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William Jasper "Bill" Collins and his five friends are growing up in a small rural town. Bill and his friend Roy "Dragonfly" Gilbert discover a hidden disguise while out fishing one summer afternoon. The next day, police report a bank robber on the loose and possibly in the area. Bill and Dragonfly get together with their Sugar Creek Gang--Little Jimmy Foote, Big Jim, Leslie "Poetry" Thompson, and Daniel "Circus" Browne--to discuss what they can do about it. Mix in a missing old man from the hills, his long-lost nephew, and the resident drunk and it adds up to quite an adventure for a group of boys, all but one under the age of twelve.

Overall, this is a fun and easy read. I realize this is a Christian book, but still I think it weighs a little heavy on the preachy side. I would recommend The Swamp Robber by Paul Hutchens to any of my friends with boys or girls ages 8-12. ( )

Series of 36 books, good to read aloud (so you can edit on the fly), OK for independent readers of 9-10 years old

Wm B Eerdmans Publishing, 1947; ninth edition; hardcover, 92 pages