Old-fashioned Christian stories--like The Millers, In Grandma's Attic, etc.

[MercyA]

My DD10 loves to read short Christian stories with morals, like the stories in the Millers books and the In Grandma's Attic series. I think she has an overdeveloped sense of justice and likes to see naughty kids learn their lesson. 😉(She's plenty naughty herself, sometimes.) We're having a hard time finding more similar books. She has a lot of the newer girls' devotionals and likes them okay but prefers the old-fashioned-type stories.

Any suggestions? Thanks in advance! 

ETA: She likes to read fantasy (like Wings of Fire) and funny books (like Pippi Longstocking) for pleasure. We ask that she read a devotional or portion of the Bible before bedtime--but we're also okay with her just reading Christian stories like those in the Millers during this time and we're looking for more! But general fiction recommendations are very welcome, too! She's having a hard time finding new books she wants to read at the library.

Edited February 1, 2019 by MercyA

[bethben]

Sugar creek gang—very moral—a little preachy—stories about boy adventures

[purpleowl]

Little Visits with God? I remember those books from when I was a kid. 

[fairfarmhand]

Has she read Aesop’s fables? I’m sure she has but just thought I’d throw it out there. And while not Christian, the old Nancy drew stuff might appeal to her. Good always prevails and jerks always are punished. 

[HomeAgain]

Project Gutenberg has a series called Marjorie Dean.  They follow a girl from high school to college.  They may be a little older than what you're looking for, but they are pretty good.  The writing is very tame, especially compared to the sensational abuse of Elsie Dinsmore.

[Liz CA]

Have you checked with Christian Light Publishing? A lot of their books are written from a Mennonite perspective - not sure how you feel about that.

https://www.clp.org/

[HazelAnne]

Not a Christian book, but we really enjoyed “When Mischief Came to Town”. It’s about a girl living around 1910 on a Danish island. Kids thought it was hilarious, though it also deals with the issue of grief/loss.

For short stories teaching Christian character, “Hero Tales” is a good series- though they are biographies.

[MercyA]

@bethben, thanks! I just checked and my library has those! We will give them a try.

@purpleowl, yes! We have Little Visits with God and More Little Visits with God. They are a little young for her now, but that is just the type of thing she likes. You have a good memory. 😊

@fairfarmhand, very good thought, but yes, she has read Aesop's Fables and lots of folk and fairy tales, too. She does love that whole genre as well. I hadn't thought of Nancy Drew, but that could work! I know the library has them and maybe she is old enough now. The idea of those types of mysteries scared her when she was younger.

@HomeAgain, thanks! I will check those out. I have some Elsie Dinsmore I was saving for when she is older, but I cracked one of them the other day and was a little shocked at the melodrama, having not read them myself. 😉 

@Liz CA, yes! We love CLP and use their curriculum for our Language Arts and Reading. That is where we found the Millers books and she adores them. I actually probably agree with Mennonite theology more than any other--so not a problem! 

 

[MercyA]

8 minutes ago, HazelAnne said:

Not a Christian book, but we really enjoyed “When Mischief Came to Town”. It’s about a girl living around 1910 on a Danish island. Kids thought it was hilarious, though it also deals with the issue of grief/loss.

For short stories teaching Christian character, “Hero Tales” is a good series- though they are biographies.

We love Hero Tales and I was thinking of buying the next two volumes (we have Vol. I and II). 

I will try to find When Mischief Came to Town! [ETA: My library has it!]

Edited February 1, 2019 by MercyA

[HomeAgain]

@MercyA I read nearly the whole Elsie series on Project Gutenberg.  I had to stop before the last few because the author names everyone Elsie, Rose, and...I forget the boys' name, but it's just repetitive through the generations.  But here are some of the things your daughter will encounter in the first few books:
-Elsie's father is cold and treats her as an object, and then wonders why she's afraid of him.  He tries to order her to behave more lovingly as he punishes her for absurd reasons.
-Elsie's father keeps her sitting on a bench because she refuses to play a song for him, until she falls over from being so tired and hits her head, slicing it open.
-Elsie's father's best friend thinks she's the cutest thing ever (oh, we'll come back to this)
-Elsie's father demands full rights over her body, punishing her for letting a friend have a curl of her hair.
-Elsie's father locks her in a closet and forgets about her.
-Slavery is good and justified (Elsie is a slave owner)
-Elsie's father's best friend finally makes his move when she grows up enough and becomes engaged to her.  They live happily ever after.

That's off the top of my head from reading those books 8 years ago.  They became popular again because of the patriarchy movement and Elsie is a firm proponent of that in the most extreme way.  I'd definitely make these a book discussion time in our house if I was going to let my kid read them.  The time period and location of the author have quite a bit to do with how the books are written.

[MercyA]

3 minutes ago, HomeAgain said:

@MercyA I read nearly the whole Elsie series on Project Gutenberg.  I had to stop before the last few because the author names everyone Elsie, Rose, and...I forget the boys' name, but it's just repetitive through the generations.  But here are some of the things your daughter will encounter in the first few books:
-Elsie's father is cold and treats her as an object, and then wonders why she's afraid of him.  He tries to order her to behave more lovingly as he punishes her for absurd reasons.
-Elsie's father keeps her sitting on a bench because she refuses to play a song for him, until she falls over from being so tired and hits her head, slicing it open.
-Elsie's father's best friend thinks she's the cutest thing ever (oh, we'll come back to this)
-Elsie's father demands full rights over her body, punishing her for letting a friend have a curl of her hair.
-Elsie's father locks her in a closet and forgets about her.
-Slavery is good and justified (Elsie is a slave owner)
-Elsie's father's best friend finally makes his move when she grows up enough and becomes engaged to her.  They live happily ever after.

That's off the top of my head from reading those books 8 years ago.  They became popular again because of the patriarchy movement and Elsie is a firm proponent of that in the most extreme way.  I'd definitely make these a book discussion time in our house if I was going to let my kid read them.  The time period and location of the author have quite a bit to do with how the books are written.

Oh, hell no. Can hardback books go in the recycling bin (serious question)? 

[Junie]

She might enjoy books in The Ruby Slippers School series (homeschoolers!) or The Three Cousins Detective Agency series.  I believe they are out of print, but some of my girls have enjoyed these.

We also have a couple of books in the Alex series by Nancy Simpson Levene, although I didn't think they were as well written.  The Cul-de-Sac Kids by Beverley Lewis is another series that we own, but those might be too young for her.  The Last Chance Detectives are another series, but they might be too advanced for her, depending on her maturity level.

[Carol in Cal.]

Most older children’s books in English assume Christianity or at least Christian morals.

”Little Women” is one that is like that.  The Narnia Chronicles are certainly that way; allegorical actually.  

If you can find older school books, they all seem to be that way.  The Bobs Merrill readers are, for sure.  My Book House is.  

[Karen A]

Years ago we got audio downloads from Lamplighter Books, which also offer stories in book form. We listened to a couple of them, and I think they were sort of old-fashioned heartwarming moralistic stories.  One girl really like them, one didn't, and I don't remember much about them. I remember they were recommended by a lovely friend as being good for building Christian values. Just looked and they still exist. https://lamplighter.net/c/

[alisoncooks]

How about the Mandie book series? I remember reading them when I was younger. They're like a Christian Nancy Drew, but slightly younger? I remember there being morals in them...?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandie

[ktgrok]

If wholesome and old fashioned is enough without being Christian, what about the Trixie Belden series? I ADORED (ok, I still do) those books. Very wholesome, lots of Trixie realizing when she did something not kind or selfish, lots of good morality but also fun mysteries. Trixie is younger than Nancy Drew, and the stories are WAY more realistic in the sense that instead of jetting around the country like Nancy, Trixie has chores, has to take care of her little brother Bobby, struggles with Math and has to be tutored, etc. 

Or even the Bobbsey Twins or Happy Holisters. 

Edited February 2, 2019 by Ktgrok

[Jaybee]

Not in the same vein as the Millers, but I love Patricia St. John's books. My favorites are Treasures in the Snow and Star of Light. They are Christian books that aren't sappy or preachy. They don't talk down to children, but deal with real life problems in a tasteful way. For example, Treasures in the Snow deals with the topic of forgiveness for a situation that would be difficult for any of us to forgive. You follow the main character through her struggle with this. Some of her books are for younger children, as well. I even bought her autobiography at one point; it was just as good as her fiction, because she led such an adventurous life. Way back when, we read several of her books as read-alouds.

[unsinkable]

Childhood of Famous Americans was a series I loved as a child. I devoured them!

I just looked and it looks like they added some and there are many missing that I remember so maybe see if you could find older versions?

[TABmom]

I loved the Elizabeth Gail series as a kid. It wasn't old fashioned then; but kids now might think it is! Certainly before computers/etc. It's about a young girl who is adopted into a Christian home. She discovers a love for the piano and wants to become a concert pianist. 

I don't remember the author, but now I want to go search for them!!

ETA: Found some used on Amazon. The author is Hilda Stahl.

Edited February 2, 2019 by TABmom
Add author

[TABmom]

11 hours ago, bethben said:

Sugar creek gang—very moral—a little preachy—stories about boy adventures

I loved these as a kid too!

[unsinkable]

Another great series that is not Christian but shows a lovely deeply religious family is the All-of-a-Kind Family. It is about an Jewish family in NYC in the early 1900s. 

This was another one of my favorite series ever. I read all of them many times.

[Jean in Newcastle]

The Jungle Doctor stories by missionary doctor Paul White. 

[Katy]

I was just like that as a kid. I don't know about later editions, but the original Box Car Children has similar themes, along with adventure and self reliance.

I thought Little Women was overrated, but I really liked the other Alcott books.  My favorites were An Old Fashioned Girl and Rose In Bloom.

Edited February 2, 2019 by Katy

[fairfarmhand]

12 hours ago, HomeAgain said:

@MercyA I read nearly the whole Elsie series on Project Gutenberg.  I had to stop before the last few because the author names everyone Elsie, Rose, and...I forget the boys' name, but it's just repetitive through the generations.  But here are some of the things your daughter will encounter in the first few books:
-Elsie's father is cold and treats her as an object, and then wonders why she's afraid of him.  He tries to order her to behave more lovingly as he punishes her for absurd reasons.
-Elsie's father keeps her sitting on a bench because she refuses to play a song for him, until she falls over from being so tired and hits her head, slicing it open.
-Elsie's father's best friend thinks she's the cutest thing ever (oh, we'll come back to this)
-Elsie's father demands full rights over her body, punishing her for letting a friend have a curl of her hair.
-Elsie's father locks her in a closet and forgets about her.
-Slavery is good and justified (Elsie is a slave owner)
-Elsie's father's best friend finally makes his move when she grows up enough and becomes engaged to her.  They live happily ever after.

That's off the top of my head from reading those books 8 years ago.  They became popular again because of the patriarchy movement and Elsie is a firm proponent of that in the most extreme way.  I'd definitely make these a book discussion time in our house if I was going to let my kid read them.  The time period and location of the author have quite a bit to do with how the books are written.

I didn’t even get far enough to see this stuff. I just got soooo tires of Elsie crying about every. Thing.

[Chris in VA]

The Miller's book about missionaries is very interesting. 

We like Betsy-Tacy, up to about the 4th book. I have often mentioned this, but in the first one, Tacy's little sister dies, and there is a passage where Betsy and Tacy talk about Heaven. I believe it to be one of tve loveliest and most moving passages in children's literature. 

Over Sea, Under Stone is the first in a stunningly good series--the stories are terrific and morally sound, and the writing is beautiful. 

 

[mom@shiloh]

Piet Prins is a Dutch author whose books are not well-known in the states, but we love all of them. They would be appropriate for grades 4 and up as independent reading and as read-alouds for younger children. One series is about the Dutch resistance during WW II, another is about an Eskimo family, another series is about a boy growing up in Africa. 

[katilac]

She might like the What Katy Did series - big family of just-naughty-enough kids who always learn their lesson. Definite Christian flavor and references. They're back out in paperback, at least some of them, but you can also download all or some on Kindle/Gutenberg. The series starts with Katie at 12 and the youngest at 4, and takes it through Katy and Clover going to boarding school and then getting married. I remember the romancing part as nearly non-existent, lol. They went for a walk, they both like to read, did they start sitting next to each other at dinner? omigosh, it's love, they're engaged! 

 

[cintinative]

Not terribly close to what you are describing but what about Mrs. Piggle Wiggle? Is that too easy of reading for her?

We only read Freddy Goes to Florida but it falls in that old fashioned book category and there is a whole series. I don't think it's heavy on moralism. 

The Rescuers books seemed to be rather whole stories (good is good, bad is bad, good wins) but not moralistic per se.  (They are really different from the movie, FYI)

Edited February 2, 2019 by cintinative

[lulalu]

Rod and Staff has newsletters with moral stories. Wee Lambs is the one name iirc. 

[Frances]

22 hours ago, unsinkable said:

Another great series that is not Christian but shows a lovely deeply religious family is the All-of-a-Kind Family. It is about an Jewish family in NYC in the early 1900s. 

This was another one of my favorite series ever. I read all of them many times.

This was my absolute favorite series growing up. I was able to buy the original oversized hardcover illustrated copies from my small hometown library several years ago when they had a sale.

[readinmom]

On 2/1/2019 at 6:38 PM, unsinkable said:

Another great series that is not Christian but shows a lovely deeply religious family is the All-of-a-Kind Family. It is about an Jewish family in NYC in the early 1900s. 

This was another one of my favorite series ever. I read all of them many times.

I was going to post this, as well.  I learned so much history and other stuff from this series.  I wished I had kept them for my own kids!