37 Books like Pollyanna

Anne of Green Gables

by L.M. Montgomery • 1908

They request a farm boy. They get Anne: a fiery, imaginative orphan determined to prove she belongs.

4.33

1.1M+

👧 Orphan Girl 🫂 Found Family 📚 Academic Rivals 🌟 Imaginative Heroine 👯 Girl Friendship

Anne of Green Gables 94%

They request a farm boy. They get Anne: a fiery, imaginative orphan determined to prove she belongs.

by L.M. Montgomery 1908

4.33

1.1M+ ratings

👧 Orphan Girl 🫂 Found Family 📚 Academic Rivals 🌟 Imaginative Heroine 👯 Girl Friendship

Heidi

by Johanna Spyri • 1880

An orphan's idyllic Alpine life ends when she is forced into a strict Frankfurt household.

4.04

212k+

🏔️ Mountain Life 👧 Orphan Protagonist 🫂 Found Family 👴 Reclusive Guardian 😢 Homesick Child

Heidi 92%

An orphan's idyllic Alpine life ends when she is forced into a strict Frankfurt household.

by Johanna Spyri 1880

4.04

212k+ ratings

🏔️ Mountain Life 👧 Orphan Protagonist 🫂 Found Family 👴 Reclusive Guardian 😢 Homesick Child

The View from Saturday

by E.L. Konigsburg • 1996

A paraplegic teacher picks four misfits for an Academic Bowl team that wins more than trophies.

3.76

47k+

🏠 Found Family 🏆 Academic Competition 🧩 Interwoven Narratives 🫖 Cozy Gatherings 🏡 Small Town Life

The View from Saturday 91%

A paraplegic teacher picks four misfits for an Academic Bowl team that wins more than trophies.

by E.L. Konigsburg 1996

3.76

47k+ ratings

🏠 Found Family 🏆 Academic Competition 🧩 Interwoven Narratives 🫖 Cozy Gatherings 🏡 Small Town Life

صاحب الظل الطويل

by Jean Webster • 1912

An orphan writes letters to her anonymous benefactor, never guessing he is closer than she knows.

4.13

77k+

📝 Epistolary Novel 🎓 College Life 🎭 Anonymous Benefactor 🏠 Orphan Protagonist 🕵️ Secret Identity

صاحب الظل الطويل 90%

An orphan writes letters to her anonymous benefactor, never guessing he is closer than she knows.

by Jean Webster 1912

4.13

77k+ ratings

📝 Epistolary Novel 🎓 College Life 🎭 Anonymous Benefactor 🏠 Orphan Protagonist 🕵️ Secret Identity

An Old-Fashioned Girl

by Louisa May Alcott • 1870

A country girl's quiet integrity unsettles a wealthy city family and their charming, careless son.

4.09

23k+

🏠 Domestic Fiction 🔥 Slow Burn Romance 💕 Friends To Lovers 🌾 Country Girl In The City 🏛️ Victorian New England

An Old-Fashioned Girl 90%

A country girl's quiet integrity unsettles a wealthy city family and their charming, careless son.

by Louisa May Alcott 1870

4.09

23k+ ratings

🏠 Domestic Fiction 🔥 Slow Burn Romance 💕 Friends To Lovers 🌾 Country Girl In The City 🏛️ Victorian New England

Because of Winn-Dixie

by Kate DiCamillo • 2000

New in town, missing her mother, Opal adopts a stray dog who leads her to community.

4.10

281k+

🐕 Dog Companion 🏡 Found Family 🏘️ Small-Town Community 👵 Eccentric Elders 📖 Storytelling

Because of Winn-Dixie 90%

New in town, missing her mother, Opal adopts a stray dog who leads her to community.

by Kate DiCamillo 2000

4.10

281k+ ratings

🐕 Dog Companion 🏡 Found Family 🏘️ Small-Town Community 👵 Eccentric Elders 📖 Storytelling

A Gathering of Days

by Joan W. Blos • 1979

What a farm girl's 1830 journal holds: a hidden fugitive, a lost friend, a family remade.

3.52

9k+

📓 Diary Format 🌾 Farm Life 🕊️ Underground Railroad 💔 Loss Of A Friend 🏠 Blended Family

A Gathering of Days 90%

What a farm girl's 1830 journal holds: a hidden fugitive, a lost friend, a family remade.

by Joan W. Blos 1979

3.52

9k+ ratings

📓 Diary Format 🌾 Farm Life 🕊️ Underground Railroad 💔 Loss Of A Friend 🏠 Blended Family

Pippi Longstocking

by Astrid Lindgren • 1945

Alone at nine with impossible strength, a monkey, and a horse, Pippi Longstocking answers to nobody.

4.15

210k+

🏠 Eccentric Orphan 💪 Superhuman Strength 😄 Whimsical Humor 🌻 Gentle Rebellion 🐒 Animal Companion

Pippi Longstocking 90%

Alone at nine with impossible strength, a monkey, and a horse, Pippi Longstocking answers to nobody.

by Astrid Lindgren 1945

4.15

210k+ ratings

🏠 Eccentric Orphan 💪 Superhuman Strength 😄 Whimsical Humor 🌻 Gentle Rebellion 🐒 Animal Companion

Oliver Twist

by Marian Leighton • 1989

A workhouse orphan finds family with London pickpockets, unaware of the fortune hidden in his past.

4.03

3k+

🕰️ Victorian England 👦 Orphan Protagonist 🫂 Found Family 📜 Secret Inheritance 💰 Rags To Riches

Oliver Twist 90%

A workhouse orphan finds family with London pickpockets, unaware of the fortune hidden in his past.

by Marian Leighton 1989

4.03

3k+ ratings

🕰️ Victorian England 👦 Orphan Protagonist 🫂 Found Family 📜 Secret Inheritance 💰 Rags To Riches

Beyond the Bright Sea

by Lauren Wolk • 2017

A twelve-year-old outcast risks a shuttered leper colony to uncover where she came from.

4.08

17k+

🏡 Found Family 👧 Orphan Protagonist 🪙 Hidden Treasure 🏚️ Leper Colony 🔎 Mysterious Origins

Beyond the Bright Sea 89%

A twelve-year-old outcast risks a shuttered leper colony to uncover where she came from.

by Lauren Wolk 2017

4.08

17k+ ratings

🏡 Found Family 👧 Orphan Protagonist 🪙 Hidden Treasure 🏚️ Leper Colony 🔎 Mysterious Origins

Pay It Forward

by Catherine Ryan Hyde • 1999

To change the world, a boy invents a kindness chain; his own life becomes its cost.

4.20

29k+

👵👦 Intergenerational Bond 👩‍👦 Single Mother 🤝 Acts Of Kindness 🦋 Butterfly Effect 🕊️ Sacrificial Hero

Pay It Forward 89%

To change the world, a boy invents a kindness chain; his own life becomes its cost.

by Catherine Ryan Hyde 1999

4.20

29k+ ratings

👵👦 Intergenerational Bond 👩‍👦 Single Mother 🤝 Acts Of Kindness 🦋 Butterfly Effect 🕊️ Sacrificial Hero

Half Magic

by Edward Eager • 1954

A coin grants exactly half of every wish, and four siblings must outsmart their own desires.

3.95

39k+

🪙 Ironic Wishes 📚 Old-Fashioned Fantasy 👫 Sibling Adventure Squad 🏠 Found Family 💔 Grief And Healing

Half Magic 89%

A coin grants exactly half of every wish, and four siblings must outsmart their own desires.

by Edward Eager 1954

3.95

39k+ ratings

🪙 Ironic Wishes 📚 Old-Fashioned Fantasy 👫 Sibling Adventure Squad 🏠 Found Family 💔 Grief And Healing

Little Women

by Louisa May Alcott • 1868

Four sisters chase different dreams through poverty, ambition, and love in Civil War New England.

4.17

2.5M+

🏠 Domestic Fiction 👯 Sisterly Bond ✒️ Tomboy Heroine 📝 Writer Protagonist 🥀 Loss Of Innocence

Little Women 89%

Four sisters chase different dreams through poverty, ambition, and love in Civil War New England.

by Louisa May Alcott 1868

4.17

2.5M+ ratings

🏠 Domestic Fiction 👯 Sisterly Bond ✒️ Tomboy Heroine 📝 Writer Protagonist 🥀 Loss Of Innocence

Light Comes to Shadow Mountain

by Toni Buzzeo • 2023

A Kentucky girl's dream of electric light meets the immovable force of her mother's grief.

4.25

307

🏔️ Appalachian Setting 🤝 Community Action 📰 Young Journalist 🌿 Folk Healing 👩‍👧 Mother-Daughter Tension

Light Comes to Shadow Mountain 89%

A Kentucky girl's dream of electric light meets the immovable force of her mother's grief.

by Toni Buzzeo 2023

4.25

307 ratings

🏔️ Appalachian Setting 🤝 Community Action 📰 Young Journalist 🌿 Folk Healing 👩‍👧 Mother-Daughter Tension

Orphan Train

by Christina Baker Kline • 2013

An elderly woman shares her orphan-train past with the foster teen assigned to clean her attic.

4.20

466k+

📜 Dual Timeline 🚂 Orphan Train History 👵 Intergenerational Friendship 🏡 Found Family 🧑‍⚖️ Foster Care System

Orphan Train 89%

An elderly woman shares her orphan-train past with the foster teen assigned to clean her attic.

by Christina Baker Kline 2013

4.20

466k+ ratings

📜 Dual Timeline 🚂 Orphan Train History 👵 Intergenerational Friendship 🏡 Found Family 🧑‍⚖️ Foster Care System

The Witch of Blackbird Pond

by Elizabeth George Speare • 1958

An orphan from Barbados lands in Puritan Connecticut, where independence is mistaken for witchcraft.

4.03

161k+

🔥 Puritan Witch Trial 🌾 Colonial New England 🐠 Fish Out Of Water 🏠 Found Family 👀 Small Town Fear

The Witch of Blackbird Pond 89%

An orphan from Barbados lands in Puritan Connecticut, where independence is mistaken for witchcraft.

by Elizabeth George Speare 1958

4.03

161k+ ratings

🔥 Puritan Witch Trial 🌾 Colonial New England 🐠 Fish Out Of Water 🏠 Found Family 👀 Small Town Fear

Wish You Well

by David Baldacci • 2000

Orphaned city kids land on a great-grandmother's Appalachian farm. The land demands everything.

4.06

33k+

🏔️ Appalachian Historical 👧 Orphaned Siblings 🌄 Land As Legacy 🏡 Found Family ⛏️ Coal Country

Wish You Well 89%

Orphaned city kids land on a great-grandmother's Appalachian farm. The land demands everything.

by David Baldacci 2000

4.06

33k+ ratings

🏔️ Appalachian Historical 👧 Orphaned Siblings 🌄 Land As Legacy 🏡 Found Family ⛏️ Coal Country

The Wind in the Willows

by Kenneth Grahame • 1908

Mole and Rat's riverbank life is upended by Toad's motorcars and a hall full of weasels.

4.02

243k+

🌿 Pastoral Animal Fantasy 🫂 Found Family 🦋 Character Redemption 🍂 Seasonal Storytelling ☕ Cozy Pastoral

The Wind in the Willows 89%

Mole and Rat's riverbank life is upended by Toad's motorcars and a hall full of weasels.

by Kenneth Grahame 1908

4.02

243k+ ratings

🌿 Pastoral Animal Fantasy 🫂 Found Family 🦋 Character Redemption 🍂 Seasonal Storytelling ☕ Cozy Pastoral

The Whistling Season

by Ivan Doig • 2006

A Montana widower hires a woman who can't cook. Her brother fills the one-room school with wonder.

4.07

22k+

🏫 One-Room Schoolhouse 🫂 Found Family 🎓 Eccentric Teacher 🏔️ Rural Montana 🤫 Small-Town Secrets

The Whistling Season 89%

A Montana widower hires a woman who can't cook. Her brother fills the one-room school with wonder.

by Ivan Doig 2006

4.07

22k+ ratings

🏫 One-Room Schoolhouse 🫂 Found Family 🎓 Eccentric Teacher 🏔️ Rural Montana 🤫 Small-Town Secrets

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion

by Beth Brower • 2019

Banished to her own attic, a penniless heiress keeps a journal her scheming cousin should fear.

4.05

69k+

📖 Epistolary Novel 💪 Plucky Heroine ⚖️ Inheritance Battle 🫖 Cozy Historical 🕯️ Gothic Undertones

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion Summary

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion 89%

Banished to her own attic, a penniless heiress keeps a journal her scheming cousin should fear.

by Beth Brower 2019

4.05

69k+ ratings

📖 Epistolary Novel 💪 Plucky Heroine ⚖️ Inheritance Battle 🫖 Cozy Historical 🕯️ Gothic Undertones

The Secret of the Old Clock

by Carolyn Keene • 1930

Teen detective Nancy Drew tracks a missing will hidden in a clock to outwit a greedy family.

3.97

85k+

🔍 Amateur Sleuth 📜 Inheritance Mystery 🍵 Cozy Mystery Energy 🕰️ Hidden Will 🗝️ Secret Compartment

The Secret of the Old Clock 89%

Teen detective Nancy Drew tracks a missing will hidden in a clock to outwit a greedy family.

by Carolyn Keene 1930

3.97

85k+ ratings

🔍 Amateur Sleuth 📜 Inheritance Mystery 🍵 Cozy Mystery Energy 🕰️ Hidden Will 🗝️ Secret Compartment

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

by Betty Smith • 1943

A bookish tenement girl clings to reading while her charming father drinks and her mother scrubs.

4.30

517k+

🗽 Immigrant Family Saga 🍺 Alcoholic Father 📚 Bookish Heroine 💪 Resilient Mother 💔 First Heartbreak

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn 89%

A bookish tenement girl clings to reading while her charming father drinks and her mother scrubs.

by Betty Smith 1943

4.30

517k+ ratings

🗽 Immigrant Family Saga 🍺 Alcoholic Father 📚 Bookish Heroine 💪 Resilient Mother 💔 First Heartbreak

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

by L. Frank Baum • 1900

A Kansas girl walks a golden road, seeking the wizard who can send her home.

4.00

516k+

🚪 Portal Fantasy 🗺️ Quest Fantasy 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family 🦁 Self-Doubt Heroes 🎪 Whimsical Adventure

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz 89%

A Kansas girl walks a golden road, seeking the wizard who can send her home.

by L. Frank Baum 1900

4.00

516k+ ratings

🚪 Portal Fantasy 🗺️ Quest Fantasy 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family 🦁 Self-Doubt Heroes 🎪 Whimsical Adventure

Bud, Not Buddy

by Christopher Paul Curtis • 1999

A 10-year-old runaway treks across 1930s Michigan, certain a famous bandleader is his lost father.

3.98

116k+

📉 Great Depression 🚸 Orphan Protagonist 🏃 Runaway Child 🔍 Missing Father 👨‍👩‍👦 Found Family

Bud, Not Buddy 89%

A 10-year-old runaway treks across 1930s Michigan, certain a famous bandleader is his lost father.

by Christopher Paul Curtis 1999

3.98

116k+ ratings

📉 Great Depression 🚸 Orphan Protagonist 🏃 Runaway Child 🔍 Missing Father 👨‍👩‍👦 Found Family

Summer of My German Soldier

by Bette Greene • 1973

In WWII Arkansas, a Jewish girl shelters an escaped German POW who showed her she mattered.

3.70

18k+

🏠 Wwii Home Front 🏘️ Small Town Prejudice 🤫 Secret Friendship 👥 Found Family ✡️ Jewish Protagonist

Summer of My German Soldier 89%

In WWII Arkansas, a Jewish girl shelters an escaped German POW who showed her she mattered.

by Bette Greene 1973

3.70

18k+ ratings

🏠 Wwii Home Front 🏘️ Small Town Prejudice 🤫 Secret Friendship 👥 Found Family ✡️ Jewish Protagonist

Walk Two Moons

by Sharon Creech • 1994

Driving west with her grandparents, a girl tells the story of a friend whose mother disappeared.

4.00

174k+

🚗 Grandparent Road Trip 👩‍👧 Mother Daughter Bond 📝 Mysterious Notes 🏘️ Small Town Secrets 🕰️ Frame Story

Walk Two Moons 89%

Driving west with her grandparents, a girl tells the story of a friend whose mother disappeared.

by Sharon Creech 1994

4.00

174k+ ratings

🚗 Grandparent Road Trip 👩‍👧 Mother Daughter Bond 📝 Mysterious Notes 🏘️ Small Town Secrets 🕰️ Frame Story

The Secret Garden

by Frances Hodgson Burnett • 1911

A sour orphan, a locked garden, a sickly cousin: three things a Yorkshire manor keeps hidden.

4.17

1.3M+

👧 Orphaned Protagonist 🪴 Hidden Garden 🌿 Nature Heals 🌧️ Yorkshire Moor 🤒 Sickly Child

The Secret Garden 89%

A sour orphan, a locked garden, a sickly cousin: three things a Yorkshire manor keeps hidden.

by Frances Hodgson Burnett 1911

4.17

1.3M+ ratings

👧 Orphaned Protagonist 🪴 Hidden Garden 🌿 Nature Heals 🌧️ Yorkshire Moor 🤒 Sickly Child

The War I Finally Won

by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley • 2017

Her clubfoot finally fixed, a wartime orphan faces the harder battle of accepting she is wanted.

4.48

49k+

🫂 Found Family 🐴 Healing Through Horses 🏠 Wwii Home Front 👩‍👧 Guardian And Ward 💔 Trauma Recovery

The War I Finally Won 88%

Her clubfoot finally fixed, a wartime orphan faces the harder battle of accepting she is wanted.

by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley 2017

4.48

49k+ ratings

🫂 Found Family 🐴 Healing Through Horses 🏠 Wwii Home Front 👩‍👧 Guardian And Ward 💔 Trauma Recovery

The Ice Monster

by David Walliams • 2018

To return a resurrected mammoth home, a Victorian orphan steals a warship and outruns a hunter.

4.20

9k+

🧒 Plucky Orphan Heroine 🫂 Found Family 🐘 Animal Rescue Quest 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Victorian London 🎈 Madcap Schemes

The Ice Monster 88%

To return a resurrected mammoth home, a Victorian orphan steals a warship and outruns a hunter.

by David Walliams 2018

4.20

9k+ ratings

🧒 Plucky Orphan Heroine 🫂 Found Family 🐘 Animal Rescue Quest 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Victorian London 🎈 Madcap Schemes

Mary Jane

by Jessica Anya Blau • 2021

A sheltered Baltimore teen spends one summer nannying for a family hiding a famous rock star.

4.12

115k+

📅 1970s Coming Of Age 🏠 Bohemian Household 🩷 Found Family 👶 Nanny Protagonist 🔒 Sheltered Protagonist

Mary Jane 88%

A sheltered Baltimore teen spends one summer nannying for a family hiding a famous rock star.

by Jessica Anya Blau 2021

4.12

115k+ ratings

📅 1970s Coming Of Age 🏠 Bohemian Household 🩷 Found Family 👶 Nanny Protagonist 🔒 Sheltered Protagonist

Sounder

by William H. Armstrong • 1969

A sharecropper's son searches for his arrested father, with a wounded dog as his only guide.

3.97

32k+

🐕 Boy And His Dog 🌾 Sharecropper Life 🏚️ Jim Crow South 📚 Self-Taught Literacy 🖤 Understated Grief

Sounder 88%

A sharecropper's son searches for his arrested father, with a wounded dog as his only guide.

by William H. Armstrong 1969

3.97

32k+ ratings

🐕 Boy And His Dog 🌾 Sharecropper Life 🏚️ Jim Crow South 📚 Self-Taught Literacy 🖤 Understated Grief

The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers

by Carson McCullers • 1946

A lonely twelve-year-old stakes her whole self on a wedding she's sure will make her belong.

3.81

21k+

🏚️ Southern Gothic 💔 Adolescent Longing 👩‍👧 Surrogate Mother ☀️ Small Town Summer 🪑 Kitchen Table Wisdom

The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers Summary

The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers 88%

A lonely twelve-year-old stakes her whole self on a wedding she's sure will make her belong.

by Carson McCullers 1946

3.81

21k+ ratings

🏚️ Southern Gothic 💔 Adolescent Longing 👩‍👧 Surrogate Mother ☀️ Small Town Summer 🪑 Kitchen Table Wisdom

City of Orphans

by Avi • 2011

With a homeless girl, a newsboy hunts the real thief who framed his sister.

3.97

4k+

🏠 Found Family 🔍 Kid Detectives 🧳 Immigrant Experience 🗽 Street Kids 🏛️ Gilded Age

City of Orphans 88%

With a homeless girl, a newsboy hunts the real thief who framed his sister.

by Avi 2011

3.97

4k+ ratings

🏠 Found Family 🔍 Kid Detectives 🧳 Immigrant Experience 🗽 Street Kids 🏛️ Gilded Age

The Irish Boarding House

by Sandy Taylor • 2022

Mary Kate Ryan's inheritance becomes a Dublin boarding house where lost women find a home.

4.13

15k+

🏠 Found Family 🚪 Boarding House Fiction 💌 Unexpected Inheritance 💔 Childhood Abandonment 👩‍👧 Mother-Daughter Reconciliation

The Irish Boarding House 88%

Mary Kate Ryan's inheritance becomes a Dublin boarding house where lost women find a home.

by Sandy Taylor 2022

4.13

15k+ ratings

🏠 Found Family 🚪 Boarding House Fiction 💌 Unexpected Inheritance 💔 Childhood Abandonment 👩‍👧 Mother-Daughter Reconciliation

Moon Over Manifest

by Clare Vanderpool • 2010

Sent to her father's Kansas town, a girl follows old letters into an unsolved spy mystery.

4.04

36k+

🏘️ Small Town Secrets 📖 Story Within A Story 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family 🔍 Child Sleuths 💔 Grief And Guilt

Moon Over Manifest 88%

Sent to her father's Kansas town, a girl follows old letters into an unsolved spy mystery.

by Clare Vanderpool 2010

4.04

36k+ ratings

🏘️ Small Town Secrets 📖 Story Within A Story 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Found Family 🔍 Child Sleuths 💔 Grief And Guilt

Riding Freedom

by Pam Muñoz Ryan • 1998

An orphan girl cuts her hair and becomes a boy, chasing a life of horses and freedom.

4.18

9k+

🏚️ Orphan Narrative 🐴 Horse Girl Story 🎭 Girl Living As Boy 🌄 Westward Expansion 🤝 Found Family

Riding Freedom 88%

An orphan girl cuts her hair and becomes a boy, chasing a life of horses and freedom.

by Pam Muñoz Ryan 1998

4.18

9k+ ratings

🏚️ Orphan Narrative 🐴 Horse Girl Story 🎭 Girl Living As Boy 🌄 Westward Expansion 🤝 Found Family

Kevade

by Oskar Luts • 1912

At a rural parish school, a quiet boy collides with a tireless prankster and first love.

3.87

2k+

🏫 Village School 📚 Coming-Of-Age Classic 🧑 Sensitive Protagonist 😜 Mischievous Best Friend 💕 First Love

Kevade 88%

At a rural parish school, a quiet boy collides with a tireless prankster and first love.

by Oskar Luts 1912

3.87

2k+ ratings

🏫 Village School 📚 Coming-Of-Age Classic 🧑 Sensitive Protagonist 😜 Mischievous Best Friend 💕 First Love

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