An Old Fashioned Girl teaches good morals and principles. It teaches that no matter how poor you are you can still make a difference in the world.

 “The book revolves around Polly Milton, the old-fashioned girl who titles the story. Polly visits her wealthy friend Fanny Shaw in the city and is overwhelmed by the fashionable and urban life they live–but also left out because of her “countrified” manners and outdated clothes. “

Little Men is the sequel to Little Women. I recommend it to everyone in the whole world. It teaches that children can listen and obey. It makes me want to open up a house for boys.

With two young sons of her own, and twelve rescued orphan boys filling the unusual school at Plumfield, Jo March – now Mrs. Jo Bhaer – couldn’t be happier. But the boys have a habit of getting into scrapes, and their mischievous antics call for the warm and affectionate support of the whole March family to help avoid disaster…

I don’t know how many times my family and I have read this book. This book is all about survival and love for nature.

Every kid thinks about running away at one point or another; few get farther than the end of the block. Young Sam Gribley gets to the end of the block and keeps going–all the way to the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. There he sets up house in a huge hollowed-out tree, with a falcon and a weasel for companions and his wits as his tool for survival.

When I first saw this book for some reason I thought I was going to hate it. I read it and I loved it. This book teaches you to work hard and do your best at everything you do.

Joanna Sprague’s life is upended when her father dies on the voyage that was to take them to a new life in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Poor and alone, 16-year-old Joanna must summon uncommon courage to survive life as a bondservant in a strange new world. An unforgettable, captivating story.

I had to read this book for my homeschool and I am so glad I did. This book truly changed how I look at things. Thank you, Jenny Phillips!!

Spoiled New York City girl Hildegarde Graham is sent to stay with her mother’s old nurse in the country when her parents must take a trip to California, and learns the value of simplicity, kindness, and a more democratic sensibility.

You can read it for free here!

This book is so creative and it is exactly how I imagine I would survive on an island When my mom would read this book aloud we would ask her to read “just one more chapter”. It took us a while to get through, but it is such a good book.

Shipwrecked on an uncharted island, the Swiss Family Robinson – mother, father, and four young boys – make the most of their predicament, adapting to the island and turning the absence of civilization to their advantage. Through perseverance, hard work and self-reliance, they become masters of their new environment.

Caddie Woodlawn and I are so alike it is scary. She is a tomboy who loves nature and hanging out with her family. She is brave, bold, and caring! I love this book!

Caddie Woodlawn is a real adventurer. She’d rather hunt than sew and plow than bake and tries to beat her brother’s dares every chance she gets. Caddie is friends with Indians, who scare most of the neighbors—neighbors who, like her mother and sisters, don’t understand her at all.

Just like Caddie Woodlawn, I am pretty much twins with Anne Shirley! This book is the story of Anne who loves to find kindred spirits and sees the world in such a beautiful way.

When a scrawny, freckled girl with bright red hair arrives on Prince Edward Island, Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert are taken by surprise; they’d asked for a quiet boy to help with the farm work at Green Gables. But how can you return a friendless child to a grim orphanage when she tells you her life so far has been a ‘perfect graveyard of buried hopes’? And so, the beguiling chatterbox stays. Full of dreams, warmth, and spirit, it is not long before Anne Shirley wins their hearts.

This is another book I had to read for school. David is like a boy version of Pollyanna. this book teaches you to look for the small and simple things in life!

David was raised in an isolated mountain cabin by a devoted father who taught David to love beauty, nature, and music. When David’s father becomes seriously ill, he decides to take David to relatives that the boy has never met. But partway into the journey, his father dies. David does not know the names of his relatives or even the name of his father, which his father had a reason for not telling him.

I have grown up listening to these books. I know I say this a lot but Laura and I are twins. This book is the perfect book for anyone who loves stories.

Laura Ingalls likes her little house in the big woods, which she shares with Ma and Pa, and her two, sisters Mary and Carrie. Winter is coming, and their log house is snug and warm. But the big woods are becoming crowded. Every day, they hear the thud of an ax on a tree, and Pa wants to leave. In fact, he wants to move the entire family west, to Indian country.

This books is so super good!!! I read this book for school and i loved it. Mary is a bright young teacher with a ton of ideas. Her new students are hard to get to know but she finds new ways to do so. You should give this book a try.

This warm, inspiring story—set in a rural New England village called Nearby—is brought to life through the eyes of Mary, the new teacher who devotes herself to changing prejudices and lifting her students’ minds and hearts to a higher place.

I don’t know about you guys, but I LOVE JANE AUSTEN!!!! This book is one of my favorite books in the world!!!! Elizabeth and I are a lot alike. I love Mr. Darcy and if you read the book, you will find out why! Oh, and the BBC tv show version of the book is AMAZING!!!!!!!!

Pride and Prejudice is a novel of manners by Jane Austen, first published in 1813. The story follows the main character, Elizabeth Bennet, as she deals with issues of manners, upbringing, morality, education, and marriage in the society of the landed gentry of the British Regency.

Booker T. Washington was an amazing example to all. He taught that no matter the circumstance, do your best in all you do! This book helped me realize why I love school and learning for myself. This book is totally worth the hard to understand last chapters!

In this fascinating autobiography, Booker T. Washington tells his own story with skillful, engaging writing. Not only does the book give insights into a remarkable man, but it also shares profound messages about persistence, education, hard work, humility, strength, service, and sacrifice.

My high school is actually named after the poet, John Greenleaf Whittier. In this book you read about the life of John, who goes by Greenleaf, and you get to see the problems and trials he had to face. This book teaches you to love poetry.

John Greenleaf Whittier worked tirelessly on his father’s farm, making sure he finished the day’s work before allowing himself to pen the lines of poetry that filled his mind.

I can not say enough about this book. IT IS AMAZING!!! I could not put this book down for a minute! This book taught me to look for the little blessings all around us. It also taught me that it is important to work on our talents, because they can bring joy to others. This book is definitely worth your time!

Things are not easy for Jared Austin, but with hard work and indomitable perseverance, he turns his life into something beautiful, just like the walls that he stencils. 

If you have read “Pollyanna” then you know about the life-changing “Glad Game.” In this sequel, the “Glad Game” continues to change the life of all the people Pollyanna meets.

Her crippled legs cured, Pollyanna takes her glad heart to cheer new friends in Boston before traveling to Europe with Aunt Polly and Dr Chilton. But growing up brings sorrows as well as joys, and when she returns after six years, with Dr Chilton dead and Aunt Polly fallen on hard times, even Pollyanna has trouble maintaining her usual cheerful outlook.

This book really did change the way I look at tidying. If you know me, I LOVE organizing and cleaning my room. I didn’t realize that I was making it hard on myself. In this book, you learn the why’s and how’s of tidying up.

Japanese cleaning consultant Marie Kondo takes tidying to a whole new level, promising that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again. 

I must say that this book took a bit long to read then I thought it would. Sacagawea’s story was very important and I enjoyed reading about Lewis and Clark as well. If you love history, this book is perfect for you.

Seldom given the credit she deserves, Sacajawea is one of America’s true heroines. Without her help, the Lewis and Clark Expedition would never have crossed the Rockies and reached the Pacific Northwest–and the course of U.S. history would have been changed forever. 

If you love poetry and learning then you will love this book! This book is a lot like “The story of John Greenleaf Whitter.” If you like quick reads, this one is perfect for you!

No one loved rambling through the woods and watching ships come and go from the port near his home as much as young Henry Longfellow. As he observed the world around him, words danced in his mind, and his very first poem, written at the age of thirteen, was a published success!