In a New World tells the story of two young men, Harry Vane and Jack Pendleton, who find themselves in Australia and decide to try their hand at gold mining. They team up with Obed Stackpole, an older adult who knows the ways of the mining world, and it is a good thing they did! They do, indeed, find a monster nugget that would be worth millions today, but they have to fight off thieves, bushrangers, and kidnapping before their fortunes are assured. Talk about action and adventure!
Horatio Alger, Jr. (January 13, 1832 July 18, 1899) was a prolific 19th-century American author, best known for his many formulaic juvenile novels about impoverished boys and their rise from humble backgrounds to lives of middle-class security and comfort through hard work, determination, courage, and honesty. His writings were characterized by the "rags-to-riches" narrative, which had a formative effect on America during the Gilded Age.