The plot of Bob the Castaway centers on the mischief of young Bob Henderson, his parents' fruitless attempts to change him, and his later sea voyages.The protagonist of our story, Bob Henderson, grew up in a flourishing New England community. Bob was a student at the nearby school and served as somewhat of a mentor to the lads in a particular class. He was a bit of a crazy man, and some of the things he did were hurtful and cruel to the people he made fun of. Bob moved forward with a cry as he realized there was trouble, hoping to help. A strong gust of wind blew away a large chunk of one of the yards of the damaged mizzen mast that had been hanging by splinters and dropped practically at his feet. If it had hit him directly, he would have died. Four castaways from the doomed Eagle had no idea where they were or where the closest piece of land was. Bob returned to his "house" and searched his watertight matchbox for the matches he had brought along with him. He was delighted that his wash had not damaged the tiny firesticks; he only wished he had more of them. Tim and the skipper started to row the boat in the direction of the sinking boat that Mr. Carr and Ned Scudd were traveling in. Bob joined the group, but Mr. Tarbill stayed on land, wringing his hands and wishing in vain that he had never traveled by water.
The Stratemeyer Syndicate utilized the alias Frank V. Webster. Between 1909 and 1915, Cupples & Leon released 25 books in The Webster Series For Boys. In 1938, Saalfield Publishing reissued certain titles. There was an attempt to portray Webster as a real person. It has been found a noteworthy discovery in Mr. Frank V. Webster, who is under contract to write solely for us, according to a 1911 advertisement. A portion of a 1921 newspaper ad stated: "The writing style of Mr. Webster is similar to that of the late, lamented Horatio Alger, Jr., but all of his stories are contemporary. These are stories for good, smart lads." Howard R. Garis wrote a lot of the books. George Rathbone, J. W. Lincoln, and Weldon J. Cobb were other authors. Contrary to many other pen names, "Frank V. Webster" was presented as a real person on purpose. The Alger connection was made in a 1911 book trade advertisement for Cupples & Leon, most likely written by Edward Stratemeyer. The Stratemeyer Syndicate pseudonym "Frank V. Webster'' refers to the Horatio Alger, Jr.-style Webster collection of short stories.
