Helen Fern DaringerCritiques

The short review: If you loved Anne of Green Gables and/or Daddy Long-Legs, you will freakin' adore this. I'm almost positive. I mean, how could you not?

The details: Adopted Jane will make you crave cake for at least a week. There's more to the story than that, of course, but cake is a recurring literary theme here. Reading this prompted my earliest baking experiments, which in turn led to the creation of my legendary three-chocolate brownie recipe, which you can find on my blog because I don't share my brownies but I'm happy to tell you how to make your own. (One pot. One pan. Half an hour total including work and baking, especially if you don't bother letting them cool. What's not to love?)

Anyway. I fell in love with this book at an early age and never grew out of it. It's one of those modern classics that don't romanticize the past, but do make you happy to take this guided tour.

If you do read it (or already have), will you let me know what you think of the ending? I love this story, but every time I get to the last chapter, even as a middle-aged lady, I can't help thinking I would have chosen differently than Jane does. Maybe that makes her better than me. Yeah, it probably does.

recommended for: girls, those interested in adoption

I adored this book when I was young. The story of an orphan girl (I loved orphan stories), and the two households who are interested in her. I remember I disagreed with the major decision she made, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book.

From my reread June 2015: I see why it was one of my favorite books in elementary school, more than 50 years ago. It was so weird because I immediately remembered many of the lines, some verbatim. It’s too bad about the anachronisms I was exposed to, probably in most books I read, but this is still an excellent book. I love the children’s classics, especially ones I read when young, but I have to say I’m favorably impressed with so much currently written and published children’s literature. There was so few things here to object to that they were particularly disturbing because without them and a few other things, I’d have no problems about recommending this book to girls ages 8 and up. I still would recommend the book, with some caveats. I’m surprised to find that I disagree with my childhood self – I now heartily agree with Jane’s choice and for more than just her main reason. Reading the story as an adult I was able to see through to things neither Jane nor my younger self at ages 9-10 could see. I’m glad I reread it. I still enjoyed it. If I was reading it today for the first time I’d likely give it 4 vs. 5 stars.

Motherless Sally lives with her grandmother, but when her father remarries she goes to live with him. Her new mother has three children and Sally is looking forward to finally being part of a family, but fitting in turns out to be harder than expected.

Jane had lived at the James Ballard Memorial Home ever since she could remember. Then came the wonderful summer when she had invitations to visit two families for a month each.

Favorite from childhood--glad that the right thing to do also turns out to be where Jane's heart takes her.½

A little girl gets everything she ever wanted. Wish it was me.