Under the Lilacs (1878)

Most young boys dream of running away to join a circus but young Ben Brown and his clever poodle, Sancho, have run away from the circus. Ben’s father had left the circus to look for a better job, intending to send for his son once he was settled. Once his father's protection had gone, Ben was beaten by the circus master and so runs away. Babs and Betty Moss are in the garden of Miss Celia’s big house holding a dolls' tea party in the shade of the lilac trees. They catch Sancho red-handed stealing the tea party food for his young master. Their mother, who is taking care of the great house, takes Ben in, cleans him up and gets him a job helping the Squire, who is most impressed with the hard work Ben does. Celia returns with her younger brother Thornton (Thorny) and she hires Ben, on the Squires recommendation, to become Thorny companion while he recovers from a long illness that has left him confined to a wheelchair – not an easy job.

Ben, Babs and Betty become really good mates and get up to all sorts of mischief as children do and in the process Ben and his friends learn about life, friendship, love, death and faith. It is a real old-fashioned children’s story with laughter, tears and an innocence that children’s books don’t seem to have anymore.

A circus runaway and his trained poodle (the most engagine character in the book) find help and kindness in a small New England town. O.k. ( )

Another lovely morality tale by Louisa May Alcott. She clearly was fascinated by the moral, physical, and emotional lives and upbringing of boys and girls as they make the transition from youth to young adulthood. Sweet! ( )