Gutta-Percha Willie
Gutta-Percha Willie is a novel by George MacDonald that tells the story of a young man named Willie who discovers a magical substance called gutta-percha. The book follows his adventures as he tries to use this substance to help others and ultimately learns important lessons about life, love, and friendship.
By George MacDonald · First published 1873 · Genre: Children's Literature, Adventure, Family · 24 chapters · 56,935 words
First lines
When he had been at school for about three weeks, the boys called him Six-fingered Jack; but his real name was Willie, for his father and mother gave it him -- not William, but Willie, after a brother of his father, who died young, and had always been called Willie. His name in full was Willie Macmichael. It was generally pronounced Macmickle, which was, by a learned anthropologist, for certain reasons about to appear in this history, supposed to have been the original form of the name, dignified in the course of time into Macmichael. It was his own father, however, who gave him the name of Gutta-Percha Willie, the reason of which will also show itself by and by.
What this Textopian page supports
Gutta-Percha Willie is listed on Textopian as a novel by George MacDonald, dated 1873 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: George MacDonald
- Date: 1873 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Children's Literature, Adventure, Family, Fantasy, Moral Fiction
- Length: 56,935 words
- Structure: 24 chapters, 963 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Gutta-Percha Willie by George MacDonald
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Gutta-Percha Willie?
- How does this novel by George MacDonald fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Children's Literature first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- The Pinafore by George Macdonald
- A Make Believe by George Macdonald
- Little Elfie by George Macdonald
- I Ken Something by George Macdonald
- Uncle Cornelius His Story by George Macdonald
- My Two Geniuses by George Macdonald
Genres
- Children's Literature — The book is primarily aimed at a young audience, featuring a child protagonist and themes suitable for children.
- Adventure — The narrative includes elements of exploration and discovery, typical of adventure stories.
- Family — The story emphasizes family relationships and dynamics, which are central to the plot.
- Fantasy — There are imaginative elements and a sense of wonder that align with the fantasy genre.
Tags
adventure · fantasy · children's literature · imagination · friendship · creativity · whimsy · moral lessons · victorian · narrative · growth · self-discovery
Contents
- Who he was and where he was
- Willie's Education
- He is Turned into Something he Never was before
- He Serves an Apprenticeship
- He Goes to Learn a Trade
- How Willie Learned to Read before he Knew his Letters
- Some Things that Came of Willie's Going to School
- Willie Digs and Finds what he did not Expect
- A Marvel
- A New Alarum
- Some of the Sights Willie Saw
- A New Scheme
- Willie's Nest in the Ruins
- Willie's Grandmother
- Hydraulics
- Hector Hints at a Discovery
- How Willie Went on
- Willie's Talk with his Grandmother
- A Talk with Mr Shepherd
- How Willie did his Best to Make a Bird of Agnes
- How Agnes Liked being a Bird
- Willie's Plans Bud
- Willie's Plans Blossom
- Willie's Plans Bear Fruit