My favorite little-known MG novels

Today I’m sharing a list of some of my favorite vintage MG novels that don’t get discussed much, but I love them and hope you enjoy them too! These are not always easy to find, but they’re worth looking for. 🙂

• The Golden Name Day by Jennie Lindquist: Although it’s a 1950s Newbery novel, this one isn’t talked about much, perhaps because it was out of print for decades until Purple House Press released a new edition! I love the tidbits of Swedish culture in this one (I have a lot of Swedish heritage and enjoy reading about it).
• Maggie Rose: Her Birthday Christmas by Ruth Sawyer: It’s a charming gem of a novel, one that I have recommended so many times but never see discussed, possibly because it also was out of print for decades and has yet to be re-released. Maggie Rose is set in Maine, features a hardworking young heroine determined to make life better for herself and her family, and has the happiest ending you could imagine. What more could you want in a book?
• Jill’s Story by Jean Fiedler: I am not sure I’ve ever seen anyone else discuss this book about a family vacationing at Cape Cod for the summer. Jill longs to become a writer, and this story inspired me a lot when I was ten years old and daydreaming of being an author!
• The Sea Is All Around by Elizabeth Enright: The only Enright novel currently not in print, this is more slow-paced than some of her other books, but the rich language and evocative setting is brilliant. I’m currently rereading this right now!
• Family Sabbatical by Carol Ryrie Brink: There are two very sweet books in this series, but I just re-read Sabbatical last November, so I’ll recommend it especially. This one follows the Ridgeway family to France for a year, and there are some delightful adventures!
• Caldicott Place by Noel Streatfeild: There are so many excellent Streatfeild stories but this one is great if you’re looking for one of her non-theater stories (there is some ballet, of course! but it’s not a big aspect of the book).
• Mine for Keeps by Jean Little: I love so many of Jean Little’s books, but this was her first novel and it’s such a good one. And the best part? It’s easy to find, because Puffin reprinted it just two years ago!
• Time at the Top by Edward Ormondroyd: This is a fantastic story if you’re looking for light fantasy–it’s a time travel tale, set in both “present-day” 1960s and the 1880s. I won’t go into too many spoilers, but when a girl goes into an elevator in her apartment building, it whisks her off to a time much different than her own …

I hope you find a great read from this list! 🙂 What are you reading right now? I’d love to hear!

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