Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

 

The Classic for March is Little Women.  I hadn't read it in a long time, and as it turned out, my beloved copy, received when I was ill and about eight years old, was an abridged version.  The full novel, in my edition, is 535 pages.

For my re-read, I purchased a Seawolf Press 150th anniversary edition with all of the original illustrations.

The story and characters are charming as ever.  The daily lives of the March family, and all of the inventive ways they entertain themselves, is just the thing to read on a winter's day.

I did not remember the story being so instructive, morally, but with a few exceptions, I liked the thinking.  There's so much love in this family, which they spread to all around them.

I remember Beth being my favorite character, and not caring for Jo so much.  Meg seemed too grown up, and Amy was terribly vain and spoiled, I thought.

Reading now, I appreciated what Meg went through much more, I liked Jo, Beth was sweet but maybe too good, Amy was a spoiled, vain creature who I still did not care for.  As a whole, with wonderful Marmee presiding, they're exceptional.

Review: Trixie Belden and The Red Trailer Mystery by Julie Campbell

 

Picking up almost exactly where Secret of the Mansion left off, Trixie, Honey and the governess Miss Trask leave in a trailer called the Silver Swan to find Jim before he leaves the area forever.

They know Jim will be trying to get work at a summer camp relatively nearby.  He's had a head start, but they think they can catch up, stopping at campgrounds along the way.

At their first campground, they're parked next to a luxurious, large red trailer for the night.  It's called the Robin.  Trixie and Honey are certain a wealthy family must own it. They long to get a peek inside.

When they see the owners, however, they see a family in worn clothing looking completely dispirited. A couple with several children emerge briefly, long enough for the girls to see the trailer is definitely luxurious, but it doesn't fit this family at all.

As Trixie, Honey and Miss Trask travel looking for Jim, they hear radio alerts saying thieves are stealing and hijacking trailers, and everyone should be wary of leaving their keys in their cars, and their trailers unattended.

They wonder if the red trailer has been stolen, but they can't see the sad family as part of a gang.

It's a book that makes you want to hit the road in your trailer (Scamp), solving mysteries, eating cake and pie baked by a kind farmer's wife, and fresh fruit and vegetables from road side stands. 

There's something about this series that's like a big hug for the reader.