Nancy of Paradise Cottage

A shopping trip in the rain exposes the difference between Nancy Prescott and her sister Alma. Nancy can laugh at carrying groceries through Melbrook, while Alma worries about looking poor before fashionable acquaintances. At seventeen, Nancy wants college and the means to earn her living. Her mother and sister place greater hope in comfort, social standing and the possible generosity of wealthy Uncle Thomas.

Shirley Watkins develops these family tensions through a novel for young readers about money, education and belonging. At Miss Leland's school, Nancy struggles to keep her ambitions clear as Alma adopts the manners of richer girls. Her friendship with Charlotte Spencer, a gifted student determined to study music seriously, adds another view of what a girl's future might hold. Household errands and school conversations give the story its particular interest: affection within a family can coexist with sharply different ideas about independence and success.