Classic Chapter Books For Girls

I previously wrote about the series books under my 6-year-old’s bed. Today, I’ll share with you some more chapter books that she keeps under her bed and that somehow always get back to the “being read” rotation.

Though boys may also enjoy these books, I think that having female protagonists make these stories more attractive to little girls. So, without further ado, here is a list of classic chapter books for girls (and boys) that are great for reading aloud and reading independently.

 

Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia Mclachlan

Published 30 years ago and set in the American prairies in the late 19^th century, this historical fiction made ME cry!

It’s the story of how farmer Jacob Whitting wrote an ad for a mail-order bride (yes that’s right!) to help him in the farm and to be the mother of his two children, Anna and Caleb. He was widowed when his wife died giving birth to Caleb.

I did not realize that there are four more books featuring the Whitting family until I got a copy of Skylark. In it, the family faces a long drought and Sarah becomes pregnant. Another tearjerker, yes.

Available at Fully Booked. Click here.

 

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lingren

If you’re looking for a girl power kind of book, Pippi Longstocking is it.  Pippi has superhuman strength, lives in a house she calls Villa Villekula, and …  as Little T exclaimed, “What? She lives on her own without her parents?!” She plays tricks on adults especially thieves and others who try to harm her friends.

The first book was published in 1945 and has a total of 11 books in the series. I love the first one best, while my daughter refuses to say which one is her favorite.

Available at Fullybooked. Click here.

 

Milly-Molly-Mandy by Joyce Brisley

This is another oldie but goodie, as the first Milly-Molly-Mandy book was published in 1928. I thought that More Milly-Molly-Mandy, which came with our first book as a boxed set, was the only other sequel. A quick look though at Wikipedia tells me that there are more.

Milly-Molly-Mandy is a charming, charming chapter book that gives the reader a glimpse of the slow, country life generations ago. The short chapters show the daily adventures and challenges faced with aplomb by Millicent Margaret Amanda, or Milly-Molly-Mandy for short.

Available at National Bookstore. Click here.

 

Big Susan by Elizabeth Orton Jones

Big Susan is a delightful story about a family of dolls who come alive at Christmas time. The rest of the year, Big Susan (as they call the little girl who owns them) makes them talk and move. Imagine reading this from the eyes of a child, I’m sure it will be magical!

First published in 1947, it has been out of print for several years until the savior of the best children’s books ever, Purple House Press, rescued republished it in 2002 to celebrate its 55^th year.

 

Little House by Laura Ingalls Wilder

No list of classic children’s books is complete without The Little House books that are about the author’s late 19th century childhood in the American Midwest. I first heard of it as a television show that my older sister was hooked on in the early 80s. I didn’t realize that it was based on a series of books!

When I was in a book shopping frenzy, I bought this treasury of the first three Little House books that Little T read voraciously. She was fascinated with the old way of life, of making your own things, and having adventures.

Available at Fully Booked. Click here.

 

The Hundred Dresses

Wanda Petronski goes to school in the same blue dress everyday. One day, she claims that she has a hundred dresses at home. Knowing how poor the Petronskis are, her classmates cruelly tease her. Her family eventually leaves town, but not before the bullies learn about Wanda’s hundred dresses.

This classic has never been out of print since its first publication in 1944.

Available at Fully Booked. Click here.

 

Enjoy!

 

Make magic!