Stalky & Co.

Stalky & Co. by Rudyard Kipling is a novel published in 1899. Set at a British boarding school based on Kipling's own experience, it follows three cynical boys who approach authority and patriotism with knowing irreverence. Through tales of pranks, revenge, and elaborate schemes against housemasters and bullies, these stories subvert idealized school fiction with hints of violence, the macabre, and worldly awareness. The final chapter reveals how their mischievous training served them as adults in the British Empire's armed forces.

Reading ease score: 85.0 (6th grade). Easy to read.