Booktopia Comments: This gorgeous looking slipcased box contains 6 of the all time classic fiction novels for children. Probably best suited for ages 8 to 13 but of course they can be read by those who are still kids at heart! The covers are beautifully re-done and the size of the text is a nice size to make it easy for kids to read and get in to the habit of turning pages which is what reading is all about. There are 1,450 pages in total! A beautiful gift for any child who still enjoys reading the classics and appreciates a good story. Highly recommended at this price!
Puffin Classics: The Essential Collection for children aged 8 to 13.
A Little Princess, Frances Hodgson Burnett
Sara Crewe's privileged status at her boarding school ends when her father dies. Left penniless and at the mercy of a vindictive headmistress, Sara retains her pluck and optimism, which attract the notice of a mysterious benefactor.
Pollyanna, Eleanor H. Porter
Soon after the eleven-year-old Pollyanna Whittier is left an orphan, she is sent to live with her rich Aunt Polly in Beldingsville, Vermont. Pollyanna's aunt is a strict and dutiful woman she doesn't even know. Aunt Polly puts Pollyanna in a tiny attic room where she hopes Pollyanna will be out of the way.
But Pollyanna is the kind of girl who can always find something to be happy about, no matter how sad life may seem at the time. She calls it "playing the glad game." Soon everyone around this remarkable girl, from John Pendleton, a rich but lonely bachelor, to Aunt Polly herself, falls under her special spell.
Until only day something so terrible happens that even Pollyanna doesn't know how to feel glad anymore.
What Katy Did, Susan Coolidge
The story of Katy Carr's adventures has delighted generations of readers since its first publication in 1872. Katy, the eldest of an endearing family of five, is determined to overcome her habitual mischievousness and untidiness and become' beautiful and beloved, and amiable as an angel '.
Katy's childhood exploits growing up in a small, late 19th-century American town, and her subsequent battle to come to terms with a debilitating injury are written with great compassion and humour and continue to hold much appeal for young readers today.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
One of the most magical concoctions in children's literature, Lewis Carroll's tale follows Alice into the upside-down, inside-out world of Wonderland, where she attends the tea party of the Mad Hatter and plays croquet in the court of the Queen of Hearts.
The Railway Children, E. Nesbit
Roberta, Peter and Phyllis live happily in London with their parents. Then, suddenly, their father goes away. The children and their mother move to a smaller house near a railway line. Exciting things happen, and they make new friends. But where is their father? When is he coming home?
Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
Anna Sewell (1820-1878) was a British author. At the age of 14, she fell while walking home from school in the rain, injuring both her ankles. Possibly through mistreatment of her injury, she became lame for the rest of her life and was unable to stand or walk for any length of time.
For greater mobility, she frequently used horsedrawn carriages, which contributed to her love of horses and concern for the humane treatment of animals. She never married or had children, but lived at home, and remained very close to her mother, Mary Wright Sewell. Mary was an author of evangelical children's books, which Anna helped to edit. Her only publication was Black Beauty, which she wrote between 1871 and 1877. During this time her health was declining. She was often so weak that she couldn't get out of bed and writing at all was a challenge. She dictated the text to her mother and from 1876 began to write on slips of paper which her mother then transcribed. She died in 1878, just five months after her publication, living long enough to see the book's initial early success.
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