Ragged Dick,: And Mark, the Match Boy

Mark the Match Boy is the tale of a young, poverty stricken boy who makes it through life with his good morals and honesty. Mark, the main character, lives with a gaurdian who puts him on the streets to sell matches and make profit for the both of them. When Mark finally works up the courage to run away from his temporary home, a string of good fortune suddenly comes upon him. Mark is taken in by a very nice young man by the name of Richard Hunter, the main character from author Horatio Algers previous novel. The two characters seem to go hand in hand with eachother, and are very easy to relate to. Everything seems to go Mark's way, especially the surprise ending which contains a very good twist. I would, without hesitation, reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys to read. I would also reccomend this book to anyone who has had some bad luck recently. Mark the Match Boy comes with the life lesson, work hard, mind your business, and treat people with respect, and you shall recieve the same. Possibly a little good fortune to go with it.

Elizabeth AnastasiMark The Match Boy by Horatio Alger is about a young, poor, orphaned boy forced to make it on his own on the streets. He gets through many obstacles and troubles that come his way with integrity and honesty. Mark shows honesty and integrity throughout the novel. When his friend Ben, who he met on the streets, told him to lie to his customers about the price of his matches to make more money, Mark wouldn't do it. Even if it meant he would go hungry that night,he said he would never accept money if he didn't earn it; that is why he doesn't like begging. Maybe it was fate or pure luck, but Mark catches a break when he learns he has very wealthy extended relatives searching for him. This story will broaden your idea of what is important in life. At the end of the book, you are left with the question; is he just lucky, or is there such thing as fate? A reason why I liked this book so much was because it was very easy to understand. No matter if you are rich or poor you can appreciate the struggles of being less fortunate or the desire to be wealthy. The characters are realistic and the actions they do are as well. Everything that happens in the book is something that could happen in real life. Another reason why I liked Mark the Match Boy so much was because it was an easy read. There was no embellishment added to the reading. Because of this, it seemed as though each chapter was its own story. The author speaks to the reader to help them understand and follow the story. Even if you haven't read Ragged Dick, the story that preceded Mark the Match Boy, like I didn't, the author relates back to it so you can understand the entire story better. I recommend Mark the Match Boy because, Young or old people can be thankful for what they have. This book will open your eyes to what you really need in life and what is really important. After reading this book you will value morality, integrity, and honesty.

Reviewer: Dan Gross from New JerseyReviews on: Ragged Dick and Mark The Match Boy Ragged Dick is a story about a boy going from "rags to riches". This story focuses on the life of Richard Hunter, a poor bootblack from New York City. It is a classic story about a young boy without parents who works hard and is honest. The honesty and hard work pays off for him when he does deeds for people in high places. In Ragged Dick Richard Hunter's honesty brings out the best of people. The wealthy people give him extra attention for his deeds and notice his honesty. For example, he receives money for a shoe and cannot get change so within a few days of the business interaction, he goes to the work place of the man and gives him the change. It also represents respect for his elders. Story number two of the series is Mark The Match Boy. This too has good morals starting from the youth. This story displays the innocence of a boy coming into the real world. Mark is a boy who is deprived of love. He has no living mother and no family. The purity, which he displays to Richard Hunter, is charming. In this story thievery motivates the conflict. The story display Mark as a by who is similar to The Catcher in The Rye as where Holden Caulfield does not let his sister be corrupted by the real world, Richard is doing this to Mark. These two stories should be read by not only the youth, but by everyone. They focus on universal morals such as honesty and trust. I can say nothing negative about this book because it is well written, to the point, and very appealing. Not only is it motivating, but also it brings out the best in people and it could change your view on the less fortunate population.