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The Penderwicks series and the Shoe books (Noel Streatfeild).

 

What else is sweet and decent storytelling along those lines?

 

Caveat: She is a sensitive kid. Fire in particular is a no-go (one of the Shoe books, I think Party Shoes, had a fire scene and she stopped reading it even while telling me how much she was enjoying the story). 

 

Thanks for suggestions! :)

 

(ETA: She just happened to come in and tell me that she doesn't like the final Penderwicks book as much as the other three.)

Edited by purpleowl
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Gone Away Lake

The Drina Ballerina series (out of print, but good)

All Of A Kind Family

Pollyanna books, though they may bring out her sensitive side.  Pollyanna is temporarily disabled.

Understood Betsy

Five Little Peppers (any of the books, except The Birds' Christmas Carol.  Carol dies)

Susan Coolidge's Katy books (What Katy Did, What Katy Did Next, etc)

Betsy-Tacy

Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm

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Gone Away Lake

The Drina Ballerina series (out of print, but good)

All Of A Kind Family

Pollyanna books, though they may bring out her sensitive side.  Pollyanna is temporarily disabled.

Understood Betsy

Five Little Peppers (any of the books, except The Birds' Christmas Carol.  Carol dies)

Susan Coolidge's Katy books (What Katy Did, What Katy Did Next, etc)

Betsy-Tacy

Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm

 

Thank you! We have All of a Kind Family (and she likes it). I checked out Pollyanna from the library, but she opted not to read it when I gave her a brief overview. I preread Betsy-Tacy a while ago and thought it seemed perfect until I got to the part where the little sister of one of the girls died...it was too much for ME to handle because a close friend lost a son. 

 

She's read What Katy Did from the library and liked it fine, but didn't express any interest in owning it. (I'm trying to figure out birthday ideas. ;) )

 

I will see if I can skim over some of the others you mentioned at the library or bookstore...thanks again for the list!

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I found a list of books for kids in that age range, particularly sensitive kids that also uses the following criteria:  

 

Wholesome can be defined so many different ways by families so let me lay out what my criteria was in creating this list. Wholesome to me included books that featured:

  • Positive relationships
  • Fun reading
  • Generally lighthearted with a positive message
  • No serious violence (some mysteries below might imply light violence or crime)
  • No profanity
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I found a list of books for kids in that age range, particularly sensitive kids that also uses the following criteria:  

 

Wholesome can be defined so many different ways by families so let me lay out what my criteria was in creating this list. Wholesome to me included books that featured:

  • Positive relationships
  • Fun reading
  • Generally lighthearted with a positive message
  • No serious violence (some mysteries below might imply light violence or crime)
  • No profanity

 

 

Thank you - I'll look over these!

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What about:

 

This is mostly the kind of book I read growing up

(Shoes, Betsy-Tacy, Five Litttle Peppers, ALl of a Kind Family)

Little Women fits -- but there is the death in it that might be a problem

The Naughtiest Girl in the School by Enid Blyton

Heidi

A Little Princess (though there is death)

The Secret Garden (Death again)

Swiss Family Robinson

Wizard of oz (There's a whole series of books!)

 

Trixie Belden and Cherry Ames if she likes Mysteries

And the Bobbsey Twins

Happy Hollisters

 

Anne of Green Gables

Newer books: The Clementine Series

The LEmonade Wars series

 

Maybe get the first book of several series and see what she likes?

 

(And sometimes... one branches out on what books they read because you run out of the type that fits solidly in the center but you still want to read. So you have to figure out what you can handle of what is left)

 

 

Edited by vonfirmath
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I’ve been going through the list of books I’ve read to my daughter, it seems a lot of children’s book have fire!

 

I love Trumpet of the Swan and it’s a family favorite but I don’t think it would be good for a very sensitive child unless she is able to understand everything works out well in the end.

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Copy-pasting from previous lists for you:
 
Sweet/Old Fashioned Adventure
Two are Better than One (Brink)
Baby Island (Brink)
Milly Molly Mandy (Brisley)

The Noisy Village (Lindgren)
Emily's Runaway Imagination (Cleary)
Nancy & Plum (MacDonald)
Ellen Tebbits (Cleary)
B is for Betsy (Haywood)
All of a Kind Family (Taylor)
The Moffats (Estes)
The Saturdays (Enright)
The Courage of Sarah Noble (Dagliesh)
Grandma's Attic series (Richardson)
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (Sidney)
Boxcar Children series (Warner) -- mysteries
 
Contemporary Gentle Adventure
Nim's Island; Nim at Sea; Rescue on Nim's Island (Orr)
Clementine series (Pennypacker)
Ivy and Bean series (Barrows)
 
Princess Adventure
The Paper Bag Princess (Munsch)
Princess Hyacinth (Heide)
Lady Lollipop (King-Smith)
The Ordinary Princess (Kaye)
The Book of Princes and Princesses (Manning-Sanders) -- out of print, but worth looking for
 
Fairy Adventure
The Night Fairy (Schlitz)
Flower Fairies chapter books (Barker)
Fairy Realm series (Rodda)
The Book of Fairies (Manning-Sanders) -- out of print, but worth looking for
 
Fantasy or Fantastical Adventure
Raggedy Ann Stories (Gruelle)
The Five Sisters (Mahy)
Pippi Longstockings series (Lindgren)
No Flying in the House (Brock)
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Lin)
The Borrowers series (Norton)
Bedknobs and Broomstick (Norton)
Twig (Jones)
Big Susan (Jones)
Glenda (Udry)
The Dragon of Lonely Island (Rupp)
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series (MacDonald)
Miranda the Great (Estes)
The Witch Family (Estes)
Letters From Father Christmas (Tolkien) -- either this version, or this version
 
Talking Animal Adventure
One Hundred and One Dalmatians (Smith)
The Rescuers, Miss Bianca, The Turret, Miss Bianca in the Salt Mines, Miss Bianca in the Orient -- (Sharp)
Cat Wings (Le Guin)
The Lighthouse Family series (Rylant)
Mercy Watson series (DiCamillo)

Realistic Animals, Gentle Adventure
Kildee House (Montgomery)
Chicaro, Wild Pony of the Pampas (Kalnay) 

Edited by Lori D.
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What about:

 

This is mostly the kind of book I read growing up

(Shoes, Betsy-Tacy, Five Litttle Peppers, ALl of a Kind Family)

Little Women fits -- but there is the death in it that might be a problem

The Naughtiest Girl in the School by Enid Blyton

Heidi

A Little Princess (though there is death)

The Secret Garden (Death again)

Swiss Family Robinson

Wizard of oz (There's a whole series of books!)

 

Trixie Belden and Cherry Ames if she likes Mysteries

And the Bobbsey Twins

Happy Hollisters

 

Anne of Green Gables

Newer books: The Clementine Series

The LEmonade Wars series

 

Maybe get the first book of several series and see what she likes?

 

(And sometimes... one branches out on what books they read because you run out of the type that fits solidly in the center but you still want to read. So you have to figure out what you can handle of what is left)

Thanks!

 

She has Littler Women, which is a modern retelling and only includes the first half of the story (i.e., no death).

She's read The Secret Garden and was find with the content but didn't enjoy it much, but she was younger when she read it. I'm actually planning to have her read A Little Princess as her next "school" book.

Wizard of Oz is also on the school list.

 

She's not a fan of mysteries (silly girl ;) ).

She read Anne of Green Gables and liked it up until the end. Not sure if I can convince her to try L. M. Montgomery again just yet.

 

I will take a look at the others you mentioned...thank you!

 

ETA: This IS branching out. She used to have a strict requirement of fairies/magic in all stories for pleasure reading, lol. And truly, I have seen her maturing in terms of the sensitivity issue. I try to push her a bit on that with books for school. Right now I'm looking for what I can give her for her birthday that will bring her joy. :) 

Edited by purpleowl
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Has she read anything by James Herriot? They are animal stories but quite well written.

 

You know, I thought she had, but I looked him up and didn't recognize any of the titles. I'll have to search for those.

 

I’ve been going through the list of books I’ve read to my daughter, it seems a lot of children’s book have fire!

 

I love Trumpet of the Swan and it’s a family favorite but I don’t think it would be good for a very sensitive child unless she is able to understand everything works out well in the end.

 

She does really enjoy Trumpet of the Swan, and Charlotte's Web, too. The things that will be more difficult emotionally, I try to have her read for school, because that's not right when she's trying to fall asleep. (She sometimes still gets nightmares from them, but at least I've had the chance to talk it over with her beforehand.)

 

And yes, it's amazing how often fire shows up in children's books!

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Copy-pasting from previous lists for you:
 
Yes, I think I've asked for recs for her before, especially fairy stories. :) 
 
Sweet/Old Fashioned Adventure
Two are Better than One (Brink)
Baby Island (Brink)

Milly Molly Mandy (Brisley)

The Noisy Village (Lindgren)

Emily's Runaway Imagination (Cleary)

Nancy & Plum (MacDonald)

Ellen Tebbits (Cleary)

B is for Betsy (Haywood)

All of a Kind Family (Taylor)
The Moffats (Estes)
The Saturdays (Enright)
The Courage of Sarah Noble (Dagliesh)
Grandma's Attic series (Richardson)
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (Sidney)
Boxcar Children series (Warner) -- mysteries
 
She has read the bolded ones above. Milly Molly Mandy is a little too young for her at this point, as is Boxcar Children (she liked the first 2-3 of those, then lost interest). She liked All of a Kind Family, but thought Grandma's Attic was boring.
 
I preread The Saturdays and I seem to remember that it had fire.
 
Contemporary Gentle Adventure
Nim's Island; Nim at Sea; Rescue on Nim's Island (Orr)
Clementine series (Pennypacker)
Ivy and Bean series (Barrows)
 
Princess Adventure
The Paper Bag Princess (Munsch)
Princess Hyacinth (Heide)
Lady Lollipop (King-Smith)
The Ordinary Princess (Kaye)
The Book of Princes and Princesses (Manning-Sanders) -- out of print, but worth looking for
 
She did like Lady Lollipop and Clever Lollipop, but wasn't interested in other books by King-Smith.

 

Fairy Adventure
The Night Fairy (Schlitz)
Flower Fairies chapter books (Barker)

Fairy Realm series (Rodda)

The Book of Fairies (Manning-Sanders) -- out of print, but worth looking for

 

She likes the Fairy Realm series. The Flower Fairies chapter books didn't hold her interest (which is a shame, because I thought they were lovely!). I looked at The Night Fairy and felt that the beginning of it would be too intense for her, but it's been a while. Maybe I should give it another look.

 

Fantasy or Fantastical Adventure

Raggedy Ann Stories (Gruelle)

The Five Sisters (Mahy)

Pippi Longstockings series (Lindgren)

No Flying in the House (Brock)
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon (Lin)
The Borrowers series (Norton)

Bedknobs and Broomstick (Norton)

Twig (Jones)
Big Susan (Jones)

Glenda (Udry)

The Dragon of Lonely Island (Rupp)

Mrs. Piggle Wiggle series (MacDonald)

Miranda the Great (Estes)

The Witch Family (Estes)

Letters From Father Christmas (Tolkien) -- either this version, or this version

 

She has read the bolded ones above and liked them, though Raggedy Ann Stories are too young for her now. :( Bedknob and Broomstick had some cannibalism in there, and I think she would have a problem with it. Maybe in a year.

 
Talking Animal Adventure
One Hundred and One Dalmatians (Smith)
The Rescuers, Miss Bianca, The Turret, Miss Bianca in the Salt Mines, Miss Bianca in the Orient -- (Sharp)

Cat Wings (Le Guin)

The Lighthouse Family series (Rylant)

Mercy Watson series (DiCamillo)

 

Realistic Animals, Gentle Adventure

Kildee House (Montgomery)

Chicaro, Wild Pony of the Pampas (Kalnay) 

 

 

My comments in red above...if I didn't say anything about it, she hasn't read it and I haven't looked at it carefully, so on my list it goes! :)

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(ETA: She just happened to come in and tell me that she doesn't like the final Penderwicks book as much as the other three.)

 

The final Penderwicks book, book 5, isn't out until later this year.

 

Books like The Penderwicks and the Shoes books are what I consider family stories, so most of the following books are family stories as well:

 

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher

The All-of-a-Kind Family

How Tia Lola Came to Stay

Anything by Edward Eager or E. Nesbit

Thursday's Child (another Streatfeild book)

Year of the Dog

The Midnight War of Matteo Martinez

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

Clementine

The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond

Allie, First at Last

Bayou Magic

Save Me a Seat

The Ramona Books

Year of the Book

Audrey of the Outback

Swindle

The Year Money Grew on Trees

A Year Down Yonder (and anything else by Peck that doesn't involve ghosts)

The Grand Plan to Fix Everything

Strawberry Hill

Pickle: The (Formerly) Anonymous Prank Club of Fountain Point Middle School
The First Rule of Punk
The Great Greene Heist (not sure this is great literature, but it's fun)
The Boys Start the War
Frindle (and other books by Clements)

My Basmati Bat Mitzvah

The Year of the Book

Dara Palmer's Major Drama

President of the Whole Fifth Grade

My New Best Friend

Lemonade War

Seaglass Summer

Indian Shoes

Two Naomis

Zoe in Wonderland

Amy and Laura

This is Not the Abby Show

 

She might also like the following books, but you'll have to preread. They are all somewhat more exciting or more serious than the previous books, or both.

 

The Greenglass House (one of the characters turns out to be a ghost, and the man loosely responsible for her death panics and tries to shoot her when he sees her)

The Exiles (there IS a fire, but nobody is hurt, otherwise this book is utterly unproblematic)

The Saturdays (there IS a small fire in one chapter, but no harm done)

One Crazy Summer (the kids are sent to stay with their estranged mother for the summer and she's arrested for a few days)

Stef Soto, Taco Queen (kid has less than her classmates and is unhappy about it)

Amelia Rules (divorce, one character has a serious illness)

Hello, Universe (there is some bullying)

It Ain't So Awful, Falafel (the Iranian revolution happens while the family is in America)

Crunch (kids are alone during a gas crisis, but they cope)

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (the second book deals with the Galveston Hurricane)

The Birchbark House (there is a smallpox epidemic and a baby dies)

Kinda Like Brothers (foster care sucks)

Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything In It (estrangement sucks)

Dash (the Japanese Internment sucks - also, this author has more books about dogs in WWII)

Bo at Ballard Creek (one character is found with his dead father in the middle of winter)

A Long Pitch Home (I just haven't read this one yet)

Just Like Me (haven't read this either. Deals with adoption)

Marco Impossible (some bullying)

 

Huh. I meant to do family books only, but I see I sort of got carried away. Oops. Gonna bold the family stories.

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The final Penderwicks book, book 5, isn't out until later this year.

 

Books like The Penderwicks and the Shoes books are what I consider family stories, so most of the following books are family stories as well:

 

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher

The All-of-a-Kind Family

How Tia Lola Came to Stay

Anything by Edward Eager or E. Nesbit

Thursday's Child (another Streatfeild book)

Year of the Dog

The Midnight War of Matteo Martinez

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

Clementine

The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond

Allie, First at Last

Bayou Magic

Save Me a Seat

The Ramona Books

Year of the Book

Audrey of the Outback

Swindle

The Year Money Grew on Trees

A Year Down Yonder (and anything else by Peck that doesn't involve ghosts)

The Grand Plan to Fix Everything

Strawberry Hill

Pickle: The (Formerly) Anonymous Prank Club of Fountain Point Middle School
The First Rule of Punk
The Great Greene Heist (not sure this is great literature, but it's fun)
The Boys Start the War
Frindle (and other books by Clements)

My Basmati Bat Mitzvah

The Year of the Book

Dara Palmer's Major Drama

President of the Whole Fifth Grade

My New Best Friend

Lemonade War

Seaglass Summer

Indian Shoes

Two Naomis

Zoe in Wonderland

Amy and Laura

This is Not the Abby Show

 

She might also like the following books, but you'll have to preread. They are all somewhat more exciting or more serious than the previous books, or both.

 

The Greenglass House (one of the characters turns out to be a ghost, and the man loosely responsible for her death panics and tries to shoot her when he sees her)

The Exiles (there IS a fire, but nobody is hurt, otherwise this book is utterly unproblematic)

The Saturdays (there IS a small fire in one chapter, but no harm done)

One Crazy Summer (the kids are sent to stay with their estranged mother for the summer and she's arrested for a few days)

Stef Soto, Taco Queen (kid has less than her classmates and is unhappy about it)

Amelia Rules (divorce, one character has a serious illness)

Hello, Universe (there is some bullying)

It Ain't So Awful, Falafel (the Iranian revolution happens while the family is in America)

Crunch (kids are alone during a gas crisis, but they cope)

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate (the second book deals with the Galveston Hurricane)

The Birchbark House (there is a smallpox epidemic and a baby dies)

Kinda Like Brothers (foster care sucks)

Brendan Buckley's Universe and Everything In It (estrangement sucks)

Dash (the Japanese Internment sucks - also, this author has more books about dogs in WWII)

Bo at Ballard Creek (one character is found with his dead father in the middle of winter)

A Long Pitch Home (I just haven't read this one yet)

Just Like Me (haven't read this either. Deals with adoption)

Marco Impossible (some bullying)

 

Huh. I meant to do family books only, but I see I sort of got carried away. Oops. Gonna bold the family stories.

 

Ah, I didn't realize there was another Penderwicks book to come. The final one in the box set she got for Christmas is the one she doesn't care for, then. :)

 

Most of the ones you listed are books we haven't read yet. Thanks so much - I will start looking at these!

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Ah, I didn't realize there was another Penderwicks book to come. The final one in the box set she got for Christmas is the one she doesn't care for, then. :)

 

Most of the ones you listed are books we haven't read yet. Thanks so much - I will start looking at these!

 

I thought the 4th book was the final book in the series as well until I recently saw another was coming out! It has a different tone/feel than the first three but I'm still anxious to read the last.

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My comments in red above...if I didn't say anything about it, she hasn't read it and I haven't looked at it carefully, so on my list it goes! :)

 

The Night Fairy -- yes, wait on that one! It is a beautiful book and story, but nature is not kind in that one. The bat who mistakes the fairy for a moth and tears off her wings (at the end the bat bends over backwards to apologize and befriend her), the squirrel that befriends the fairy but who would be just as happy to eat her, the spider who plans to eat the hummingbird mother... 

 

I don't know, maybe One Hundred and One Dalmatians will be too intense too, with the threat of Cruella wanting to turn the puppies into a coat. :(

 

A lot of the most gentle books I suggested are definitely on the young side. Hard to find books at a 5th-6th grade level that don't include something difficult, like a death or fire, or some sort of threat/intensity. That makes it rough, because in good literature, those are the sorts of things that drive plot, create conflict, and cause characters to grow and change -- all of which allows readers to experience vicariously and take away personal application and grow/change through having read the work of literature...

 

For example, I *adore* the Edward Eager magic books that Tanaqui recommended, as they are so well-written, creative, and very funny -- BUT, in the first book of Half Magic, the father of the family has died (previous to the start of the book, so not dwelt on), and the oldest daughter is still working through her feeling of loss. And, one of the first magic wishes is made before the children realize they have a magic wishing coin, and one of them wishes something exciting would happen, like a fire -- and a neighboring child's playhouse burns down. No one is hurt, and it all turns out fine, but there is fire.

 

Also, the Rescuers series is wonderfully well-written with lots of humor, BUT, the threat to the prisoners that the mice rescue in each story might be too intense.

 

A few more ideas:

- The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate Kelly) -- haven't read it yet, so don't know if there are any intense moments

- Andrew Clements books, such as: The School Story, Frindle, No Talking, etc.

- Ginger Pye, and, The Moffats series (Estes)

- From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (Konigsburg)

- Would the "tall tale" series of Wayside School (Sacher) be too young?

- Gooseberry Park (Rylant) -- an ice storm threatens the squirrel family, but the other animal friends come to the rescue

 

 

Also, here's another possible approach -- what about reading fairy tales for awhile? Lots of extreme threats in those stories, BUT, we all know the pattern, that the hero/heroine wins in the end and is rewarded, and good conquers evil. Perhaps that might help see that the threat of intense bad things are overcome in each story, and de-intensify the threat level for DD as she reads...

 

Or, what about switching to non-fiction for awhile? Lots of great books about discoveries, science topics, etc.

 

BEST of luck! Warmly, Lori D.

Edited by Lori D.
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Hard to find books at a 5th-6th grade level that don't include something difficult, like a death or fire, or some sort of threat/intensity. That makes it rough, because in good literature, those are the sorts of things that drive plot, create conflict, and cause characters to grow and change -- all of which allows readers to experience vicariously and take away personal application and grow/change through having read the work of literature...

 

 

Exactly! I love that she loves to read, but it's hard to find books that are the right fit for her.

 

And I do try to push her a bit with school reading, but when I'm trying to think of something she can just read for fun...it seems like I should stick with things she can really enjoy. I had her read The Tale of Despereaux for school a while back, and it was really intense for her. There's no way I would give her something like that and say, "Here, thought you'd like to read this before you go to sleep!"

 

She reads nonfiction sometimes, but I don't think she'd be excited about it for a birthday present (her sister, OTOH, got several nonfiction books for her birthday last month and was thrilled). 

 

She's read Mixed-Up Files and liked it fine...not sure how often she chooses to reread it, though. The Wayside School books are right up DD#2's alley, but I don't see DD#1 being all that interested in them. 

 

I haven't had a chance to get out and look through all the suggestions on this thread; hopefully I will find a number of things that will work well for her!

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Gone Away Lake

The Drina Ballerina series (out of print, but good)

All Of A Kind Family

Pollyanna books, though they may bring out her sensitive side.  Pollyanna is temporarily disabled.

Understood Betsy

Five Little Peppers (any of the books, except The Birds' Christmas Carol.  Carol dies)

Susan Coolidge's Katy books (What Katy Did, What Katy Did Next, etc)

Betsy-Tacy

Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm

 

I love all of these!

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Exactly! I love that she loves to read, but it's hard to find books that are the right fit for her.

 

And I do try to push her a bit with school reading, but when I'm trying to think of something she can just read for fun...it seems like I should stick with things she can really enjoy. I had her read The Tale of Despereaux for school a while back, and it was really intense for her. There's no way I would give her something like that and say, "Here, thought you'd like to read this before you go to sleep!"

 

She reads nonfiction sometimes, but I don't think she'd be excited about it for a birthday present (her sister, OTOH, got several nonfiction books for her birthday last month and was thrilled). 

 

She's read Mixed-Up Files and liked it fine...not sure how often she chooses to reread it, though. The Wayside School books are right up DD#2's alley, but I don't see DD#1 being all that interested in them. 

 

I haven't had a chance to get out and look through all the suggestions on this thread; hopefully I will find a number of things that will work well for her!

 

Oh my yes! I was a bit shocked at how intense and dark The Tale of Despereaux was.

 

From my first list, these books are definitely gentle, old-fashioned, and so charming:

- Two are Better than One (Brink)

- Baby Island (Brink)

- The Ordinary Princess (Kaye)

- Kildee House (Montgomery) -- not a female protagonist, but such a gentle story

- all of the Eleanor Estes books listed by various posters

 

- A Little Princess (Burnett) -- and while this book opens with the death of the little girl's father so that she is orphaned, it is not dwelt on, and the story is such a lovely "Cinderella" sort of story (from riches to rags to riches, with the heroine always kind and treating those around her with grace and compassion) that your DD might really love it.

 

- The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate -- I do keep hearing great things about this one  :)

 

And for contemporary sweet girl stories:

- The School Story (Clements)

- Clementine series (Pennypacker)

- Ivy and Bean series (Barrows)

 

- Nim's Island has a bit of possible intensity, when the father is stranded on the boat out at sea,while Nim is on the island alone, but she is such a capable character that you never feel like the characters are in peril -- it is much more like an adventure.

 

 

Also, a few final ideas -- what about:

- other books by Noel Streatfeild: The Bell Family; A Vicarage Family; Apple Bough

- Sarah Plain and Tall series (MacLachlan)

- The Reluctant Dragon (Grahame)

- Misty of Chincoteague (Henry)

- Cobblestreet Cousins series (Rylant) -- at a 3rd grade reading level, so it may be too young for her, but similar to the "Shoes" books

 

 

Also, just throwing this one out: anyone have any experience with Barbara Sleigh's Carbonel: The King of Cats (and sequels)?

Edited by Lori D.
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