The Glory of Greystone by John L. Roberts

This review was originally published on my other blog in 2007.

This is another British school story, published long ago enough that it doesn't even have a date in it. It follows the "japes" of one Henry Blundell, as told by his friend Gibbs, with the company of the third of the trio, Rowe. The three are not great scholars, nor stellar sportsmen, but Blundell does seem to be adept at getting into trouble. Unable to resist any sort of shenanigan, he is finally in the position where he is about to be expelled from Greystone by the headmaster, who vowed if he ever had to cane a boy three times in succession without the caning of another boy intervening, he would expel that boy. But he gives Blundell one more chance. If by the end of the term, he can do something "for the glory of Greystone", he will let him stay on.

It is a struggle for Blundell to forego his usual penchant for tricks, but he tries diligently to do something "for the glory of Greystone" - without success. He does finally succeed, though, when he gives up and pulls a "jape" as a farewell trick to the school - but the trick actually leads to doing something that is for the glory of Greystone.

It is an decent book, if not a particularly thrilling one. Once again, I was a bit foiled by the lengthy descriptions of cricket matches. Just when I think I am beginning to understand cricket, a more complete description of the matches proves that I don't.