Well, in the end the boys' motherland betrays them, and it turns out the honorable, idealistic soldiers were just specks of dust in the wind with no real control over the fate of their 'country'. The story can be read as a satire mocking European nationalism, as the boys use many nationalistic and military terms while playing their games, and are so infatuated with their 'motherland' (they even call it that), that they are ready to take the direst of measures in order to protect it from their enemies. The Paul Street Boys relates the story of a group of boys trying to protect their little plot of undeveloped land in the midst of Budapest from the redshirts, a group of older boys who want to use the land to play ball. So, with the backstory cleared up, I should be getting to the review itself. By courtesy of my dear friend Uncle Google, as we call him in our family, I discovered the title and immediately downloaded an electronic copy of the book. I had been meaning to read it for quite some time, but I could never remember what the title was, and more particularly, the name of the street. My friend and I both loved the book and I remember crying wholeheartedly at the ending, which was the only part I could fully recall when I set about to rereading this marvelous novel a few days ago.

I remember reading this book at a friend's house a long time ago, perhaps 5-6 years past. The Paul Street Boys by Ferenc Molnar was an easy choice in this regard. I try to be frugal with my 5-star ratings as not to cheapen them I reserve them for the best of the best, for my favorite books of all time. Una de las novelas húngaras más famosas del mundo, este cuento sobre un grupo de jóvenes que defiende su territorio ha sido traducido a muchas lenguas y ha llegado a ser lectura obligada en muchas escuelas. La lucha por el terreno se convierte en un noble juego de guerra regido por la estrategia, el honor y la camaradería. En Budapest a comienzos del siglo XX, los muchachos de la calle Pál, dirigidos por el sabio y valiente Boka, no están dispuestos a permitir que la temible banda del Jardín Botánico se apodere de su patio de recreo. One of the most famous Hungarian novels in the world, this story about a group of young boys defending their territory has been translated into many languages and gone on to become required reading in many schools' curricula. The fight for the land becomes a noble game of war governed by strategy, honor, and camaraderie. In Budapest at the turn of the 20th century, the boys of Paul Street, led by the wise and brave Boka, are unwilling to allow the fearsome Botanical Gardens Gang to take over their playground.

The Paul Street Boys by Ferenc Molnár