What popular or classic book/s can you not stand? And which do you adore?

[HomeAgain]

I have to say we attempted Johnny Tremain after Carry On, Mr. Bowditch.  Neither of my kids cared for JT at all, but loved the story of Nathaniel and wanted to know more about him.

Kids I know who loved Johnny Tremain hated Mr. Bowditch, finding it boring or dry.  I think it's just one of those things that attract opposite kids.

[Vasha]

I do not care for The Catcher in the Rye.

I am a Lord of the Rings fan.

[GoodnightMoogle]

1 hour ago, Vasha said:

I do not care for The Catcher in the Rye.

I am a Lord of the Rings fan.

Catcher in the Rye has to be the most contentious book ever. A lot of people in my high school class couldn’t stand Holden. I loved him though, and reading it again as an adult I loved him more and felt so sad for him.

[theelfqueen]

Not a classic but Ramona will always hold a piece of my heart. 

[shawthorne44]

18 hours ago, theelfqueen said:

Not a classic but Ramona will always hold a piece of my heart. 

I wanted to slap her.  Although the books were amusing.  
 Same with Pippi, although the books were less amusing.

[HomeAgain]

35 minutes ago, shawthorne44 said:

I wanted to slap her.  Although the books were amusing.  
 

Same.  I was the same age as Ramona when I read the books, and I was less than amused by her behavior at times.  More to my liking were Ellen Tebbits, Dear Mr. Henshaw, Muggie Maggie..my oldest was more fond of Ralph S. Mouse books.

[Ellie]

On 9/10/2022 at 7:40 PM, Vasha said:

I am a Lord of the Rings fan.

I have read them over 30 times, once a year for several years. 🙂 I cannot bear the movies, though, because of all the major plot/character changes. ::weeps::

[Malam]

On 9/2/2022 at 5:20 PM, HomeAgain said:

Elsie Dinsmore.  OMG.  This is a rabbit hole of pro-slavery, pro-child abuse, pro-grooming that continues to slither into conservative Christian education.  Every book in the series is worse, and the characters only have 3 or 4 names total, because every child is named after the original characters.

Are you talking about the 1999 adaptation or the original?

[HomeAgain]

59 minutes ago, Malam said:

Are you talking about the 1999 adaptation or the original?

I wasn't aware there was an adaptation.  Each of the events is pretty significant, though, and I'd be amused to see how the story is done without her marrying her father's friend or her come-to-Jesus moments.

[vonfirmath]

On 9/3/2022 at 9:10 PM, GoodnightMoogle said:

 

Oh, and I guess my unpopular personal opinion is that I love the Lord of the Rings movies but found the books a slog. I enjoyed The Hobbit but could leave the rest of the series. Had to force myself to read it. Yet that series is obviously on many lists.

I also remember not caring for Little House on the Prairie as a kid. The scene that stuck with me was the creepy way the dad was digging into a watermelon almost angrily while the kids and mom all watched in fear that they were gonna get some kind of disease (malaria? Maybe?) I always found the dad kind of scary. 

I'm with you on Lord of the Rings

I love the Hobbit. I read the entire series Lord of the Rings (TWICE! -- before I ever saw the movies) and I'm not a fan. I prefer the movies 

Edited September 15, 2022 by vonfirmath

[Ellie]

3 hours ago, vonfirmath said:

I'm with you on Lord of the Rings

I love the Hobbit. I read the entire series Lord of the Rings (TWICE! -- before I ever saw the movies) and I'm not a fan. I prefer the movies 

I wanted to love the movies. But the plot changes! Holy cow! In the books, Faramir is a hero; alas, the movies made him into a scoundrel. The Sword that was Broken was not kept in storage at the Last Homely House. Aragorn carried it with him, almost as a calling card, because all Middle Earth knew the story. There was certainly not a moment when Gimli the Dwarf pulled out his ax and whacked away at the One Ring; one of the ways that Gandalf finally identified it as the One Ring was that it protected itself such that Bilbo was not able to throw it into the fire in his house.

I could write a sad, tragic book full of stuff like this, lol.

#LOTRnerd

[vonfirmath]

8 hours ago, Ellie said:

I wanted to love the movies. But the plot changes! Holy cow! In the books, Faramir is a hero; alas, the movies made him into a scoundrel. The Sword that was Broken was not kept in storage at the Last Homely House. Aragorn carried it with him, almost as a calling card, because all Middle Earth knew the story. There was certainly not a moment when Gimli the Dwarf pulled out his ax and whacked away at the One Ring; one of the ways that Gandalf finally identified it as the One Ring was that it protected itself such that Bilbo was not able to throw it into the fire in his house.

I could write a sad, tragic book full of stuff like this, lol.

#LOTRnerd

My husband, who is a huge fan, agrees with you.

 

[Ellie]

56 minutes ago, vonfirmath said:

My husband, who is a huge fan, agrees with you.

 

Good for him! LOTR nerds of the world...UNITE! 🙂

[GoodnightMoogle]

12 hours ago, Ellie said:

I wanted to love the movies. But the plot changes! Holy cow! In the books, Faramir is a hero; alas, the movies made him into a scoundrel. The Sword that was Broken was not kept in storage at the Last Homely House. Aragorn carried it with him, almost as a calling card, because all Middle Earth knew the story. There was certainly not a moment when Gimli the Dwarf pulled out his ax and whacked away at the One Ring; one of the ways that Gandalf finally identified it as the One Ring was that it protected itself such that Bilbo was not able to throw it into the fire in his house.

I could write a sad, tragic book full of stuff like this, lol.

#LOTRnerd

I feel this way any time I have the misfortune of watching the Prisoner of Azkaban Harry Potter film. It was my first experience watching a movie I had read the book for first, and I left the theater feeling so disgusted! The changes were unreal! I maintain that was the beginning of where they began to really butcher Hermione’s character, and leaving the firebolt broom until the end was awful. Not to get me started on the “new” Dumbledore either…

I bet many who love the LOTR films are like me and watched the movies first 🙂 though I do know people who love them all in their own right

[Ellie]

6 hours ago, GoodnightMoogle said:

I feel this way any time I have the misfortune of watching the Prisoner of Azkaban Harry Potter film. It was my first experience watching a movie I had read the book for first, and I left the theater feeling so disgusted! The changes were unreal! I maintain that was the beginning of where they began to really butcher Hermione’s character, and leaving the firebolt broom until the end was awful. Not to get me started on the “new” Dumbledore either…

I bet many who love the LOTR films are like me and watched the movies first 🙂 though I do know people who love them all in their own right

I can only watch the first three movies. After that, I just keep shouting, "THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED!" 🙂  I can deal with things in the first three, but with the Goblet of Fire....no. Just...no.

Of course, we were all disappointed about the change of actors of Dumbledore, but it was no one's fault that the original actor died before he could complete the series. However, there's just no excuse for things like moving Hagrid's hut to goodness-knows-where instead of being right on the grounds and everything else. No. Just...no.

[kiwik]

My son loved Mary Poppins when he was 7 or 8 and read them all multiple times.  He also loved Alice in Wonderland.  I HATED all the Jack London books as a child and as an adult. We never got that far with Swiss Family Robinson - the father was just a bit of a jerk.

[fairfarmhand]

On 9/11/2022 at 2:05 PM, theelfqueen said:

Not a classic but Ramona will always hold a piece of my heart. 

 

On 9/12/2022 at 8:41 AM, shawthorne44 said:

I wanted to slap her.  Although the books were amusing.  
 Same with Pippi, although the books were less amusing.

I did not care for Ramona as a kid, but then I had a kid who was Just. Like. Ramona. And I loved the books then. I've read them more as an adult than I ever did as a kid. I love how Beverly Cleary steps into the brain of a kid, even an annoying, impulsive little kid who constantly gets into trouble.

Where are the Cricket in Times Square fans? My son LOVED those books.

[lulalu]

I do not like any Dickens books. They are too depressing for me to continue. I have tried several and just cannot finish them. With the exception of A Christmas Carol, I enjoy that story very much. 

 

[theelfqueen]

1 hour ago, fairfarmhand said:

 

I did not care for Ramona as a kid, but then I had a kid who was Just. Like. Ramona. And I loved the books then. I've read them more as an adult than I ever did as a kid. I love how Beverly Cleary steps into the brain of a kid, even an annoying, impulsive little kid who constantly gets into trouble.

Where are the Cricket in Times Square fans? My son LOVED those books.

My older two kids are basically Beezus and Ramona. Like SO much like the characters and so much like their relationship. I liked Ramona as a child, I loved Ramona as their mom.

Also Stockard Channing reads the audio books and they are brilliant.

[shawthorne44]

Speaking of horrible kids in popular books.   The name slips my mind but it is a girl that lives by herself in the Plaza in NYC.   She is such an inconsiderate little snot!  Really popular books though.  

That was when I realized that DD was onto me.  If I hated a picture book, I'd put it in the trunk after reading it to her.  That way I wouldn't have to read it again.  I didn't think she noticed.  But, after that girl in the Plaza book DD said, "I guess this book is going in the trunk."    I guess she could feel my disgust with it.  

ETA:  These were library books.  

Edited September 19, 2022 by shawthorne44

[Jean in Newcastle]

8 hours ago, shawthorne44 said:

Speaking of horrible kids in popular books.   The name slips my mind but it is a girl that lives by herself in the Plaza in NYC.   She is such an inconsiderate little snot!  Really popular books though.  

That was when I realized that DD was onto me.  If I hated a picture book, I'd put it in the trunk after reading it to her.  That way I wouldn't have to read it again.  I didn't think she noticed.  But, after that girl in the Plaza book DD said, "I guess this book is going in the trunk."    I guess she could feel my disgust with it.  

Eloise?  

[shawthorne44]

9 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

Eloise?  

Yes, that was it!   Horrible.  

[Ellie]

On 9/16/2022 at 4:10 AM, kiwik said:

 We never got that far with Swiss Family Robinson - the father was just a bit of a jerk.

I don't remember how old I was when I realized the reason that the family knew so much about, well, everything: it was that they were actually on board ship going to a far land to colonize/farm it, so they had to be prepared. Also, I did not know, until I joined this forum, that there was more than one translation of it. I found the "other" translation by accident, and I couldn't even finish reading it, because it just wasn't *right,* lol. I don't remember that the father was a bit of a jerk, but maybe he was and I just didn't realize it.

[kiwik]

On 9/3/2022 at 11:17 AM, WTM said:

I couldn't get through Wind in the Willows or Little Women. Wanted to love them, but couldn't even finish them...

I forgot little women.  I couldn't do Anne of Green Gables either although I did manage to listen to the audio books this year.

[kiwik]

On 9/20/2022 at 7:45 AM, Ellie said:

I don't remember how old I was when I realized the reason that the family knew so much about, well, everything: it was that they were actually on board ship going to a far land to colonize/farm it, so they had to be prepared. Also, I did not know, until I joined this forum, that there was more than one translation of it. I found the "other" translation by accident, and I couldn't even finish reading it, because it just wasn't *right,* lol. I don't remember that the father was a bit of a jerk, but maybe he was and I just didn't realize it.

We read the first 5 chapters in 2 translations as part of a course.  He was better in one but in the other every good idea was his and he was always right.  Even when it wasn't and he wasn't.

[shawthorne44]

It is weird that a translation would have such differences.  One of them has to be false to the original.  

[vonfirmath]

On 9/15/2022 at 8:11 PM, Ellie said:

I can only watch the first three movies. After that, I just keep shouting, "THAT'S NOT WHAT HAPPENED!" 🙂  I can deal with things in the first three, but with the Goblet of Fire....no. Just...no.

Of course, we were all disappointed about the change of actors of Dumbledore, but it was no one's fault that the original actor died before he could complete the series. However, there's just no excuse for things like moving Hagrid's hut to goodness-knows-where instead of being right on the grounds and everything else. No. Just...no.

I didn't get to the third. i think I decided not to watch anymore after the first. I might have seen the second movie. Then No More.

 

[vonfirmath]

4 hours ago, shawthorne44 said:

It is weird that a translation would have such differences.  One of them has to be false to the original.  

I loved the Swiss Family Robinson I read as a kid. I can't get through the version my husband has.

[Ellie]

5 hours ago, shawthorne44 said:

It is weird that a translation would have such differences.  One of them has to be false to the original.  

I haven't compared the two translations at all. I just know that the "other" translations that the "real" one doesn't, such as the mother falling down the stairs inside the tree and breaking her leg, and the discovery of other people on their island. o_0

[Ellie]

1 hour ago, vonfirmath said:

I didn't get to the third. i think I decided not to watch anymore after the first. I might have seen the second movie. Then No More.

I am always hopeful that the movie will do justice to the book, so I read the entire series three times, then I'd read the book and watch the movie, then read the next book and watch the next movie, and so on. ::heavy sigh:: No, Neville did not give the gillyweed to Harry; Dobby did (although Neville was a feasible option), and so on.

[shawthorne44]

If they make major changes to a book, they need to note that somewhere.  

In 3rd grade after the school librarian kept telling me, "You can't read that, it is too hard."   I literally looked for the biggest book in that library.   Anna Karanina.   I liked it so much I just paid for it because I didn't want to check it in.    

Decades later I watched the movie with DH.    I was upset by the suicide at the end.  I said, "That didn't happen."   "Yes, it did."   You see why DH and I are such a great couple, of course he read it too.  Apparently, I'd had the 'Education Edition', which removed that.   The book did end sort-of flat.    

[Ellie]

7 hours ago, shawthorne44 said:

If they make major changes to a book, they need to note that somewhere.  
Yabbut in some cases, if they did that, it would have to be something like, "We just sort of waved the book over our script so that we could say the script was 'based on' the book, because we changed almost everything except the name."

In 3rd grade after the school librarian kept telling me, "You can't read that, it is too hard."   I literally looked for the biggest book in that library.   Anna Karanina.   I liked it so much I just paid for it because I didn't want to check it in.    

Decades later I watched the movie with DH.    I was upset by the suicide at the end.  I said, "That didn't happen."   "Yes, it did."   You see why DH and I are such a great couple, of course he read it too.  Apparently, I'd had the 'Education Edition', which removed that.   The book did end sort-of flat. 
That book made me so angry. How sexist! 

 

[J-rap]

My favorites -- for older kids and adults, are almost every Dickens book.  I'd never read one until after I was married and we were living in a country where they were the only English-speaking books the city library had.  Maybe my circumstances played into why I loved them so much.  The only Dickens I read that I didn't like was Great Expectations, which weirdly is the one that's often recommended as the first Dickens book to read.

One of my least favorite classics was My Antonia.  I've read such good reviews about it since I first read it though, that sometimes I wonder if I should try and read it again!  I'd be curious to know if my thoughts have changed on it.

 

[GoodnightMoogle]

5 hours ago, J-rap said:

My favorites -- for older kids and adults, are almost every Dickens book.  I'd never read one until after I was married and we were living in a country where they were the only English-speaking books the city library had.  Maybe my circumstances played into why I loved them so much.  The only Dickens I read that I didn't like was Great Expectations, which weirdly is the one that's often recommended as the first Dickens book to read.

One of my least favorite classics was My Antonia.  I've read such good reviews about it since I first read it though, that sometimes I wonder if I should try and read it again!  I'd be curious to know if my thoughts have changed on it.

 

I think it’s worth revisiting classics. I found Little House in the Big Woods kind of dull as a child but I just re-read it and I found it really interesting and charming. 
 

I had to read My Antonia in college and I honestly can’t remember a thing about it; it didn’t leave a huge impression on me, but it was my professor’s favorite novel. 

[Green Bean]

I hate Homer Price, The Great Brain, and Pippi Longstocking. Just where are the parents here? And the Sheriff in Homer Price? “Let me finish my haircut while you (the child) keep the ARMED robbers in place.”! And that stupid stutter…!

DS 17 refuses to read Tom Sawyer after starting it and seeing how Tom treats his aunt. He was incensed that Tom would not willingly help her.

As a child and as an adult, I still can’t stand The Little House series.

We are diehard LOTR and Potter fans, though.

Edited September 26, 2022 by Green Bean

[Ting Tang]

On 9/26/2022 at 3:39 PM, Green Bean said:

I hate Homer Price, The Great Brain, and Pippi Longstocking. Just where are the parents here? And the Sheriff in Homer Price? “Let me finish my haircut while you (the child) keep the ARMED robbers in place.”! And that stupid stutter…!

DS 17 refuses to read Tom Sawyer after starting it and seeing how Tom treats his aunt. He was incensed that Tom would not willingly help her.

As a child and as an adult, I still can’t stand The Little House series.

We are diehard LOTR and Potter fans, though.

Ditto on Homer Price. We read an excerpt in Abeka, and it was painful and boring to me. MP has the full version scheduled. No thank you, lol. 

[Clarita]

I liked both LOTR the books and the movies. I think I don't have a great memory so I tend not to remember what happens anyways, so I enjoy the movies independent of the books.

[kiwik]

On 9/15/2022 at 5:48 PM, Ellie said:

I wanted to love the movies. But the plot changes! Holy cow! In the books, Faramir is a hero; alas, the movies made him into a scoundrel. The Sword that was Broken was not kept in storage at the Last Homely House. Aragorn carried it with him, almost as a calling card, because all Middle Earth knew the story. There was certainly not a moment when Gimli the Dwarf pulled out his ax and whacked away at the One Ring; one of the ways that Gandalf finally identified it as the One Ring was that it protected itself such that Bilbo was not able to throw it into the fire in his house.

I could write a sad, tragic book full of stuff like this, lol.

#LOTRnerd

I read the lord of the rings when I was 12.  I watched one of the movies.  It was beautiful, moving, well filmed and oh so dull.  I didn't notice that when I read it.  I think it is something everyone should read once.  I haven't got my kids to read it yet though.

I have enjoyed the little house books both as a child and an adult but my impressions of the characters have changed a lot.

Edited September 28, 2022 by kiwik

[shawthorne44]

I remember watching the Little House TV series.  I had a lot more positive view of the Dad when I was a kid.  Now I think he was a bit of a turd and their life could have been so much better if he weren't so flighty.  

I don't know if this is true, but I heard there was a later unpublished diary in which her family is starving.  

ETA: I had the books too.  Everyone had the whole book series in Minne-snowda in the 70's.  But the TV characters colored my view of the books in a positive way.  

The shopkeeper woman had a LOT in common with my evil grandmother.   
 

Edited September 28, 2022 by shawthorne44

[Mirror]

I have loved Classical literature ever since I was a child. I really hated Pinocchio it's a horrible story and I'm not one to shy away from the non-Disney versions of fairy tales and the like but I just can't bring myself to read it to children.  However I heard a talk Andrew Pudewa gave talking about his son's reaction to reading it and now I want to go back and read it with fresh adult eyes. 

My favourite books from that time that I read over and over again were Edith Nesbit's Psammead series, the Narnia books, Black Beauty and What Katy did. I didn't come from a bookish family so I was limited to what I could find without the guidance of my parents, I wish I had known about Little Women and The Hobbit those are two books that I would have loved as a child.  I also read plenty of the Babysitters club 😆

 

[Shoeless]

I loved the Little House books as a kid. DS and I listened to a few of the books in the car and had some good talks about what was going on in the books.  I liked Pa! I always got the vibe that Ma wasn't Laura's favorite parent.  

I absolutely loved Winnie the Pooh. The dialogue between the animals is hilarious at times. DS wasn't as excited about the stories as I was, though. 

I read all the Paddington Bear books as a kid, but DS didn't care for them. 

I tried re-reading some Nancy Drew books to see if they'd be right for my niece, but oof. So dull and dated now. 

DS loved Homer Price because of the donuts. 

I hated:

All of the Ramona books. She was a snotty little girl and reminded me of my sister at that age. 

Catcher in the Rye

The Red Badge of Courage

The Grapes of Wrath

I read the last two books in 8th grade and they were a chore to get through. 

I thought Little Women was just ok. 

Edited September 30, 2022 by MissLemon

[alysee]

As a Canadian I have to say I hate Anne of Green Gables. As a young teen I always preferred the Emily of New Moon Series. 

I loved the Little House books and still do but my impressions of the people and times have changed.

[Ellie]

On 9/29/2022 at 8:12 AM, Mirror said:

I have loved Classical literature ever since I was a child. I really hated Pinocchio it's a horrible story and I'm not one to shy away from the non-Disney versions of fairy tales and the like but I just can't bring myself to read it to children.  However I heard a talk Andrew Pudewa gave talking about his son's reaction to reading it and now I want to go back and read it with fresh adult eyes. 

My favourite books from that time that I read over and over again were Edith Nesbit's Psammead series, the Narnia books, Black Beauty and What Katy did. I didn't come from a bookish family so I was limited to what I could find without the guidance of my parents, I wish I had known about Little Women and The Hobbit those are two books that I would have loved as a child.  I also read plenty of the Babysitters club 😆

 

I read Pinocchio when my first-born was an infant; I don't remember what I thought of it, but I never read it to the dc, so there's that. Peter Pan....definitely did NOT read the original to my dc. Weird, hinky book. We stick with Disney on that.

[GoodnightMoogle]

5 hours ago, Ellie said:

I read Pinocchio when my first-born was an infant; I don't remember what I thought of it, but I never read it to the dc, so there's that. Peter Pan....definitely did NOT read the original to my dc. Weird, hinky book. We stick with Disney on that.

It boggles my mind that Ambleside schedules Peter Pan as read aloud to first graders. Maybe my expectations are too low, but are there really first graders out there who enjoy listening to Peter Pan?? It just feels so advanced and so…old school British, haha. It seems like kind of a pretentious recommendation when there are other books out there that would be appropriate for that age. 

[Ellie]

16 minutes ago, GoodnightMoogle said:

It boggles my mind that Ambleside schedules Peter Pan as read aloud to first graders. Maybe my expectations are too low, but are there really first graders out there who enjoy listening to Peter Pan?? It just feels so advanced and so…old school British, haha. It seems like kind of a pretentious recommendation when there are other books out there that would be appropriate for that age. 

And it's weird and hinky. I don't know anything about the author's life, but he must have had issues with his mother, because he made odd comments, multiple times, about mothers. Also, Peter lied to the Lost Boys all.the.time., and sometimes when he reappeared after a long absence, he was bloated with blood. WTH?

Edited October 5, 2022 by Ellie

[GoodnightMoogle]

Reviving this thread because I adore it, and I have a brief update.

Just finished “Five Little Peppers and How They Grew.” I thought it was sooo dull! (Is that a homeschool crime? Maybe a Charlotte Mason crime). I thought the main girl, Polly, was just so insufferably sweet. Saccharine and over-the-top. I appreciate that the book showed postive relationships between siblings, but that’s about all this book had going for it.

What even was that plot? How do these kids not starve to death, or at least have scurvy? And what was up with the random, never-to-be-meantioned again child abduction scene? And the abrupt ending?? Why is this book so beloved!! I almost regret the time I spent reading it. 

In other news, also finally read Mary Poppins…loved it! I think my version has the racism edited out, or revised. The around-the-world chapter featured animals rather than people. Anyway, I’ve seen some people turned off by this austere Mary Poppins but I loved her, and adored the stern love she had for the kids. The chapter in the middle, where the babies lose their ability to talk to animals because they grew up…wow, I thought that was so beautiful. Sorry for all the spoilers 😂

Anyway, it’s funny how we all have different opinions. However, for anyone avoiding Mary Poppins because of the racism, let me assure you that the later edition is highly worth your time. Peppers on the other hand…lacked flavor for me!

[GoodnightMoogle]

My son is currently 2 and a half, and we have been reading so much together, so I’ll share about that as well. I would say the ultimate classic author for us has been Margaret Wise Brown, hands down. She rules my house. The Big Red Barn was his first favorite, and the others followed from there. I think my personal mom favorite of hers is Runaway Bunny. Why does she have so many bunny books? Well, my son loves them all.

We are also big fans of all those old Eloise Wilkins illustrated little golden books. They can be charming in their outdatedness (we don’t exactly get a milkman coming around these days) but he seems to relate to those down-to-earth, real stories about family life. He goes through phases with her stories, MWB stories still win the overall favorite category.

Honestly, I have become such a classic toddler book snob, that I don’t really care to read a lot of what they have for that age at the library. I don’t want to read him Disney board books, or Seasme street or Daniel Tiger or whatever. I like our beautifully written, charming books with the wonderful illustrations. 
 

One last controversial classics opinion. We love “Love you Forever” AND “The Giving Tree” in this house 😂

I don’t think I’ve read a classic book for this age yet that I’ve disliked, I’ll think on this, though. 

[Momof4sweetkids]

On 9/11/2022 at 12:05 PM, theelfqueen said:

Not a classic but Ramona will always hold a piece of my heart. 

Oh man I tried to listen to the audiobooks with my DD but it's like listening to whining and bickering over and over again. We didn't finish the first book. I love Henry Huggins though!

[HomeAgain]

11 hours ago, GoodnightMoogle said:

Reviving this thread because I adore it, and I have a brief update.

Just finished “Five Little Peppers and How They Grew.” I thought it was sooo dull! (Is that a homeschool crime? Maybe a Charlotte Mason crime). I thought the main girl, Polly, was just so insufferably sweet. Saccharine and over-the-top. I appreciate that the book showed postive relationships between siblings, but that’s about all this book had going for it.

What even was that plot? How do these kids not starve to death, or at least have scurvy? And what was up with the random, never-to-be-meantioned again child abduction scene? And the abrupt ending?? Why is this book so beloved!! I almost regret the time I spent reading it. 

In other news, also finally read Mary Poppins…loved it! I think my version has the racism edited out, or revised. The around-the-world chapter featured animals rather than people. Anyway, I’ve seen some people turned off by this austere Mary Poppins but I loved her, and adored the stern love she had for the kids. The chapter in the middle, where the babies lose their ability to talk to animals because they grew up…wow, I thought that was so beautiful. Sorry for all the spoilers 😂

Anyway, it’s funny how we all have different opinions. However, for anyone avoiding Mary Poppins because of the racism, let me assure you that the later edition is highly worth your time. Peppers on the other hand…lacked flavor for me!

There were several books in the Peppers series, IIRC.  Mostly sketches, but together they had a more complete story than each one individually.  If you ever gave it another go I'd suggest the Peppers Grown Up one, as a comparison.

 

[Jean in Newcastle]

I had and read all the Five Little Peppers books as a child. I have fond memories attached, even though they were not great books. I don’t think that they have aged well though and didn’t read them to my own kids. (I always classified them in my mind with other books about the “deserving poor”).