The story of the tomboy Penrod Scofield was written by the American writer Bus Tarkinton more than a hundred years ago. But it is still read with pleasure by both children and their parents in many countries around the world. After all, this boy from the American outback knows how to turn every day into a holiday, and the most boring things into exciting adventures. Bus Tarkinton's (1869–1946) first novel was published in 1899. In total, his creative heritage includes more than fifty works. Literary critics unanimously noted the “healthy cheerfulness” and “good-natured humor of the writer.” Mark Twain, having read the first works of the young Tarkinton, remarked: “America will still be proud of this humorist.” And he fully justified the hopes placed on him, having twice received the literary Pulitzer Prize. For middle school age.