down the Flag of England draw on blockade running and naval warfare; Elam Storm, the Wolfer; or, The Lost Nugget, George in Camp; or, Life on the Plains and Guy Harris, the Runaway feature a wolf hunter, camp life and a runaway boy. Told with tight plotting for young readers and stressing courage and adventure, these books are a representative example of nineteenth-century American juvenile fiction.