My new favorite book is Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink. It is beautifully heart-warming.  I love the relationships between the members of the Woodlawn family, among the neighbors in the community, and between adults and children.  Unlike much of today’s literature, grownups are treated with great respect; but there is nothing hokey about the story.  Caddie and her siblings have fun adventures – that sometimes land them in hot water.  The Woodlawn children learn wonderful lessons, and by the end of the book Caddie has begun to learn that even though she has not been raised as the typical Civil-War era girl there is coming a time that she will need to develop proper skills appropriate for a young lady.  When she does gain interest in learning to become a lady she does so with such grace and maturity that her brothers (who are used to her companionship) want to join in her new activities as well.  I won’t spoil the ending, but suffice it to say that you might want to have a tissue handy – the tears will be happy ones.

How I managed to miss reading Caddie Woodlawn sooner I will never know, but I’m glad I did find it to share with my daughter.