Technically, this is a children’s classic, but the tale of the poor but spirited orphan Jerusha Abbott, who is whisked out of her orphanage and sent to college by a mysterious Mr. Smith, is incredibly charming, romantic and clever, with the additional benefit of being easy to read. It was one of the first books I read in English and my own copy has since become tattered and dog-eared.
In 1912, college was an enormous privilege for young women – the penniless Jerusha, now Judy, merely has to pay for this by regularly writing letters to her benefactor. Although she is somewhat unsettled and annoyed at having no idea who he is or what he’s like, she does so, telling him all about her life at college, her studies, her roommates (somewhat surprisingly, these are very rich girls). Oh, it’s really quite wonderful. Read it.
Genre: Classic, coming-of-age story, love story
Boy appeal: frankly, I don’t know any men who’ve read the book. Hey, you could always be the first.
Girl appeal: this is the ultimate girls’ book!
You will like this book if: you used to devour school stories as a little girl, but are now looking for something more sophisticated.
[...] to understand what everyone is talking about (this actually applies to America, too: Judy Abbott in Daddy-Long-Legs thinks up alternative endings for Jane [...]
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