26 OCTOBER 1895, Page 24

Master Val. By Nellie Hellis. (S.P.C.K.)—Val is a spoilt and

disobedient boy, but the acquaintance of a hard-working boy of his own age, the son of poor parents, sets him a better example, and he becomes a credit to his station and his relatives. Seth Coverdale is just the honest, natural, and energetic boy that young folks like to read about, and Val is interesting too ; more- over, the final reconciliation between the two grannies will please the readers of Master Val as much as anything in the book.