The Uneasy Childhood: "Who put the overalls in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder?"

These 40 stories, set mostly in Michigan, generally concern two boys. My nephew was the model for one and a family friend supplied the grist for Jonathon's behavior.
The boys were night and day in terms of character. The stories were mostly recreated or in the words of Dave Barry, " It's all true, give or take a lie or two". It can't be said to be autobiographical because no one person could have lived through all that.