Peter Graves by William Pène du Bois

First published: 1950; illustrated

Type of work: Fantasy/adventure tale

Themes: Friendship and science

Time of work: The mid-twentieth century

Recommended Ages: 10-13

Locale: The Eastern United States

Principal Characters:

• Peter Graves, an adventurous and resourceful boy of fourteen
• Houghton F. Furlong, an eccentric and brilliant inventor
• Llewelyn Pierpont Boopfaddle, a sinister, persistent stranger with a walrus mustache

The Story

Houghton F. Furlong, an eccentric inventor, lives on the outskirts of the town of Houndstooth in a large house where he conducts wildly unpredictable experiments which routinely result in fires, explosions, and noxious smoke. Except for an occasional visit by the fire department, Houghton is left alone by the terrified neighbors—that is, until one day when young Peter Graves decides to conduct an elaborate and dangerous game that eventually lands him, alone, on the doorstep of the “Horrible House of Houghton.”

To Peter’s horror, Houghton answers the door and invites him in. The old inventor proves to be a perfect host and shows Peter some of his inventions, including an antigravity substance called Furloy. He keeps the substance encased in small metal balls suspended from the floor in leather harnesses. One of the balls is larger than the others and perfectly counterbalanced with its casing so that it can be bounced. Houghton warns Peter that if the ball is bounced and left unchecked, it will gradually increase its velocity until it bounces clear out of earth’s atmosphere. Peter bounces the ball carefully, but then loses control of it. Bouncing higher and higher, the ball crashes through the ceiling and through the upper floors of the house until the house is completely destroyed.

Peter, devastated, invites the old scientist to come live with him until he can find a way to raise enough money to have the house rebuilt. The gentle old man proves to be such an excellent guest that Peter’s parents leave the boy with Houghton while they travel to Europe. In their absence, Peter and Houghton experiment with Furloy. By fastening the balls to Peter, the two are able to create the illusion of flight. As they practice their stunts in various locales around Houndstooth, they catch sight of a large man with a walrus mustache watching them from afar.

Their first public appearance is at a magician’s convention in Atlantic City, where a prize of five thousand dollars is being offered to whoever can best perform the Indian Rope Trick, a stunt involving a person’s climbing up a floating rope. After a shaky start in which the man with the walrus mustache tries to sabotage the proceedings, Peter and Houghton perform the trick and win the prize.

Their first success is followed by a series of fantastic feats, performed in front of larger and larger crowds. All are nearly ruined by the man with the mustache, who they learn is a rich industrialist named Llewelyn Pierpont Boopfaddle. In an attempt to escape Boopfaddle’s clutches, they lose some of the Furloy balls.

Still short of the funds needed to rebuild Houghton’s house, they answer an advertisement offering ten thousand dollars to anyone with a container strong enough to withstand the manhandling of a giant Eskimo named Lord Ivan Big Bulk. The two load a lead-lined strong box with the remaining Furloy balls and let the giant do his best to smash the case. The case remains unharmed, and Peter and Houghton are escorted by Lord Ivan to an elegant office where they come face to face with Boopfaddle. When Boopfaddle opens the case, the last Furloy balls fly out and hit him in the face before flying up through the skylight.

Boopfaddle confesses that he is a suitcase manufacturer and has been attempting to steal the secret behind their amazing gravity-defying stunts in order to create the perfect lightweight, indestructible suitcase. He offers to pay the two for the right to use Furloy in his luggage, to which they agree. The story concludes as Peter imagines other ways in which the Furloy can be used to benefit humankind.

Context

Peter Graves is William Pene du Bois’ most serious book. Written shortly after World War II, the book reflects that period’s uneasiness and skepticism over the benefits of such scientific advances as the discovery of nuclear fission, which led to the development of the atomic bomb and the real possibility of global destruction. It is obvious that du Bois had the atomic bomb in mind when he chose to write about a seemingly harmless substance that, if used carelessly, could destroy the world. Yet Peter Graves is hardly a cautionary tale on the evils of scientific advancement. On the contrary, it celebrates science, invention, and imagination.

Du Bois grew up in Europe and as a child fell in love with the colorful, exciting world of the circus. This affection for breathtaking feats of derring-do is the true main theme of Peter Graves. Like that book, du Bois’ most famous work, The Twenty-one Balloons (1946), written three years earlier, abounds in lively descriptions of intricate gadgets constructed for pleasure.

Du Bois is a master illustrator with a distinctive style that blends stark realism with fantasy. The detailed, realistic black-and-white drawings of the wonderful inventions and stunts add to the playful tension he creates between fancy and fact in Peter Graves, The Twenty-one Balloons, and many other of his most successful stories for young readers.

Although very much a reflection of the uneasy, apocalyptic era in which it was written, Peter Graves, like its two adventurous and optimistic protagonists, transcends its period by celebrating the triumphant power of friendship, imagination, and fun.