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McAlister Records #1
Teddy: Her Book: A Story of Sweet Sixteen
"The five McAlisters were gathered in the dining-room, one rainy night in late August. In view of the respective dimensions of the family circle and the family income, servants were few in the McAlister household, and division of labor was the order of the day. Old Susan had cleared away the table and brought in the lamp; then she retired to the kitchen, leaving the young people to themselves..."
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First published January 1, 1898
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About the author
Anna Chapin Ray
158 books2 followersAnna Chapin Ray was an American author. In 1881 she was one of the first three women to take the Yale University entrance exam. She studied at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts where she received a B.A. in 1885 and an M.A. in modern European history in 1888.
Beginning in 1889, Anna became a prolific author; her works included many children's books, but she also published adult novels. She wrote during the summer in New Haven, Connecticut, then spent the winter in Quebec. Most of her works were written using the pseudonym Sidney Howard.
Photo courtesy of Smith College Special Collections.
Beginning in 1889, Anna became a prolific author; her works included many children's books, but she also published adult novels. She wrote during the summer in New Haven, Connecticut, then spent the winter in Quebec. Most of her works were written using the pseudonym Sidney Howard.
Photo courtesy of Smith College Special Collections.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 16, 2025
“I want a bicycle first. Then I want to go to college […]. I want someday to be an author and write books.”
The McAlister children live in a rambling house in the Massachusetts countryside: eldest and mother-figure Hopestill, twins Hubert and Theodora, perfect brat Phebe, and baby of the family Allyn. Their father, Dr. McAlister, has just remarried, and the children are awaiting the arrival of their new stepmother.
Published 30 years after the success of Little Women, by an author from the same area who likely grew up reading it, comparisons are inevitable. Teddy doesn’t tread any new ground or plumb any great depths, but it does have a few charms all its own.
Unlike Jo, Theodora enjoys being female and does not base an identity around participating in toxic masculine stereotypes with an immature neighbor kid. She also doesn’t feel thrust into the role of “man of the family,” since she has both a present, supportive father and a best-friend twin brother. She’s emotionally honest and free to be herself, and the 1890s trend towards athleticism and academic ambition for women allows her to be much more well-rounded than Jo… and therefore slightly less memorable or interesting.
Like Jo’s stories, Theodora’s first melodramatic attempts at writing are rendered in hilarious detail; instead of a garret, a hammock in an apple tree is her own special place. She impetuously cuts off her hair, but not for any noble reason – simply because she is upset by a remark that she’s old enough to start wearing it pinned up. Theodora’s talent for nursing is noted and encouraged, but her loving, practical father tells her firmly to resist the fad of “slumming” while acknowledging that her desire to help people is genuine. We see a humble but happy Christmas, an ice skating accident, a stormy young girl unburdening her soul to a wise motherly woman, and a little sister’s selfish act ending in disaster. Several characters give good advice, but it’s never preachy the way Alcott’s is, and the story is happily unhampered by German philosophy and romanticism.
The boy-next-door is Billy Farrington, convalescing from spinal injuries sustained in an accident which claimed his father’s life. Just like Fred in Ray’s earlier book Half a Dozen Boys, Billy is not defined by his disability and has a well-developed character arc; Theodora is the first of the McAlisters to reach out to him (and even chastises her twin for referring to people with disabilities as “freaks” and for claiming he “never knows what to say to them”). A lifelong friendship is born after a meet-cute in which Theodora, spying on Billy from up in her tree, nearly tumbles down onto him. Throughout the book, Billy and Theodora actually make each other better people – and this is recognized and appreciated by those around them.
And here’s the part that doesn’t work for me. Spoilers ahead.
3.5 stars.
The McAlister children live in a rambling house in the Massachusetts countryside: eldest and mother-figure Hopestill, twins Hubert and Theodora, perfect brat Phebe, and baby of the family Allyn. Their father, Dr. McAlister, has just remarried, and the children are awaiting the arrival of their new stepmother.
Published 30 years after the success of Little Women, by an author from the same area who likely grew up reading it, comparisons are inevitable. Teddy doesn’t tread any new ground or plumb any great depths, but it does have a few charms all its own.
Unlike Jo, Theodora enjoys being female and does not base an identity around participating in toxic masculine stereotypes with an immature neighbor kid. She also doesn’t feel thrust into the role of “man of the family,” since she has both a present, supportive father and a best-friend twin brother. She’s emotionally honest and free to be herself, and the 1890s trend towards athleticism and academic ambition for women allows her to be much more well-rounded than Jo… and therefore slightly less memorable or interesting.
Like Jo’s stories, Theodora’s first melodramatic attempts at writing are rendered in hilarious detail; instead of a garret, a hammock in an apple tree is her own special place. She impetuously cuts off her hair, but not for any noble reason – simply because she is upset by a remark that she’s old enough to start wearing it pinned up. Theodora’s talent for nursing is noted and encouraged, but her loving, practical father tells her firmly to resist the fad of “slumming” while acknowledging that her desire to help people is genuine. We see a humble but happy Christmas, an ice skating accident, a stormy young girl unburdening her soul to a wise motherly woman, and a little sister’s selfish act ending in disaster. Several characters give good advice, but it’s never preachy the way Alcott’s is, and the story is happily unhampered by German philosophy and romanticism.
The boy-next-door is Billy Farrington, convalescing from spinal injuries sustained in an accident which claimed his father’s life. Just like Fred in Ray’s earlier book Half a Dozen Boys, Billy is not defined by his disability and has a well-developed character arc; Theodora is the first of the McAlisters to reach out to him (and even chastises her twin for referring to people with disabilities as “freaks” and for claiming he “never knows what to say to them”). A lifelong friendship is born after a meet-cute in which Theodora, spying on Billy from up in her tree, nearly tumbles down onto him. Throughout the book, Billy and Theodora actually make each other better people – and this is recognized and appreciated by those around them.
And here’s the part that doesn’t work for me. Spoilers ahead.
3.5 stars.
November 20, 2022
A great book, about a young girl, Teddy, who makes friends with the lame neighbour, Billy, and longs to someday write novels. Has quite the flavour of Little Women. Very funny.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews