Release date is 2025-11-24

Jeroen Hellingman and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net/ for Project Gutenberg

"Zoo'n lastige jongen" by Grace Stebbing is a children's novel written in the late 19th century. It follows the high-spirited Jo Holmer, whose mischief tests his patient sister Corrie, their kind parents, and a stern-but-softhearted uncle, blending humor with gentle moral lessons. The likely focus is on everyday scrapes, family affection, and the slow shaping of character as Jo learns from the consequences of his pranks.

The opening of the story introduces Jo as a lively, irrepressible boy who teases Corrie, shrugs off apologies, and is captivated by a tale that inspires him to “measure” every gutter in town—returning home soaked in mud but full of triumph. Soon after, his well-meant zeal turns disastrous when he tries to make a book catalogue in his father’s library, scattering and staining volumes until Corrie and a friend restore order; remorseful, Jo puts himself to bed without tea and prays to become better. When his parents return with Uncle Johan, Jo is invited to visit; at the uncle’s, a comic breakfast kerfuffle (including a kicked table and a six-jar jelly pact) shows both Jo’s impulsiveness and his uncle’s indulgent warmth. Finally, Jo attempts to fix a stuck water tap, smashes the pipe with a hammer, and floods the yard; Corrie wades in to help, and Jo runs for assistance just as his uncle finds him drenched—where this excerpt leaves off. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Originally published: Amsterdam: C. A. J. van Dishoeck, 1899