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@ashira How long ago did you read them?

I really don’t remember anyone having a habit of screaming when angry except Joel, Van and Alexia, and only in their younger years.  If anyone else screamed angrily, it must have been a very unusual occasion for them.  Like I said before, Margaret Sidney used the word “scream” to also mean a kind of shout/squeal of joy.  They would “scream” when they found a kitten or a birthday cake for example.  I guess if you’re picturing in your head angry screams whenever that happens, since that is how we use the word “scream” most often in modern times, it would get very annoying.

The reason I liked them was because they were a very close-knit family who loved each other unselfishly and unconditionally.  They cared so much for each other that if one of them were angry or behaving badly it would only take a sad look from a sibling/parent to make them beg for forgiveness almost immediately.  I liked the way the author portrayed the kids who grew up poor teaching their rich friends how to be compassionate and down-to-earth.  And how one family could make such a huge difference among so many people.  I didn’t find it unrealistic at all, except for the very first book’s coincidental relatives discovery. (I’m speaking of Mr. Whitney and Mrs. Pepper being cousins.)  And even that does happen in real life on occasion.

I think the model of caring for people, both friends and family – and strangers – unconditionally and unselfishly is a great example and something we can learn from and emulate in reading the Pepper books.

As for the Elsie books, I have read the first three.  When I was about ten I absolutely loved them and would read and reread them constantly.  However, I’ve grown out of the ability to enjoy melodrama to that extent.  There are good things to learn from them, but really, Christian literature from the 1800s is almost exclusively overly melodramatic, and I tend to stay away from it nowadays in favor of more down-to-earth, simply told stories of the 1900s.

@selah-chelyah