Customer Reviews

Bomba, the jungle boy (Bomba series ; no. 1)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have read halfway through this book with my 10 year old son - I can't wait to continue tonight. I found the story in a book called "Popular Stories for Boys" dated 1926. I thought maybe the stories would be less politically correct and more manly and adventuresome than are currently written. Wow - was I right! Bomba is the most exciting book we have read in a long time. We LOVE it! I am thinking that this is the reading fare that the World War II generation grew up on. They read about courage in the face of horrible danger and then they went out and demonstrated it. I want my son to know that kind of courage and character that Bomba demonstrates. But Bomba is not just courageous - He is selfless and kind as he cares for the simple minded Casson in spite of all of the problems this brings about. Bomba has a wonderful character. As I was reading I noticed the remarks about Bomba's race (He and Casson are the only white people in the jungle). I thought that surely this book would be one that would be banned from the public school system. It seemed to me however, that a boy who is all alone in a jungle, never having seen another white man might certainly feel like a minority. I chose to read it as celebrating his heritage rather than demeaning others. There is nothing in the character of Bomba that demonstrates hatred or even unkindness. I believe that Bomba is a wonderful role model of manly character. (The book is also a great vocabulary enhancer - it certainly points out the decline in educational standards since most 10 year old boys I know would never be able to comprehend the wide range of words in this book). If you have young boys and you can find this book - I highly recommend it.

My family has a set of Bomba books which my father and his brother read when they were children in the 1940s. I believe there are 18 in the complete set and we still have 16 of them in original yellow hardbound covers. The stories start with a child somehow lost in the Amazon jungle and his adventures of growing up there. Then the boy is found by his parents as an older teenager and returns briefly to New York. When his father is lost in the African jungles the scene shifts to adventures in Africa where he finds and rescues his father from cannibals. Finally there are some adventures on the return from Africa on ships and islands.

The books are wonderful adventure for a child's mind. I remember finding the vocabulary to be comparable to my 8th grade reading assignments. To the astonishment of my teacher, I listed all 16 books we had on my reading list that year.

I have read nearly all of these wonderful books by Roy Rockwood. Bomba is one of the last great heros that have a real decent approach. My mom inherited these books from her dad when he passed away. I have read them over and over since I was a little girl. They still enthrall me and keep me very interested. We are missing 2 books out of this series unfortunatly. I am still trying to find these books since they are great books to pass down to my daughter now.

I used to read this book about every other month growing up. My adventures In the Colombian junges were never quite as dramatic as Bomba's in his Jungle, but my imagination, fueled by books like this, made up for it just fine. Even as an adult I like to dust this off and relive Bomba's perilous existence and amazing ability to deal with danger and thwart evil. He is the Chip Hilton of the Jungle, an all around good guy with honor, principles and a heck of a throwing arm, but he slings knives, spears and arrows instead of baseballs and footballs. Any adventurous young lad will be engrossed by this tale, over-the-top though it may be. The cult following these Bomba books have generated speaks for itself.

I'm a ten-year-old fan and I really love Bomba. It is the most wonderful book in the whole universe because it is very adventurous and fun to read and I'm always curious about how things will turn out!

Having received most of these volumes as a gift from an uncle in the late 50's, Bomba the Jungle Boy was indeed a treasure trove of adventure for a youthful, hungry mind. Were it not that I gave them to a friend at age 16 prior to a move to Europe, I would likewise love to share them with my 8-year old son. I do not recall much in the way of racism, either covertly or overtly, but the flood under my bridge decreases my subjectivity. The theme and style of writing were definitely reminiscent or the old movie serials of the 30's and 40's, such as "Tailspin Tommy" and the like. But instead of having to come back the following week for the continuing sequels, the next chapter was just a turned page away. And invariably, each chapter ended with a cliffhanger. Bomba was the adventure series, and both these and the old Landmark (historical) books, proved invaluable sources for reading proficiency. In this age of political correctness, it might not be possible for anyone to consider a re-release or re-publishing something so archaic. But should anyone out there obtain these volumes, a gift to the local public library would allow many to share. ----Johnny Beamsderfer

I'm 51 years old and still fondly remember reading all of the Bomba the Jungle Boy books when I was a boy. There must have been at least a dozen of them. I've often regretted not having preserved them to pass on to my own children and to even reread them myself. Perhaps they wouldn't seem as exciting now as they did in my youth but they were very instrumental in instilling an early love of reading. If I'm ever fortunate enough to find a set of these old books for sale at a somewhat reasonable price, I'll definatly purchase them for old times sake!

I guess I was about ten years old when my sister (three years my senior) gave me my very first book, Bomba the Jungle Boy. I was an avid reader, but was restricted (for financial reasons) to public library fare. The only trouble with the Bomba book was that I had it read by the early afternoon. I gave a memoriable verbal book report in grade school the next week, leaving the class breathless as I led them through one of Bomba's hair-raising adventures, ending with a suspenseful "and if you want to know what happened next, you'll have to read the book." Alas, that was the only Bomba book I ever read as our small community library didn't have Bomba books and I could never afford to buy another. I would have loved to have read these books to my two children when they were small (I certainly read a lot of other books to them at night, curled up between me and my wife), but they are all grown up and moved away. Maybe someday I'll have grandchildren... and they will learn about the many adventures of Bomba.

I grew up reading the Bomba series of books, I believe that there are something like twenty different titles. They're about a young boy, mid-teens who grows up in the jungles of South America and the different adventures he encounters. I believe that this is the first in the series.

Highly recommended for teen-aged boys who enjoy a good clean adventure story.

Gunner September, 2007

I'm 63 and can't believe that somewhere along the way, I let this wonderful set of books get out of my hands. I was 7-8 when I read them, living in Sarasota, FL during WWII. We lived outside of town, our house backed up to the Ringling Bros. winter estate. Every Sat. we went to town and I spent my money on books. I think they were 65 cents at the time. I learned about South America, particularly the Amazon (maybe the Orinocco) River(s), and Macchu Picchu, anacondas, piranhas, etc., etc. from the Bomba books. I think curare came from elsewhere, but not sure. I do not remember anything about adventures on the high seas. Am I remembering incorrectly, or was there a later series added to the originals? Does anyone have a list of the original titles? How many were there? I seem to remember more than 10. It's amazing what 50 years does to memories like this one. I would love to hear from someone else who remembers Bomba. I would think many of us read those books. Why did the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and The Bobsey Twins last and Bomba didn't? He was much more exciting and exotic. I am a geographer now, so I would think this book helped me on the path. I remember another set called Maida. She traveled with her parents from place to place in New England (I think) and would say "hi" to the new county as they crossed the line--again a geographic bent to the book. Of all the books I read (2-3 a week) Bomba stands out as one of my very favorites!!!