Today, I wanna talk about this book I stumbled upon called “The Adventures of Mabel”. It’s a pretty old book, originally published way back in 1897, written by a guy named Harry Thurston Peck. It’s a children’s fantasy novel, all about this young girl named Mabel who lives in the countryside. I thought it might be a fun read, so I decided to give it a go.
I started by finding a digital copy online. It seems like Google scanned it as part of some big project to digitize old books. Anyway, I downloaded it as a PDF and got started.
The story kicks off with Mabel exploring the land near her home. She’s got this cool connection with animals, and they kinda become her guides in this adventure. As I read, I made notes of some of the characters and things that happened:
- Mabel – Main character, obviously.
- Rex – Some kind of animal, maybe a dog?
- Wolf – There’s a wolf, sometimes it’s a “bad wolf” and other times it’s a “good wolf”. Confusing, right?
- Walter and Towser – More characters, not sure what kind of animals.
- Uncle Robert – A human, I think.
- Grey Rat – Sounds kinda nasty.
- Brownie Jelly – No idea what this is.
- Animal Party – Sounds like a fun time!
- Tall Robber and Giants Castle – These sound like parts of the adventure.
So I kept reading, and the story gets pretty wild. Mabel and her animal friends end up turning the tables on adults, even rescuing them at some point. It’s like the kids are in charge for once.
The Ending
Now, I also heard there’s this other story called “The Buccaneers” that got renewed for a second season on Apple TV. Apparently, there’s a character named Mabel in that one too. And in the end, this Mabel, she calls off her engagement to some guy named Miles and says she loves Honoria. Then there’s a whole scene outside a chapel where they’re trying to help someone named Jinny escape with a guy named Guy. It’s all very dramatic.
And get this – another character, Nan, ends up marrying this dude Theo, just so she can use her new status to protect Jinny and Guy. It’s a whole mess of relationships and drama. Honestly, it sounds a bit like a soap opera to me.

I don’t know if these two Mabels are related or if it’s just a coincidence, but it’s kind of interesting, right? Anyway, “The Adventures of Mabel” was a fun, quick read, especially if you’re into old children’s books. And “The Buccaneers,” well, that’s a whole other story, literally.
That’s all for now. Just wanted to share my little reading adventure with you all. Maybe I’ll check out those new books, “Just a Smile” and “The Giant Pumpkin”, next. They’re from 2024, so at least they’re not from the 1800s!