I’ve been wanting to get through a few classics this year, and my most recent pick was this book, which I’ve had on the shelf for a while now. A friend recommended it to me, so over the years, I’ve collected the series from second-hand stores; I just never sat down to read them! I found the first third of this book dry and somewhat hard-going, but I’m glad I persevered, because it ended up being a lovely story!

Somewhat reminiscent of Anne of Green Gables, A Little Princess, and Little Women, this book is full of adventures, high jinks, and mischief that children often get themselves into. It’s mostly lighthearted fun; occasionally they are disobedient, but that is rarely tolerated.

I found this a fun story to read, despite the slow start, and I’m glad I didn’t DNF it, as I was tempted to do! ( )

My nostalgic return to children's literature continues with this charming story, very much establishing the pattern later adopted by Anne of Green Gables with its episodic format and likable protagonist. I had no idea, incidentally, that the Americans called a bush cricket a 'katydid' - but that's evidently what it is! ( )

A story about a girl who might not be the most obedient person and might not be the best influence on her younger siblings but who is adventurous and imaginative. This tells how she learned a lesson. Its got a nice style to it and good characterization however it gets very moralistic and smaltzey later. I don't normally care about the message a story might have but after i finished this i couldn't help thinking about it and the more i thought about it, the more annoying the story became. So i've taken a bit off the score for that. ( )

Katy is the oldest of four or five (honestly I couldn't be bothered to keep track) siblings with a loving-but-largely-absent doctor for a father and just a memory of her mother. She's rambunctious and naive for her age but tries hard to be good, and when a sudden accident tests her resolve towards goodness, her chronically-ill cousin helps her to be strong.

This one started out okay for me, but about 2/3 through, it took a sudden and horrifying turn for the saccharine and preachy. So that's a big NOPE for me. Think Pollyanna and Anne of Green Gables plus even more artificial sweetener. Ew. ( )

An older juvenile book, this quaint story of a young girl and her family is a little slow. It tells the story of Katy Carr who is outgoing and a leader among her siblings. She is faced with a long illness and must learn to persevere. ( )