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JennGM
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I think I've seen this before, but making the request again.
I'm looking for good chapter books for a young but very advanced (female) reader. I'm especially looking for those that model a good family life, happy families, everyone pitching in, cheerful and getting along with family members.
I have a few in mind, but I'd love to hear suggestions.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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kristinannie
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The Boxcar Children books are pretty good. Books 2 and 3 and 6 have excellent nature study elements as well. Books 4 and 5 were not nearly as good though!
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the little house.. books of course
all of a kind family?
the bird's christmas carol?
the American girl series
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Jodie, wife to Dave
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CrunchyMom
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Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (and sequels)
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Lindsay
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DominaCaeli
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Hi Jenn,
I asked something similar here and got some wonderful suggestions (including some from you!  ). Milly-Molly-Mandy and Happy Little Family both fit your description, but I'm guessing you have already thought of those. My daughter really liked Astrid Lingren's books--very fun, though they aren't as family-oriented as the others.
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The Mitchells Five for Victory and sequels.
The Bobsey Twins are always helping each other
Happy Hollisters
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DianaC
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These are a few that my 11 year old has enjoyed recently. I think they will fit your parameters nicely:
St. Katherine Drexel by Ellen Tarry
Esperanza Rising by Pam Ryan (very tragic at the beginning, but the family is wonderful - steeped in tradition and dedicated to each other)
Anne of Green Gables
The Good Master by Kate Seredy (Catholic family in Hungary)
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We're just reading All of a Kind Family - Sydney Taylor for the first time and really enjoying it. 5 girls 
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SuzanneG
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:: All of a Kind Family FOR SURE!
:: Five Little Peppers
:: M. Wiley's "Caroline" Series
:: M. Wiley's "Charlotte" Series
:: The Railway Children
:: The Saturdays
:: The Family Under the Bridge
:: Stone Fox
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SeaStar
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The Moffats 
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SuzanneG
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I wondered about The Moffats, Melinda.....I haven't read it/them, but my three older girls have and they love them!
Thought of two others:
:: Latsch Valley Farm Series
:: Iron Spy...this is such a GREAT BOOK! The main character is hard-working, compassionate and courageous. And the story is really fun! My girls have **mad** several of our mom-neighbors read it and everyone has loved it!
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Suzanne in ID
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JennGM
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Oh, thank you, thank you! Most of these I was thinking, but I needed a more concrete list! Funny thing, I just drifted over my shelves and pulled out all of these before you wrote them! and The Moffats were one I pulled and wondered myself.
A few more I was thinking:
The Railway Children
books by Marguerite d'Angeli
Books by Lois Lenski
Perhaps someone can help me understand Boxcar Children. Our library has these, but they look so modern. Were they changed/modernized? What do you recommend for dates on these?
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Jennifer G. Miller
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JennGM
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So a finalized list of sorts (I think in lists). Any additions I'll add on here. Thanks so much!!!!
:: Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
:: "Caroline" Series by Melissa Wiley
:: "Charlotte" Series by Melissa Wiley
:: The Saturdays and sequels (Melendy Quartet) by Elizabeth Enright
:: Gone Away Lake and Return to Gone Away by Elizabeth Enright
:: The Family Under the Bridge by Natalie Savage Carlson
:: The Railway Children by E. Nesbit
:: Latsch Valley Farm series by Anne Pellowski
:: Marguerite d'Angeli regional books
:: Lois Lenski American Regional series and Roundabout America series
:: The Moffats and sequels by Eleanor Estes
:: Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner
:: Five Little Peppers and How They Grew (and sequels) by Margaret Sydney
:: All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor
:: More All-Of-A-Kind Family
:: All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown
:: All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown
:: Milly-Molly-Mandy and sequels by Joyce Lankester Brisley
:: Happy Little Family and others in Fairchild Family Series by Rebecca Caudill
:: Five for Victory and sequels in the The Mitchells series by Hilda van Stockum
:: Iron Spy by Joan Stromberg
:: Astrid Lingren Noisy Village books
:: Boxcar Children series by Gertrude Chandler Warner
:: Bobbsey Twins
:: Happy Hollisters
:: American Girl Series
:: The Bird's Christmas Carol by Wiggins
:: Little Women and Little Men by Louisa May Alcott
:: Peterkin Papers by Lucrecia Hale
:: The Borrowers series by Mary Norton
:: Edward Eager Magic series
A Little bit older:
::St. Katherine Drexel by Ellen Tarry
::Esperanza Rising by Pam Ryan
::Anne of Green Gables
::The Good Master by Kate Seredy
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Jennifer G. Miller
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stellamaris
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The Boxcar Children was originally a series of books written by Gertrude Chandler Warner. Books 1-19 comprise the original series. Later books were written by other authors. They were written to give younger readers an easy introduction to chapter book reading. Mrs. Warner was a teacher and was trying to fill in a "gap" that existed in books geared to beginning chapter book readers.
That being said, the reading level is easy. Vocabulary is basic and sentences are relatively short. She wouldn't be challenged with the actual reading itself. The story is interesting for a more advanced reader, though.
I wouldn't get any books written by the other authors. Also, I think the reason the books look "modern" is the illustrations they are using.
A few ideas she might enjoy:
The Borrowers (series)
The Village That Slept(OOP) If you can find this in your library, that is. Very expensive to buy. Story of three children stranded (due to a plane crash) in the Pyrhenees and learning how to survive. Similar to The Boxcar Children in that they have to figure out how to find shelter, clothing, food, etc. and they have to learn how to care for a baby. Catholic writer tenderly depicts their discovery and cleaning of a mountain chapel and their gratitude to God for their survival. At the end, they are rescued and establish the village as a home for orphans. My dd16 says this is the best book she ever read. I read it as a child and spent years trying to find a copy. A story that sticks with you--well-written, affirming, and illustrative of the noble principles of hard work, self-sacrifice, charity, and hope. Might be more at her reading level than The Boxcar Children. I know I've recommended this before, but I love this book. I wish someone would reprint it.
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Caroline
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SuzanneG
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LOVE the compilation, Jenn! Adding to my favorites!
And, because we like to be thorough , there are more All-of-a-Kind-Family books:
:: All-of-a-Kind Family
:: More All-Of-A-Kind Family
:: All-of-a-Kind Family Uptown
:: All-of-a-Kind Family Downtown
No one here has read Ella of All-of-a-Kind Family which is more about Ella and the choices she has to make as a young women....more tween/teen content probably.
If I had to pick just ONE BOOK/SERIES from your compilation, it would be these All-of-a-Kind Family books. Just LOVE the family life, their faith life, their interactions with each other and the outside world, the conversations, their adventures, their emotions, the lessons learned, and virtues illustrated. They are such great books!
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Suzanne in ID
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JennGM
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I've somehow missed Sidney Taylor's books, so we'll remedy that as soon as I can request more books from the library.
I've added a few more -- Peterkin Papers (although it's been a while), and Edward Eager books are really good at illustrating siblings having to work together...same with Elizabeth Enright's books.
The Village that Slept -- oh Caroline, you have to stop tempting me with such an enticing expensive book!
I think I'll also recommend Heidi, and The Secret Garden and The Little Princess. These aren't family oriented, but they illustrate cheerfulness in loss and personal sacrifices and perseverance.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Family in Feast and Feria
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JennGM
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One more question. We listened to Railway Children this summer and I absolutely loved it. I had never read E. Nesbit.
Are there are other titles that are similar?
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Jennifer G. Miller
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stellamaris
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I haven't read The Railway Children, although it is on my "list". I have read the entire series of the Bastable children (The Treasure Seekers, The Wouldbegoods, The New Treasure Seekers) and the Psammead series (Five Children and It, The Phoenix and the Carpet, and The Story of the Amulet). The boys enjoyed these a lot. However, they wouldn't fit your criteria of "family" oriented, as the children in them are pretty much on their own during the adventures. A few of them had instances of magical activities, such as a seance (which I don't think worked, but I can't recall--I do remember I was a bit uncomfortable with it, though).
My two favorites were Five Children and It, which illustrates the problems we can get into when we actually get what we wish for, and The Treasure Seekers, which recounts all sorts of misadventures that befall the children when they are not even intending to do ill, but somehow manage it all the same! I think the children related to that!  Here were the characters trying to help out, and everything went sideways and they ended up in trouble! I enjoyed these two a lot.
Overall, we did enjoy them and the boys liked them so much they wanted me to read them both series completely, which I did do. They were a pleasant and often humorous read, but not edifying in the same way that a series like Narnia was. I kind of tired of the series before we finished. E. Nesbit was a socialist and quite the wild woman for her day. She influenced C.S. Lewis (his idea of the "door" one could walk through to go from one world to another came from her, for example).
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Caroline
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stellamaris
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JennGM wrote:
| The Village that Slept -- oh Caroline, you have to stop tempting me with such an enticing expensive book! |
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I'll loan it to you this summer when I'm in Virginia, if you would like! I'm sure you will love it!
Also, what about Caddie Woodlawn? I haven't read it, but my dd loves it. Isn't it similar to the Little House books? Great call to add the Burnett books--The Little Princess was one of my favorites as a girl!
Seriously, I'm not getting anything done today except these posts!  Got to turn my computer off NOW! 
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Caroline
Wife to dh 30+ yrs,ds's 83,85,89,dd's 91,95,ds's 01,01,02,grammy to 4
Flowing Streams
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JennGM
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Interesting about the other Nesbit series. I had read that Edward Eager really was influenced by her writings, and by your description I can see it completely on the magic books.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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4Real Forums : Living Literature
Topic: Point me in the Right Direction-Families
