Thriller

Abandoned at 30% read.

I attempted to read this aloud to my nieces (ages 11, 9, 7), but we all became incredibly bored and had to quit.

Nothing interesting happens in the first 30%, as the book simply describes in a fairly monotone-style writing the work that Mandy completes in her garden. ("She did this, then she did that, then she went back to the orphanage and did this, then that...") ( )

Ten-year-old Mandy feels lost among the thirty children who live in the old stone orphanage. She dreams of a home of her own, a place where she belongs. When Mandy climbs over the high orphanage wall to explore the outside, she is lucky enough to find a tiny deserted cottage hidden in the forest. With a few "borrowed" items, the cottage becomes a refuge. To guard her secret, Mandy even lies -- but when she falls terribly sick, no one knows where she is. No one, that is, except for a special admirer she didn't know she had.

My mom gave me this book in my Easter basket when I was 9(49 years ago). I loved it then and found it recently in a box of old books. Just as good as I remember. The paperback I have was $1.25?!? I wrote a funny note in the front that seems appropriate “This book is not an orphan, so do not adopt it”. There’s also an index card with a written excuse from my mom saying I was home sick with a sore throat. ( )

I remember in the 5th grade I was asked if I wanted to do an extra assignment for English and read a book from the teachers selection and do the activities that came with it. Me being a bored 10 year old, I said yes. Out of her selections, I chose this book because I have always been of fan of Julie Andrews and I thought it was so cool that she wrote a book. I can honestly say that this was one of my favorite childhood books and I even went out and bought it myself. It still sits on my bookshelf and I'll pull it out to read from time to time. It really helped open my eyes to bigger goals and dreams just like Mandy had. She was so determined to fix up this old little cottage, even when she got in trouble for it and had to sneak around. ( )