Percy K. Fitzhugh

Tom Slade on a Transport Percy K. Fitzhugh

Percy Keese Fitzhugh is an American author who has written almost 100 books for children and young adults. Many of his books are about boy scouts and are located in Bridgeboro, New Jersey, a fictional town. The characters include Tom Slade, Pee-wee Harris, Roy Blakely, and Westy Martin. Each of these characters has their own distinct series. The stories have a realism not found in much of the literature for boys at that time. Fitzhugh's books had the approval of the Boy Scouts of America. Because of his books many boys became scouts. The Tom Slade series can be divided into 4 distinct sections. The first section can be labeled poor boy makes good. The second section containing Tom Slade on a Transport can be called the scout becomes a war hero. The third section is about misunderstood boy heroes. The final section books are excellently written mysteries. On a Transport tells how Tom gets a job on a ship taking supplies across the Atlantic to American troops in France and sails through dangerous waters dogged by German warships.