“There’s two things as always come to the top: one’s merit—t’other’s scum.” That’s the driving wisdom behind Rising to the Top by Mary E. Ropes, part of the Lamplighter Rare Collector Series. Why do the wicked seem to succeed, while bad things happen to good people? The author has faith that, in the end, justice will prevail, and one’s true character will be revealed.

First published in 1887, Rising to the Top tells the story of thirteen-year-old Bob Martin as he tries to build a life for himself after he is left an orphan. He takes a place as a servant in a wealthy home, where he learns that doing what’s right is not always easy, and that the deceitfulness of others can make one’s life difficult. In the end, of course, true character rises to the top, and both Bob’s “merit” and his enemy’s “scum” are revealed and rewarded appropriately.

With just eight chapters (ninety-three pages), this small cloth-bound book ($15) can be read fairly quickly. Rising to the Top is recommended for children ages nine to fourteen and contains footnotes to help explain words or phrases with which modern readers may be unfamiliar. I found this was a great story for my seven-year-old, who is a fierce defender of justice. Knowing that we are all in God’s hands and that we can trust Him to bring both goodness and wickedness into the light to be judged is an important lesson we are working on, and I appreciate Lamplighter Ministries’ efforts to bring classic novels with such thoughtful lessons back into print for a new generation.

—Product Review by Deanna Jasper, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, June 2017