- 10-year-old Rebecca goes to live with her 2 aunts, one kind and the other…not
- Rebecca makes friends easily and is a whiz at words/language/writing
- convo: the comment, “She looks black as an injun,” accompanied with a jab at Spanish people and their darker skin (one occurrence)
- other convo points: pipe smoking, a soldier is mentioned to have died, two different relatives die at different times, sherry mentioned, rare instances of feminism, some romance/flirting implied
- language: L*rd A’mighty x2, fagging (as in, working hard or toil)
Type: chapter book
Ages: 8-12
Author: Kate Douglas Wiggin
The book spans several years and is based in Maine. Rebecca is such a unique character to the small town which receives her that she becomes well beloved by many. She’s not the smartest student in school, but somehow she outshines them all. One of the scenes in which her personality sparkles is when the rest of the church is inhospitable to visiting missionaries. She, by contrast, welcomes them with love, charm and creativity.
Her relationship with her ornery Aunt Miranda is complicated and amusing to read about. Wiggin writes:
“Miranda Sawyer had a heart, of course, but she had never used it for any other purpose than the pumping and circulating of blood.”
Ha! Another time, after Miranda said something rude: “…remarked that gracious and tactful lady.” Wiggins has an entertaining knack for words.
Rebecca has a sweet best friend who sticks by her side, even attending a school she’s not academically ready for just to be with Rebecca! The two are seventeen when the book ends and, though there have been a few (and brief) subtle hints of romance amongst others, Rebecca is entirely ignorant of them. It was rather refreshing to end the book without a turn into romance.
Overall, it’s really quite an enjoyable read. I do hope you find it so, too!