Helpful Score: 4
Reading level 9-12 ... ha! A 9 to 12 year old can certainly read and enjoy this, but so can this 53 year old. IfI EVER get too old for LMA, go ahead and start digging.
What a delightful, gentle story. I would recommend it to all children and everyone else who thinks they would enjoy a break of the dark, intense, complex novels we most often read. This is a story of innocence and of children, but there is certainly some mystery that gives it a bit of tension. The characters are authentic, including the poodle! I rate everything I read on a 1-5 system and this one got a rare five.
From the gate to the porch went a wide walk, paved with smooth slabs of dark stone, and bordered with the tall bushes which met overhead, making a green roof. All sorts of neglected flowers and wild weeds grew between their stems, covering the walls of this summer parlor with the prettiest tapestry. A board, propped on two blocks of wood, stood in the middle of the walk, covered with a little plaid shawl much the worse for wear, and on it a miniature tea-service was set forth with great elegance.