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The Racketty-Packetty House

frances hodgson burnett wendy anderson halperin

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Acclaimed illustrator Wendy Anderson Halperin celebrates Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic, a tale of two dollhouses, just in time for its 100th anniversary. When Tidy Castle arrives, brand-new and grand in every way, the Racketty-Packetty House has never looked shabbier, and it is shoved in the corner of Cynthia's nursery. But the Racketty family still dances, sings, and laughs louder than all the fancy dolls combined. When a real-life princess visits the nursery, the Rackettys learn that the humans are planning to destroy their house. Only a miracle -- or some very unusual magic -- can save them now!

Since its publication in 1906, the story of how Queen Crosspatch and her band of fairies rescued the Racketty-Packetty House has inspired dreamers and readers of all ages in the tradition of The Secret Garden and A Little Princess. Now Wendy Anderson Halperin's illustrations, brimming with whimsy and wonder, unlock the magic of two dollhouses -- one posh and one proud -- to a whole new generation of readers.

90 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1,1906

This edition

Format
90 pages, Hardcover
Published
October 1, 2006 by Simon \u0026 Schuster Books for Young Readers
ISBN
9780689869747
ASIN
0689869746
Language

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About the author

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frances hodgson burnett

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Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett was a British-American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels Little Lord Fauntleroy (1886), A Little Princess (1905), and The Secret Garden (1911).
Frances Eliza Hodgson was born in Cheetham, Manchester, England. After her father died in 1853, when Frances was 4 years old, the family fell on straitened circumstances and in 1865 emigrated to the United States, settling in New Market, Tennessee. Frances began her writing career there at age 19 to help earn money for the family, publishing stories in magazines. In 1870, her mother died. In Knoxville, Tennessee, in 1873 she married Swan M. Burnett, who became a medical doctor. Their first son Lionel was born a year later. The Burnetts lived for two years in Paris, where their second son Vivian was born, before returning to the United States to live in Washington, D.C. Burnett then began to write novels, the first of which (That Lass o' Lowrie's), was published to good reviews. Little Lord Fauntleroy was published in 1886 and made her a popular writer of children's fiction, although her romantic adult novels written in the 1890s were also popular. She wrote and helped to produce stage versions of Little Lord Fauntleroy and A Little Princess.
Beginning in the 1880s, Burnett began to travel to England frequently and in the 1890s bought a home there, where she wrote The Secret Garden. Her elder son, Lionel, died of tuberculosis in 1890, which caused a relapse of the depression she had struggled with for much of her life. She divorced Swan Burnett in 1898, married Stephen Townesend in 1900, and divorced him in 1902. A few years later she settled in Nassau County, New York, where she died in 1924 and is buried in Roslyn Cemetery.
In 1936, a memorial sculpture by Bessie Potter Vonnoh was erected in her honor in Central Park's Conservatory Garden. The statue depicts her two famous Secret Garden characters, Mary and Dickon.

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Community Reviews

Rating(4.1 / 5.0, 93 votes)
5 stars
37(40%)
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93 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
Heart_Of_Chaos
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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MAGNIFICENT! This book is a dose of happiness for the world, and I cannot believe how it has been forgotten by time. In the same way that "Wind in the Willows" shows us we should accept our friends and their flaws, this book shows that everything works to the good once we realize that nothing good comes of whining. There's an over-arching narrator to the tale, the Fairy Queen who knows all and only intermittently directs the action when she has to, and the WONDERFUL inhabitants of Racketty-Packetty House who are not jealous when a new Tidy Castle takes their owner's attention off them for a time. It's a 1906 version of Toy Story with a happy ending and lots of uplifting enjoyment. This book is perfect for kids 5-9 and for adults who want to remember what it's like to have a rosy outlook on life.
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Kezedrix
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Tender stories to think upon. Some extremely sad, some teaching morals like looking on the bright side.or that living with riches is not always the pleasant dream one would think.

The narrators were brilliant! They were able to set the scene for the stories they read.
In the second story, I was sobbing after just a short while. The gentleman who read had just the right expression. The reader that most impressed was the lady who read about the newly rich poor folk in Paris. How wonderfully she spoke the accented English, telling the tale from the point of view of the Parisian who taught English. And just as special was her North Carolina accent. She really brought the story to life.
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Shugocharalover
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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I could feel the wind blows in The Secret Garden, I could smell the fresh bread in Little Princess, I could (almost) see from the other side of an arm chair in Racketty-Packetty House. Not as vivid as the other 2 books, but I finished its Gutenberg with a huge desire to own this lovely red edition.
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giascle
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Read with my eight-year-old daughter. A lovely moral teaching us not to judge others based on their appearance nor neighborhood. Could be interpreted as sappy, but my daughter only found it delightful.


I feel especially fortunate as this was a difficult book to locate. I happened upon a used copy on Amazon and when it arrived it was in beautiful condition and had been signed by the illustrator!
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daisukenowaifu
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Not one of Burnett's best books, but still a very fun and charming read.

There are themes of being humble, cheerful, etc. as well as a slightly more antiquated but still sweet romance blossoming between 'class divides'.

The Simon & Schuster 100th anniversary edition has MANY typos, that I cannot recommend it.
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Dante012
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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It's fun to read a children's book now and then, especially if it's a gem like this one! I love Frances Hodgson Burnett, so I was intrigued by this book, which I had not heard of before. It's about two dollhouses and their inhabitants, as well as the fairies who save the day. What more could you ask for? The charming illustrations by Wendy Anderson Halperin, added to this 100th Anniversary Edition. Perfect!
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NotTrying2BLazy
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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Nobody can highlight goodness without being preachy like Frances Hodgson Burnett. This was the most delightful story about two doll houses and their occupants. The sepia toned illustrations by Halperin just added magic to the charm. You have never met dolls with such cheer, optimism, sympathy and general good will. I read it aloud to 7 and 10 yo girls and they were equally spellbound as I was. I loved everything about this book.
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Hazbyn
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 17,2025
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AUDIOBOOK REVIEW - read by KAREN KRAUSE

A cute story for kids and adults. The audible summary says it all, so I don’t need to expand, or else I’ll end up giving the rest of the story away.

This is the second book I’ve read/listened to by this author and I would listen to another.

This is the first book I’ve listened to by this narrator (Karen Krause) and I would listen to another. Her use of different voices was appropriate, and she expressed the emotions and attitude of the characters nicely.

There are no explicit sex scenes, excessive violence or swearing.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and voluntarily left this unbiased review
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