Discover a new way to read classics with Quick Read.
This Quick Read edition includes both the full text and a summary for each chapter.
- Reading time of the complete text: about 5 hours
- Reading time of the summarized text: 17 minutes

"The Story of a Bad Boy" is a semi-autobiographical novel by Thomas Bailey Aldrich, published in 1870. It follows the adventures of Tom Bailey, a mischievous boy growing up in Rivermouth, New Hampshire. Tom becomes a member of a boys' club called the Centipedes and engages in various pranks and adventures with his friends. He befriends Sailor Ben, helps fire off old cannons, and eventually moves to New York to work in a counting-house. The book was first published in 1869 and later republished in 1895 with illustrations. It is considered the foundational text in the "bad boy" genre of literature, which includes works by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner. The book received praise for its realistic portrayal of a boy's life and the idea that troublemakers can grow up to be successful adults. Twain was influenced by the book, despite initially expressing some criticism. The story takes place in a fictional town based on Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and the author's widow turned the home into a museum.