Reed was a pioneer of school fiction for boys — he contributed to The Boys’ Own Paper (BOP) — writing from a Christian standpoint but without the moralism of others. This was his first published book, after being serialised in the BOP; due to the immediate success and popularity of the story, Reed was encouraged by the editor’s to attempt longer and more ambitious works, resulting in the publication of ‘The Fifth Form at St. Dominic’s’; many illustrations.