At Crofton Academy, where autumn rivers, football fields, and canoeing adventures shape the year, two inseparable schoolboys return eager for another season of rivalry, humor, and loyal companionship. Gil Benton is steady and thoughtful; Poke Endicott is impulsive, comic, and irrepressibly vain, and their banter carries the lively spirit of boarding-school life as they greet old friends and look ahead to classes, athletics, and mischief. Beyond the school gates, Sunnywood Cottage is taking shape as a hopeful new home. Hope Hazard and her hardworking brother Jim are trying to turn it into a boarding house, despite money worries and an agent who may not be helping them fairly. Their mother, Mrs. Hazard, brings warmth, comic confusion, and quiet resilience to the effort, while Hope's optimism keeps the family moving forward. The arrival of Jeffrey Latham, a cheerful, well-dressed boy on crutches, adds both challenge and promise. Jim's skepticism is tested by Jeffrey's good humor, sportsmanlike spirit, and easy confidence, and a budding friendship begins to form. Then Brandon Gary storms in, claiming a room of his own and stirring up a sharp, funny dispute over mistaken arrangements. Full of school spirit, family loyalty, and spirited personalities, Crofton Chums opens a bright, affectionate coming-of-age tale. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.