Little Women - Louisa May Alcott - full or bridge version??

[food4thought]

hi folks,

I was given a reading list for the 11 plus exam, and one of the books is "Little Women". I've got a copy from the library and it about 450 pages !!!!!

should my DD be reading this version? or is there a bridge version? I'm confused but I have a horrible feeling that she is expected to read the full version

rgds
F4T.

[kenyancowgirl]

Who gave you a reading list for the 11+? Certainly not CEM, or any county council that runs 11+ tests...

I'm guessing a tutor? 11+ (particularly CEM) does have a huge amount of verbal reasoning within - therefore knowledge of vocabulary can help - in context particularly. Obviously language skills acquired implicitly through conversation and reading to and with as a child grows up, are the best way - but any reading helps. Reading the classics exposes a child to old fashioned vocabulary, where roots of words become important too, in helping to understand what other words mean.

If your child is turned off by having to read a long book that that won't help anyone, however, simply reading the book to be able to say it has been read wont help either. The abridged version will give you the story but not the detail as mentioned above. You could try reading a chapter a night to her before she goes to bed - or choose a book she is more interested in and do that.

[Guest55]

Why are you making your child read this? It's not compulsory ... let her choose her own book or read it together if you must.

Crossed post with kcg.

[piggys]

Firstly, there is no such thing as a 'bridge' version of books. The correct term is 'abridged'.

Secondly, it's mightily depressing to hear parents moaning about books in this way. . 'Little Women' is a marvel of a novel. Why don't you try it?

[food4thought]

thank you so much for your super quick reply. After a little discussion, I now know what to do... she read the first page and found it ok. DD wants to read it as her best friend has read it as well. So I'm going to return the library version and it has very fine print. Instead I'm going to buy a colourful version of the full book and I think that might do the trick and help her read it all...

[solimum]

Did you see the wonderful BBC adaptation last Christmas? Might be worth searching out and watching together once you've read the book (although I think it includes material from her other novels as well). I can't remember how old I was when I read this !

[JaneEyre]

Such a lovely book! I wish your DD a lot of pleasure!

Once she will have finished the 450 pages of enjoyment, may I recommend her 'Little Lord Fauntleroy' by Frances Hodgson Burnett, which is such a nice story? I am sure to cry when I watch the film version with Alec Guiness!! (I do not know yet the other film versions)

[kenyancowgirl]

If you like LLF (which is what we used to call DS1 as he was growing up!) JE then I am sure you have also read The Secret Garden by FHB? The descriptive writing is lovely!

[Daogroupie]

And A Little Princess, a lovely story about a young girl struggling to be a better person and help others despite being in dire straits herself.

These three books are my constant companions. Maggie Smith is a triumph as Mrs Medlock in the dvd of the Secret Garden.

DG

[loobylou]

I am aware that I am a philistine when it comes to Little Women (I try to love it but fail miserably ) but totally agree that Frances Hodgson Burnett is fantastic.
A Little Princess was my dd's favourite book when she was about 9 - I bought an amazing illustrated version from a charity shop, having never even read it myself (I had only read A Secret Garden at that point). We bought the DVD of A Little Princess shortly afterwards and I still remember dd sobbing from about 5 minutes in, all the way to the end, whilst ds (who must have been about looked at her in bemusement. She loved it though and still watches it.