"Oh, Aunt Polly, I don't know how to be glad enough that you let me come to live with you!"
As soon as the orphaned Pollyanna arrives in Beldingsville to live with her strict and dutiful maiden aunt, she begins to brighten up everybody's life. The sick, the lonely, and the just plain miserable all fall under her spell and are transformed—until one day something so terrible happens that even Pollyanna doesn't know how to feel glad any more.
First published in 1913, the tale of Pollyanna and the "glad game," the game of finding a silver lining in every cloud, is one of the most popular and enduring children's stories of all time.
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"I found another old book, this one from the 1920's. Do read Eleanor H. Porter. She wrote some wonderful books. The book of Pollyanna is better than the movie ( No surprises there!) and is just uplifting. I love the language of old books. Bad things happen and they aren't always put right. But there is an essential assumption of the goodness of people and the ability to change behavior no matter what time of life. Try it. You may like a little cry at the end of a sweet book."
— Murphy (5 out of 5 stars)
“The book is full of tears and laughter.”
— Audiofile“[Pollyanna] remains a charming…classic.”
— School Library Journal" Super cute read. I decided to check it out because I'd never really knew the entire story of Pollyanna and I'm SO GLAD I did. hee hee "
— Woz, 2/19/2014" This book never fails to put me in a good mood. I know that Pollyanna is somewhat over the top and definitely unrealistic, but so what? She's absolutely adorable and utterly charming which makes for wonderful reading and the perfect comfort book :) "
— Maria, 2/19/2014" Every little (and big) girl should read this...I love to see how a father influenced his daughter to change a disappointment into a defining moment in her life, and how our naivete, which sometimes we are so quick to shed, can often be one of our best sources of power... "
— Mandy, 2/18/2014" A good, wholesome, fun book. You can't help loving Pollyanna. I was glad to read it. :) "
— Saralyn, 2/12/2014" I loved this book growing up. Strangely, I also loved 1984. Anyway, I think Pollyanna has been maligned when people use her name derisively (i.e "Oh she is so pollyannaish.") Pollyanna had a hard life and was trying to look at life differently. Also, when I saw the movie with Hayley Mills I had a crush on her. (I was somewhere in my early teens.) "
— William, 2/3/2014" I love seeing the differences in a book when I've seen the movie first. While different in so many ways. I loved the story as much as I adored the movie as a child. "
— Shimmywith4, 2/2/2014" Great book about the power of being glad/ positive and optimistic. I liked this better than the movie for sure. "
— Launna, 1/26/2014" What a positive and upbeat little girl. Sure to put a smile on your face. "
— Jami, 1/20/2014" Pollyanna is much more likable in book form. This one is a keeper. "
— Nanette, 1/18/2014" I am gonna stop reading this for now and wait to read it with my daughters. Such a perfect young adult story. "
— Jeannie, 1/5/2014" This think this book has been passed by because of the movies, but it has some amazing lessons to teach about how to look at life that changed my life in a very good way. Surprisingly impactful. "
— Sarah, 1/4/2014Eleanor Hodgman Porter (1868–1920), American novelist, was born at Littleton, New Hampshire, and studied music at the New England Conservatory. Her first novels included Cross Currents (1907) and Miss Billy (1911). In 1913 Pollyanna appeared, which was an immediate success that has retained its popularity ever since. A sequel, Pollyanna Grows Up, was published in 1915, and two volumes of short stories, The Tangled Threads and Across the Years, appeared posthumously in 1924.