Synopses & Reviews
We are all going to be made perfect . . .
In 1843, with all their possessions loaded onto a single wagon, ten-year-old Louisa May Alcott and her family bravely set out into the wilderness to make a new home for themselves on a farm called Fruitlands. Louisa's father has a dream of living a perfect, simple life. It won't be easy, but the family has vowed to uphold his high ideals.
In her diary -- one she shares with her parents -- Louisa records her efforts to become the girl her parents would like her to be. But in another, secret diary, she reveals the hardships of this new life, and pours out her real hopes and worries. Can Louisa live up to her father's expectations? Or will trying to be perfect tear the family apart?
Review
“Whelan ingeniously imagines the seven months Louisa May Alcott and her family spent at Fruitlands. A convincing, enlightening reconstruction.” Horn Book Magazine
Synopsis
With her signature language and luminescent detail, the National Book Award-winning author breathes new life into an extraordinary chapter from the life of the beloved author of "Little Woman."
Synopsis
Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
About the Author
Gloria Whelan is the best-selling author of many novels for young readers, including Homeless Bird, winner of the National Book Award; Fruitlands: Louisa May Alcott Made Perfect; Angel on the Square and its companion, The Impossible Journey; Once on this Island, winner of the Great Lakes Book Award; Farewell to the Island; and Return to the Island. She lives with her husband, Joseph, in the woods of northern Michigan.