Jack and Jill by Louisa May Alcott

In this reimagining of the classic nursery rhyme, best friends Jack and Jill recover from a sledding accident surrounded by family and friends in this inspiring story from Louisa May Alcott, author of Little Women! Jack Minot and Janey Pecq are next-door neighbors and best friends so frequently seen together that Janey earns the nickname Jill after the rhyme “Jack and Jill.” Unfortunately, the sweet moniker proves prophetic when a wintry day spent sledding ends in a terrible fall that leaves both young people seriously injured. While Jack’s head wound leaves him fragile for a few weeks, Jill’s damaged back keeps her bedridden for months and with limited mobility afterward. Their mothers and friends do their best to make time pass more quickly with songs, elaborately costumed tableaus, and frequent visits. Even as petty jealousy, dreams deferred, and growing pains challenge the friend group, Jack and Jill ultimately grow stronger and closer together in this charming coming-of-age tale.Biographical NoteLouisa May Alcott was born in 1832 in Germantown, Pennsylvania. She is best known for Little Women (1868), which is loosely based on her own life and proved to be one of the most popular children’s books ever written. Three sequels followed: Good Wives (1869), Little Men (1871), and Jo’s Boys (1886). Alcott was the daughter of the famous transcendentalist Bronson Alcott and was friend of Emerson and Thoreau. In addition to writing, she worked as a teacher, governess, and Civil War nurse, as well as being an advocate of abolition, women’s rights, and temperance. She died in 1888 and is buried in Sleepy Hollow cemetery in Concord, Massachusetts.