As soon as Pollyanna arrives in Beldingsville to live with her strict and dutiful maiden aunt, she begins to brighten up everybody's life. The 'glad game' she plays, of finding a silver lining in every cloud, transforms the sick, the lonely and the plain miserable - until one day something so terrible happens that even Pollyanna doesn't know how to feel glad about it.

Pollyanna's eternal optimism has made her one of the most beloved characters in American literature. First published in 1913, her story spawned the formation of "Glad" clubs all over the country, devoted to playing Pollyanna's famous game. Pollyanna has since sold over one million copies, been translated into several languages, and has become both a Broadway play and a Disney motion picture.

When Pollyanna Whittier goes to live with her sourtempered aunt after her father's death, things seem bad enough, but then a dreadful accident ensues. However, Pollyanna's sunny nature and good humour prove to have an astonishing effect on all around her, and this wonderful tale of how cheerfulness can conquer adversity has remained one of the world's most popular children's books since its first publication in 1913. In Pollyanna Grows Up, the only sequel written by Porter herself, Pollyanna finds that that, despite being cured of her health problems, adulthood brings fresh challenges to be overcome.

"Once you start looking for the happy things, you don't think about the bad ones as much." That's the joyful way Pollyanna sees the world: no matter what happens, she plays her "Just Be Glad" game and finds the sunny side of any situation. But when she's orphaned and forced to live with her rigid Aunt Polly, will high-spirited Pollyanna succeed in melting her Aunt's cold heart? Abridged for easier reading and carefully rewritten, with "Classic Starts[trademark]", young readers can experience the wonder of timeless stories from an early age.

When orphaned Pollyanna Whittier comes to live with her stern maiden aunt, she not only manages to spread her perpetural cheerfulness and optimism among the miserable people of the town, she also transforms the life of her lonely aunt. But dark times come, and the once-optimistic and courageous little girl needs to find a way to regain her past happiness. Translated into several languages since its original publication in 1913, "Pollyanna" was made into a Broadway play and a popular motion picture starring Hayley Mills. One of the best-loved stories for children of all time, it will inspire readers for years to come.

The sequel to Pollyanna finds the effervescent orphan on the verge of womanhood. Her crippled legs cured, Pollyanna takes her glad heart to cheer new friends in Boston before travelling to Europe with Aunt Polly and Dr Chilton. But growing up brings sorrows as well as joys, and when she returns after six years, with Dr Chilton dead and Aunt Polly fallen on hard times, even Pollyanna has trouble maintaining her usual cheerful outlook.

In this sequel to the classic children's book Pollyanna, our beloved heroine continues to cheer up everyone around her with her sunny personality and relentless good humour. When we left Pollyanna at the end of the first book, she was trying very hard to stay positive after a car accident injured her spine and paralysed her. Now old fans and new will be intrigued to read about Pollyanna's miraculous recovery: she can walk - something she was assured she would never be able to do again!Now that Pollyanna's aunt has married kind old Dr Chilton, the newlyweds whisk Pollyanna off to Europe every winter and all three start to enjoy their newfound family. Pollyanna also has the chance to travel to Boston, and makes plenty of new friends as well as reuniting with her oldest pals. As Pollyanna grows up, she matures into a thoughtful young lady but never loses her characteristic spark of good cheer. Her goal in life is still to be glad under all circumstances, but with her aunt experiencing a tragedy and Pollyanna herself getting embroiled in a complicated love triangle, it will take a special type of person to come through it all with a smile on her face.Luckily Pollyanna is a very special young lady indeed.