We just finished reading Mandy by Julie Andrews Edwards. I think Bethany and Jordan liked this book best as they were constantly asking me to read it. It is the story of a 10 year old English girl that lives in an orphanage. One day she climbs the wall around the orphanage and discovers a tiny deserted cottage in the woods. She falls in love with this cottage and wants to make it her own. She buys plants with the small salary she makes on Saturdays working at a local shop and plants a garden. She begins a fantasy life where the cottage is hers and she begins working and cleaning and spending more and more time there -- whenever she can sneak away from the orphanage.
Because of the many things she wants for her cottage (soap flakes, garden tools, spoons, forks, cups, etc.) she finds herself living a life of half truths in her desperation to make her fantasy a reality. Her life becomes more complicated as she tries to keep her cottage a secret and spend more and more time there.
This book deals with the longing an orphan has for family, a home and something of their very own. It does have a few things I changed as I read it -- for example, the doctor used the Lord's name in vain a couple of times and I simply changed it. Also, it brought out a lot of discussion for us about lying and "borrowing" things without permission. But, my girls loved hearing about the cottage in the woods and the magical time Mandy spends there. The book is one that almost all of my kids have enjoyed at some point in their lives.
Jordan, Caroline and Sarah
Since the weather is so nice, Zola decided to play the harp on the front porch.
Sophia does like to sit on the porch and watch the kids play -- Claire likes to rock and play with Sophia.
