Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

Rebecca Rowena Randall arrives at the brick house in Riverboro, Maine, talking the whole way, one of seven children packed off from a failing farm to be raised by two spinster aunts. Aunt Miranda finds her exasperating. Aunt Jane quietly loves her. Kate Douglas Wiggin’s 1903 novel follows Rebecca through school, poverty, a soap-selling scheme that wins her a lifelong friend, and the slow discovery that her imagination is worth something. Mark Twain adored the book, and generations of American readers have too, largely because Rebecca is allowed to be difficult rather than merely sweet. Free PDF and EPUB editions are available here.