Five Little Peppers at School

Rating:
Summary: An Enduring Delight
Review: I inherited a copy of this book from a great-aunt of mine, and have reread it every year since I was ten. I was so attached to this book that when I went to college, I took it along. When my roommate discovered I had this book, she carried it off and ignored everything else (including homework!) for several days. My copy traveled four floors of my dorm, and while returning it, I met girls who had read it and loved it, but never could find a copy to buy; girls who had never known that a sequel to the Peppers existed, and were delighted to read it for the first time; and girls who read it because they were curious as to what dozens of their doormmates were getting so excited about. When I left my dorm, I donated the book to our dorm library so every succeeding generation can discover this wonderful book.

It is truly one of the best children's books out there. The character's are the same loveable but delightfully human ones we met in "The Five Little Peppers." The boys are off at a bording school, and the fights, challenges and school comraderies are as diverting as they must have been to readers of the time. Polly is at an exclusive girl's school as a day pupil, and her experiences are what all my doormates were fascinated by. The way these girls reacted with each other, the degrees of friendship between girls, and especially the interaction of these teenage girls with the young men in their lives are intriguing to read about. The book has a gently moralistic tone, as did the first, that should not put off readers. It offers a unique glimpse of what people can be: charitable, family-oriented, intelligent, loyal, and especially resourceful. In an age where we are bombarded with sex, violence, and never-ending confessionals, this book is a breath of fresh air. Take it off the shelf and enjoy it.

Incidentally, the Pepper series does not stop here. I was told by my dorm librarian that there is even a book about Phronsie's teenage years that was her favourite, but has since gone of out print. Maybe Amazon will find this one for us too.

Rating:
Summary: An Enduring Delight
Review: I inherited a copy of this book from a great-aunt of mine, and have reread it every year since I was ten. I was so attached to this book that when I went to college, I took it along. When my roommate discovered I had this book, she carried it off and ignored everything else (including homework!) for several days. My copy traveled four floors of my dorm, and while returning it, I met girls who had read it and loved it, but never could find a copy to buy; girls who had never known that a sequel to the Peppers existed, and were delighted to read it for the first time; and girls who read it because they were curious as to what dozens of their doormmates were getting so excited about. When I left my dorm, I donated the book to our dorm library so every succeeding generation can discover this wonderful book.

It is truly one of the best children's books out there. The character's are the same loveable but delightfully human ones we met in "The Five Little Peppers." The boys are off at a bording school, and the fights, challenges and school comraderies are as diverting as they must have been to readers of the time. Polly is at an exclusive girl's school as a day pupil, and her experiences are what all my doormates were fascinated by. The way these girls reacted with each other, the degrees of friendship between girls, and especially the interaction of these teenage girls with the young men in their lives are intriguing to read about. The book has a gently moralistic tone, as did the first, that should not put off readers. It offers a unique glimpse of what people can be: charitable, family-oriented, intelligent, loyal, and especially resourceful. In an age where we are bombarded with sex, violence, and never-ending confessionals, this book is a breath of fresh air. Take it off the shelf and enjoy it.

Incidentally, the Pepper series does not stop here. I was told by my dorm librarian that there is even a book about Phronsie's teenage years that was her favourite, but has since gone of out print. Maybe Amazon will find this one for us too.