They had their tea party in that rundown, ramshackle, and downright "creepy" house. There were Bab and Betty and most of a dozen of their worn-down dolls, and no matter how worn-down or "creepy" this place might seem to you and I, for these girls and their dolls, it was the most wonderful place for a party any of them could imagine.

Then that monstrous dog had stolen all the food, and by the time they chased it down, it'd eaten the last crumbs! They followed the dog back into the decrepit barn, and that was how they met its master, a circus run-away, Ben Brown. Ben turned out to be a horse master. . . .

Louisa May Alcott (1832 - 1888) was an American novelist best known as author of the Little Women series of novels. This single volume contains six of her most popular novels, complete and unabridged: An Old-fashioned Girl: Polly, the old-fashioned girl, becomes friends with her wealthy Boston cousins and learns about love, happiness and riches. Work: A Story of Experience: Christie throws herself into the working world aged 21 and this is her story, ending up as an intelligent and wise woman in her 40s. The book is a wonderful tale of her trials and tribulations along the way. Eight Cousins: Rose is orphaned girl and sent to be raised by her Uncle Alec and the extended family of Uncles and Aunts and seven male cousins. Alec raises her in his own unorthodox way and Rose flourishes - going from being sad and meek to educated and confident. Rose in Bloom (sequel to Eight Cousins): Rose Campbell returns home after her travels to find she is expected to marry. She is surrounded by admirers but is it the money they admire most? Under the Lilacs: Ben has run away from the circus where he was mistreated and Bab and Betty find him and his dog living in the carriage house. Their mother takes him in and gives him a job. Together the children learn lessons about life and faith. Jack and Jill: Jill and jack have a nasty accident while sledging and suffer a yearlong convalescence. They are close friends despite vastly different social circumstances, and they learn patience and kindness along the way.

Charles Dickens (1812 70) was an established novelist when he decided to produce a Christmas story, which was written in only six weeks and published at the end of 1843. The book was an immediate bestseller, and had it not been for the very high production costs of the specially commissioned illustrations and the decorative binding, it would have been a great commercial success. This strategic error meant that Dickens did not make the profits he expected, which contributed to his falling out with the publishers, Chapman and Hall. The story, however, has endured to this day as a classic and remains Dickens' best-known and most adapted work. This reissue of the first edition, with its famous illustrations by Punch caricaturist John Leech (1817 64), allows readers to enjoy the story as Dickens had intended, and as its first readers experienced it over a century and a half ago.

ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD ISABELLE IS A LACEMAKER IN THE TOWN OF VERSAILLES.

One day as she delivers lace to the palace, she is almost trampled by a crowd of courtiers -- only to be rescued by Marie Antoinette. Before Isabelle can believe it, she has a new job -- companion to the queen's daughter. Isabelle is given a fashionable name, fashionable dresses -- a new identity. At home she plies her needle under her grandmother's disapproving eye. At the palace she is playmate to a princess.

Thrown into a world of luxury, Isabelle is living a fairy-tale life. But thisfacade begins to crumble when rumors of starvation in the countryside lead to whispers of revolution. How can Isabelle reconcile the ugly things she hears in the town with the kind family she knows in the palace? And which side is she truly on?

Inspired by an actual friendship between the French princess and a commoner who became her companion, Kimberly Brubaker Bradley offers a vivid portrait of life inside the palace of Versailles -- and a touching tale of two friends divided by class and the hunger for equality and freedom that fueled the French Revolution.

This is one of the earliest plays written by William Shakespeare. It revolves around two sets of identical twins that were separated at birth. Years later, fate brings them to the same city, and this unleashes the drama caused by mistaken identities.Also available as part of a 20 book set, including Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, The Tragedy of Macbeth, A Midsummer Night's Dream, A Winter's Tale, The Taming of the Shrew, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, Timon of Athens, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Merchant of Venice, Othello, Much Ado About Nothing, King Lear, Julius Caesar, Cymbeline, The Comedy of Errors, As You Like It, Anthony and Cleopatra and All's Well That Ends Well. About Sweet Cherry Easy Classics:Sweet Cherry Easy Classics adapts classic literature into stories for children, introducing these timeless tales to a new generation.

Tom Swift has enthralled generations of children with his amazing adventures. So return to a simpler time, put away your cynicism, and dust off your sense of wonder, because you're off on a series of grand adventures! Include here are the first three stories that started it all: Tom Swift and His Motor-Cycle (Or Fun and Adventures on the Road), Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat (Or the Rivals of Lake Carlopa), and Tom Swift and His Airship (Or the Stirring Cruise of the Red Cloud).

Winston Smith lives in a nightmare world where the Thought Police spy on everyone and children are taught to betray their parents. Even the smallest sign of disagreement with the Party results in torture, imprisonment, or death. Big Brother oversees everything - but who is he? Winston tries hard to keep his thoughts and fears to himself. But then he meets Julia, a strong-minded young woman who is willing to run the terrible risk of their being found together. Will kindly Mr Charrington keep their secret? Can Winston and Julia find happiness despite the dangers that threaten them?

"Yes, there they were, by the ocean liner's railing. Uncle Alec was swinging his hat like a boy, with Phebe smiling and nodding on one side and Rose kissing both hands delightedly on the other as she recognized familiar faces and heard familiar voices welcoming her home."

""Bless her dear heart, she's bonnier than ever, with that blue cloak round her, and her bright hair flying in the wind!" said Charlie excitedly as they watched the group upon the deck with eager eyes."

Archie, Phebe, Mac, Charlie and Rose: they were friends separated by an ocean for some years -- and now the changes they saw in one another, when reunited at the dock, were to be wondered at. Most marvelous at all, at least in the eyes of the young men, was how Rose had transformed: for the girl they had left behind had become a woman.

Louisa May Alcott (1832-88) was one of the most popular writers of the 19th century, known especially for her series of novels beginning with "Little Women."

Half wolf, half dog, White Fang fully understands the cruelty of both nature and humans. After nearly starving to death during the frigid Arctic winter, he's taken in first by a man who "trains" him through constant whippings, and then by another who forces him to participate in vicious dogfights. Follow White Fang as he overcomes these obstacles and finally meets someone who offers him kindness and love.

Little Women is one of the best-loved children's stories of all time, based on the author's own youthful experiences. It describes the family life of the four March sisters living in a small New England community, Meg, the eldest, is pretty and wishes to be a lady; Jo, at fifteen is ungainly and unconventional with an ambition to be an author; Beth is a delicate child of thirteen with a taste for music and Amy is a blonde beauty of twelve. The story of their domestic adventures, their attempts to increase the family income, their friendship with the neighbouring Lawrence family, and their later love affairs remains as fresh and beguiling as ever. Good Wives takes up the story of the March sisters, some three years later, when, as young adults, they must face up to the inevitable trials and traumas of everyday life in their search for individual happiness.

Moominpappa yearns to make a fresh start, to find a rocky island and lighthouse where he'll feel alert and important again. And so the Moomins set sail for a new home. Moominpappa's longed-for-island proves as mysterious and wild and he'd hoped. It even has a deserted lighthouse. But how is Moominmamma to grow her flowers and what could have happened to the last keeper of the lighthouse?

An illustrated adaptation of Anne Bronte's classic - at an easy-to-read level for readers of all ages! A mysterious woman has arrived at Wildfell Hall. Unmarried and living alone, she is the subject of whispers and rumours. Where has she come from? Where is her husband? Gilbert is determined to find out about this secretive woman. And, when he gets her journal, he finally has the chance ... The Complete Bronte Sisters Children's Collection: From the haunted Yorkshire moors to the towering battlements of Thornfield Hall, experience the Bronte sisters' famous stories of love, self-discovery and family feuds. Adapted and illustrated for children aged 7+.