Nancy and Plum

by Betty MacDonald

Two thumbs up.

This book is awesome.  I can't wait to read it to my kids.  The characters are vivid, the scenery is colorful and richly described, the plot is engaging.  The characters, while not perfect, strive to be good.  There is a clear delineation between good and evil.  And there is a sweet happy ending.

Nancy and Plum live with Mrs. Monday in her boarding home in Heavenly Valley.  But life at the boarding home is anything but heavenly.  While Mrs. Monday and her niece Marybelle live high on the hog, the other residents in the home are clothed in tatters and kept half starved. 

Nancy is a calm quiet girl and her younger sister, Plum, is full of mischief.  They make up pretend stories to get through the hard times.  They go to story hour with Miss Appleby at the library.  And they attend school with the dear, Miss Waverly.

The spirit of Nancy and Plum shines brightly through while they survive in these depressed circumstances.  They hold each other up and they buoy the spirits of the other children who are stuck together with them in Mrs. Monday's Boarding Home for Children.  The antics of the girls will make you laugh, and their heartache might just make you cry.

Mary Grand Pre had done nice illustrations to compliment this new edition. 

This definitely qualifies as what Charlotte Mason fans would consider a living book.  It ought to be a classic.