Gypsy's Cousin Joy

Called out of her arithmetic lesson by an urgent message, Gypsy Breynton races through Yorkbury fearing a disaster. At home, she learns that her parents must leave to care for her seriously ill Aunt Miranda. Elizabeth Stuart Phelps begins this children's novel with Gypsy's quick temper, untidy energy and affection for her family, setting household worries alongside schoolroom comedy.

The relationship between Gypsy and her cousin Joy brings a different challenge: two strong wills learning to share a room and daily life. A school disagreement resurfaces when Gypsy glimpses Joy's account of it in a letter to her father. Under Mrs. Breynton's kindly but firm guidance, both girls have something to learn about fairness and consideration. Readers interested in nineteenth-century family stories will find recognizable friction over privacy, competing wishes and the effort to get along, expressed through lively conversations and small domestic incidents.