Rating: 5 out of 5

I read this book as a teenager, as had my Mum before me - it was her recommendation as one of her favourite stories from her teenage years. When I was looking for a story to read to Mum, having just finished reading her a book of poetry, I thought of this book. It’s taken a few visits to read, and today we had to race a little to get to the end before I left her.

With the exception of the first handful of pages the story unfolds in a series of letters from the orphan Jerusha Abbott to her benefactor, Mr John “Daddy-Long-Legs” Smith as Jerusha settles into college. The style of writing evolves as her education evolves and through these letters we get to know a whole heap of her friends.

Having read this before, even if was 20+ years ago, I knew what to expect and could remember enough of the story to know where we were going. However, after having read all of the letters out to Mum, the last two were read with a few interspersed sobs which caught me unawares.

A wonderful, simple, innocent read!

Originally posted to my Goodreads account