Oh how absolutely delightful. I've no idea why it's so hard to find - my library in Carson City NV had to get it from US Army Yuma Proving Ground Post Library, AZ (and I'm so glad they did)! Sure it's about a little girl's adventures from over 100 years ago - but it's lively and engaging, not the pioneer or immigrant experience we get so often in historical fiction. The occasional line drawings clarify the meanings of some of the vocabulary, but the children's behaviors and feelings are universal - no clarification needed.* And to learn that Bess is the author and this is a memoir - oh my! Perfect for a family to read together over about a week of bedtimes.

*What child doesn't know, as Bess does, that company manners mean you can't use your finger to push your food onto your fork? ;) ( )