This book was written in 1944 but it’s still so relevant today. The author’s daughter said that her mother, who grew up in West Haven, Connecticut where the story takes place was the girl (Maddie)who stood by while her friend (Peggy) led the girl bullying towards a girl who was Polish and claimed to have one hundred dresses in her closet while wearing just one shabby dress every day to school. Like the girl in the story (Wanda), this little girl moves to New York City, but the author never gets a chance to tell her how sorry she is. Instead, she writes this book.
Category: Reading Lists: Early Chapter Books
Early chapter book for kids who are just starting to read independently.
Clara Barton, Florence Nightingale … and Mary Breckenridge (ages 9-12)
Rosemary Well’s Mary on Horseback is historical fiction about Mary Breckenridge, founder of Frontier Nursing Services in mountains of Appalacia after WWI. I also recommend The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill.
Finally, A Really Good Fairy Book for 2nd Grade Girls
If you want a great old-fashioned fairy book and tire of those repetitive Rainbow Fairies, try No Flying in the House by Betty Brock.