Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter, 204 pages

I'd had a really bad week, and was feeling incredibly grumbly. So when I saw Pollyanna on my "want to read" shelf, I knew I had to pick it up. I've read this classic before but it's a treat worth repeating. I'm sure most people are familiar with the Disney classic featuring Hailey Mills, but the book is worth picking up on it's own. Pollyanna is an orphan sent to live with her spinster aunt who is willing to perform her "duty" and raise Pollyanna. Little does she expect Pollyanna to change her outlook and life with her optimism and her "glad game". The book celebrates a century this year, and there is a reason that it's still a beloved classic. Pollyanna's enthusiasm for life and belief in the basic goodness of people serves as a good reminder for me to have a more positive outlook, and I will try to play the "glad game" more often when I'm feeling grumbly.

The Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter, 268 pages

I'm rereading some of my favorite childhood classics as Samantha is discovering them. This is one that has a beloved spot on my bookcase because it's that perfect combination of tragedy combined with optimism, spunk combined with fate, and good writing peopled with interesting characters.
Elnora Comstock has lived on the edge of the Limberlost all her life, learning about the plants and insects residing there, turning to her neighbors for the love her grief-stricken mother isn't capable of showing. Now Elnora is sixteen and ready to start high school against the wishes of mother. Elnora shows up the first day, in shoes and dress that scream country, and soon realizes that the cost of books and school fees aren't covered. Overcome by despair at first, she quickly realizes that the moths she has been collecting over the years will pay not only for high school but also college. With her optimistic determination, Elnora forges ahead, working hard to gain an education. But circumstances beyond her control threaten to keep her from getting that treasured diploma. Elnora is the epitome of the struggling girl character, filled with compassion and determination, and a beautiful face that she is unaware that filled literature 100 years ago. Popular then, these books still speak to readers today, and serve as a timeless example for young women still.