A stick given Bill an English boy, by a mysterious old man has magic qualities. The story of his adventures during the next year, while he has the stick, makes a breathless tale told in Buchan's
most convincing manner. Bill has only to twirl the stick and wish himself away, to arrive in any place that he thinks of. His first experimental trip to the Solomon Islands is rather terrifying, as he escapes only in the nick of time from the savages there. Having his small brother cling to him, he is able to take him along on a trip to their summer home, but this, too, almost ends in disaster, when they are discovered by the caretakers. For vivid descriptions of strange places, for an account of a real boy's reactions, and for exciting incidents, the book is one of the best of Buchan's adventure stories.