Free summaries
Children & Young Adult Reading — page 25
2,065 public-domain children & young adult reading books, summarised. Page 25 of 44.
Dolly and I: A Story for Little Folks
Oliver Optic
Envy is a corrosive force that eats away at the heart, often leading the jealous to destroy their own joy while mistakenly aiming to harm another. This cautionary tale illustrates the bitter fruits of such a spirit.
Inger Johanne's lively doings
Dikken Zwilgmeyer
The spirited life of a young girl in a small Norwegian seaside town unfolds through a series of misadventures and discoveries. By turns impulsive, courageous, and occasionally remorseful, Inger Johanne navigates the complexities of growing up with a heart as large as her appetite for trouble.
Lady Daisy, and Other Stories
Caroline Stewart
A fragile doll becomes a silent traveler, while a garden of talking vegetables and a glowworm’s brief life reveal the weight of childhood mistakes and the quiet lessons of the natural world.
Merry Tales
Ada M. (Ada Maria) Skinner
These are stories meant for the ear and the heart, preserving the timeless magic of folklore while speaking in a language young readers can easily claim as their own. Each entry serves as a gentle invitation to wonder, proving that a classic tale needs only a clear voice and a kind spirit to endure.
Ruth Fielding at Briarwood Hall
Alice B. Emerson
A spirited young girl faces the social minefield of boarding school life while unraveling a local legend of ghostly music and hidden secrets.
The sociable Sand Witch
Thomas Lambert Sappington
A collection of whimsically dark fairy tales, this volume explores the absurd consequences of magic, where children and creatures alike find themselves trapped by their own wishes and the strange rules of enchanted worlds.
A Hive of Busy Bees
Effie Mae Hency Williams
The farm is a sanctuary of lessons where the rhythm of nature teaches children that goodness, like honey, is gathered one diligent act at a time.
Brothers and sisters
Abbie Farwell Brown
The world is large enough for every child to find a corner of wonder, yet small enough that a single act of kindness can bridge the distance between two different lives.
Edith and Her Ayah, and Other Stories
A. L. O. E.
Little ones often possess a faith that outshines the wisdom of their elders, serving as quiet guides toward spiritual truth. This collection of moral tales uses the everyday experiences of children to illustrate profound lessons in Christian conduct and character.
Grandmother Puss
Unknown
A grave and bespectacled cat strikes a bargain with a courageous little mouse to defeat a common enemy, teaching a spoiled grandson the true meaning of honor and duty.
Harper's Young People, November 23, 1880: An Illustrated Monthly
Various
This illustrated monthly periodical captures the Victorian-era spirit of American childhood, blending moral instruction, historical lessons, and practical curiosity into a single, cohesive window into the late 19th-century mind.
Opera Stories from Wagner
Florence Akin
The legends of gods, giants, and dwarves find new life in these accessible retellings, which weave the complex threads of a great musical epic into a clear and flowing narrative for young readers.
Our Holidays: Their Meaning and Spirit
Various
These collected stories and essays explore the history, customs, and civic importance of American holidays, transforming familiar dates on the calendar into lessons about national identity, empathy, and the legacy of the past.
The Bird Hospital
Caroline Crowninshield Bascom
This memoir chronicles a life dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and companionship of injured birds and stray animals within a domestic setting. It offers an intimate, often humorous look at the complex social dynamics that emerge when wild creatures and house pets share a single living space.
The Deaf Shoemaker: To Which Are Added Other Stories for the Young
Philip Barrett
This collection of sketches and moral tales serves as a spiritual map for the young, guiding the reader through the hazards of early life toward a devoted, prayerful existence.
The Great Round World and What Is Going On In It, Vol. 1, No. 37, July 22, 1897: A Weekly Magazine for Boys and Girls
Various
This weekly magazine serves as a vibrant, panoramic lens into the late nineteenth century, capturing the urgent global headlines and technological marvels of 1897 through the eyes of curious young readers.
Bees, Shown to the Children
Ellison Hawks
HOOK This guide invites young readers into the miniature, clockwork world of the honeybee, transforming a common backyard insect into a marvel of complex social engineering and botanical cooperation.
Butterflies and Moths, Shown to the Children
Theodore Wood
A charming, gentle introduction to the hidden lives of common insects, this guide invites young readers to observe the artistry of nature found right in their own gardens.
Camp Fire Girls in War and Peace
Isabel Hornibrook
This story captures a group of young women navigating the transformative years of the First World War, finding purpose through service and the strengthening of their own community bonds. It serves as an earnest portrait of a generation balancing the anxieties of a global conflict with the rituals of youth.
How? or, Spare Hours Made Profitable for Boys and Girls
Kennedy Holbrook
A creative guide for the industrious, this work transforms rainy afternoons into opportunities for scientific discovery and mechanical skill. It remains a charming manual for turning simple materials into lifelong hobbies.
Morag: A Tale of the Highlands of Scotland
Janet Milne Rae
A high-born girl and a mountain-dwelling shepherd’s daughter bridge the divide between their worlds through an unlikely friendship forged in the wild, rugged landscapes of the Scottish Highlands.
The Story of the Mince Pie
Josephine Scribner Gates
The ingredients of a Christmas treat come to life to share their histories while waiting for the dawn. This whimsical tale explores the origins of holiday traditions through the eyes of the very items found in a kitchen.
Three Little Women: A Story for Girls
Gabrielle E. (Gabrielle Emilie) Jackson
This story follows a family of girls navigating the sudden loss of their father’s income, finding their strength through enterprise, animal rescue, and an unwavering, if sometimes comically overbearing, household matriarch. It is a portrait of resilience in the face of genteel poverty.
Byliny Book: Hero Tales of Russia
Marion Chilton Harrison
These ancient Russian legends recount the extraordinary feats of heroes who defend the land against barbarian invaders, blending mythic strength with the enduring spirit of a people protecting their home.
Corrie
Lynn, Ruth, active approximately 1876-1880
In the quiet shadow of a bustling town, a young boy’s selfless devotion transforms the difficult, isolated life of his disabled sister, leading them toward an unexpected home.
Doris Force at Locked Gates
Julia K. Duncan
HOOK A clever teenager and her friend stumble into a web of deceit at a crumbling mansion, where they must outwit a pair of unscrupulous servants and a mysterious, predatory visitor to save a fortune.
Julia and the Pet-Lamb
Anonymous
The golden sunset beckons a young girl toward a field of flowers, but a bleating cry changes her evening into an unexpected test of character. A simple choice between personal joy and the suffering of a creature defines the hours that follow.
Mother Earth's Children: The Frolics of the Fruits and Vegetables
Elizabeth Gordon
A garden is never just a garden when the inhabitants are capable of laughter, travel, and song. This whimsical collection invites readers to peek beneath the leaves and see the daily lives of the foods that grace our tables.
Peter Parley's Wonders of the Earth, Sea, and Sky
Samuel G. (Samuel Griswold) Goodrich
This volume invites young readers to step away from rote memorization and embrace the active, curious study of the natural world. It serves as a gentle, observational guide to the marvels of geology, meteorology, and marine biology.
The Apricot Tree
Unknown
Kindness serves as the quiet, steady anchor in a life of hardship, proving that even the most bitter circumstances can be softened by a forgiving heart. Through one boy's devotion to his grandmother and his endurance in the face of malice, a small, rural world is transformed by the simple power of living by one's…
The Pansy Magazine, Vol. 15, Dec. 1887
Various
A monthly magazine for the Victorian home, this collection of stories, poems, and lessons reflects the earnest moral instruction and lively domestic interests of a nineteenth-century American childhood.
The Seven Ages of Childhood
Carolyn Wells
HOOK This collection of poems traces the quiet, universal metamorphosis of a human life, following the journey from the wordless curiosity of the cradle to the transformative bloom of first love.
True Stories of Girl Heroines
Evelyn Everett-Green
Through desperate sieges, daring prison breaks, and dangerous political intrigues, these young women defy the expectations of their time to secure the safety of those they love.
For the Honor of the School: A Story of School Life and Interscholastic Sport
Ralph Henry Barbour
HOOK Athletics are a crucible for character in this turn-of-the-century tale, where the true goal of competition is not the scoreboard, but the unwavering commitment to one's school and comrades.
Harper's Young People, May 23, 1882: An Illustrated Weekly
Various
This weekly publication offers a vibrant, immersive snapshot of 19th-century American youth culture, blending serialized fiction and historical accounts with interactive games, poetry, and intimate correspondence from young readers across the country.
Harper's Young People, October 19, 1880: An Illustrated Weekly
Various
This illustrated weekly offers a window into the late Victorian imagination, blending wholesome adventure fiction, natural history, and the earnest, puzzle-loving spirit of nineteenth-century American youth.
Legendary Heroes of Ireland
Harold F. Hughes
The ancient legends of Ireland find new life here, painting a vivid portrait of a mythical age where honor, magic, and giants define the bounds of heroism.
A second reader
Frank E. (Frank Ellsworth) Spaulding
A foolish crow steals bright peacock feathers to masquerade as royalty, only to be stripped bare and cast out by the very birds he tried to copy.
Dan Carter and the Cub Honor
Mildred A. (Mildred Augustine) Wirt
A quiet neighborhood church basement turns into a battleground for young honor when a broken window and a missing set of ice cream freezers leave a Cub Scout den taking the blame for someone else’s malice.
Funny Big Socks: Being the Fifth Book of the Series
Sarah L. Barrow
A storm outside a window can bring unexpected stories into a quiet room, carrying readers away on four distinct journeys of imagination.
Nearly Bedtime: Five Short Stories for the Little Ones
H. Mary Wilson
Gentle home tales capture the quiet, generous impulses of childhood and the small, vital lessons that shape a young heart before sleep.
Our Little Japanese Cousin
Mary Hazelton Blanchard Wade
Two Japanese siblings navigate daily domestic life, seasonal festivals, and traditional schooling in a story designed to introduce early twentieth-century American children to Japan.
R. Caldecott's Picture Book (No. 2): The Three Jovial Huntsmen—Sing a Song for Sixpence—The Queen of Hearts—The Farmer's Boy
Randolph Caldecott
A vibrant collection of traditional English nursery rhymes and playful folk songs comes alive through rhythmic verse, absurdity, and countryside warmth.
Seven Xmas Eves
Unknown
A ragged London boy framed for a gent's pocket watch builds a life across ocean and empire to prove that honor outlasts the law.
The Secret of Toni
Molly Elliot Seawell
A boy’s quiet secret threatens to destroy the lives of those he loves unless he finds the courage to confront the past.
The tale of Chirpy Cricket
Arthur Scott Bailey
A relentless, tiny fiddler spends his summer leaping through the farmyard grass, convinced that a short life filled with music beats a long one spent in grumps.
Thoughts on a Pebble, or, A First Lesson in Geology
Gideon Algernon Mantell
A single stone, picked up from a rushing mountain stream, becomes a gateway into deep geological time, revealing ancient oceans, extinct marine creatures, and the dynamic forces shaping our earth.
Young Peoples' History of the War with Spain
Prescott Holmes
A nation intervenes in a neighbor's suffering, setting off a swift conflict across two oceans that reshapes global power.