Most of these stories are about the ups and downs of old-fashioned family life. Most are historical fiction. All of these are great for the entire family.

Bell, Thelma Harrington. The Two Worlds of Davy Blount. 1962. 220p. Ten-year-old Davy, who has lived his whole life in North Carolina's Outer Banks, spends the summer with relatives living in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Brink, Carol Ryrie. Caddie Woodlawn. 1958. 275p. The adventures of an eleven-year-old tomboy growing up on the Wisconsin frontier in the mid-nineteenth century.

Carlson, Natalie Savage. The Family Under the Bridge. 1958. 99p. An old tramp, adopted by three fatherless children when their mother hides them under a bridge on the Seine, finds a home for mother and children and a job for himself.

Dahlstedt, Marden. Shadow of the Lighthouse. 1974. 159p. Set on Long Beach Island in the 1870'2, this is the story of Jane's eventful 13th year, in which she comes to grip with the conflict between the things she enjoys doing and what her mother thinks is proper for a young lady.

Dalgliesh, Alice. The Courage of Sarah Noble. 1954. 52p. Remembering her mother's words, an eight-year-old girl finds courage to be alone in their new home in the Connecticutt wilderness while her father goes back to bring the rest of the family.

Ellison, Lucile Watkins. A Window to Look Through. 1982. 118p. In the 1920's tragedies as well as joys befall eleven-year-old Lucy Watkins' family when they move from Alabama to Mississippi.

Garnett, Eve. The Family From One End Street: and Some of Their Adventures. 1936. 208p. Set in Otwell-on-the-Ouse, England, this is about the exciting and funny adventures of the Ruggles family. This was voted the best children's book in Great Britain in 1937.

Haywood, Carolyn. B is for Betsy. 1967. 159p. The story of six-year old Betsy's first year in school. This series has been a favorite for three generations now.

Jackson, Jacqueline. The Taste of Spruce Gum. 1966. 212p. After her father's death, Libby Fletcher and her mother move back East to Vermont where Mother marries Uncle Charles and they all learn to live together at the family's logging camp.

Lasky, Kathryn. The Night Journey. 1981. 150p. Rache ignores her parents' wishes and persuades her great-grandmother to relate the story of her escape from Czarist Russia.

Lattimire, Eleanor Frances. Little Pear. 1931. 144p. The adventures and misadventures of a small Chinese boy.

Lawlor, Laurie. Addie Across the Prairie. 1986. 128p. Unhappy to leave her home and friends, Addie reluctantly accompanies her family to the Dakota Territory and slowly begins to adjust to life on the prairie.

Lenski, Lois. Strawberry Girl. 1945. 193p. The story of Birdie, a Cracker girl who helps her Florida family raise strawberries and cope with their next door neighbors.

Lovelace, Maud Hart. Betsy-Tacy. 1940. 112p. Five-year-old Betsy and Tacy are inseparable friends who live in a little Minnesota town in the early 1900's.

MacLachlan, Patricia. Sarah, Plain and Tall. 1985. 58p. When their father invites a mail order bride to come and live with them in their prairie home, Caleb and Anna are captivated by their new mother and hope that she will stay.

Montgomery, Rutherford. Kildee House. 1949. 209p. When Jerome Kildee, solitary man, builds a home in a redwood forest in California, he takes in some skunks and raccoons, but as they begin to multiply, he looks to two human neighbors for help.

Morrow, Honore'. On To Oregon! 1926. 239p. Traveling by covered wagon from Missouri to Oregon in 1844, thirteen- year-old John Sager rallies his younger siblings after the death of their parents to complete their journey.

Norris, Gunilla. The Summer Pastures. 1965. 132p. Three Swedish children have many adventures while proving themselves worthy of being allowed to go to the summer pastures alone. There's a glossary in the back for the Swedish terms.

Reely, Mary Katharine. The Blue Mittens. 1935. 152p. This episodic story is a year in the life of Kate, who lives on a farm with her family.

Sidney, Margaret. The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew. 1881. 320p. The adventures of the five Pepper children. One adventure is how they contrive to make their mother a surprise birthday cake.

Smith, Eunice Young. The Jennifer Wish. 1949. 250p. Set in 1908, this story is about the Hill family's summer in the country. Find out what kids used to do all summer before the invention of radio, television, and video games.

Streatfeild, Noel. Ballet Shoes. 1937. 294p. Relates the fortunes of three adopted sisters who take dancing and stage training, one to become an actress, the second a ballerina, and the third an aviatrix.

Taylor, Sydney. All-of-a-Kind Family. 1951. 188p. The adventures of five sisters growing up in a Jewish family in New York in the early twentieth century.

Unnerstad, Edith. The Peep-Larssons go Sailing. 1962. 216p. The six Peep-Larsson children set off for an adventurous month sailing through the waters of the Swedish archipelago with no adult on board.

Wiggin, Kate Douglas Smith. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. 1903. 341p. Talkative ten-year-old Rebecca goes off to live with her spinster aunts, with whom she spends seven difficult but rewarding years growing up.