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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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!

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.

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

Beautiful book that encourages the love of dolls. Sweet story!

This is one of those childhood books I always remembered, not the title, just the story of a neglected dollhouse and the wonderful dolls within it. Then I was browsing Amazon and there it was. I ordered it to read on Christmas and it was as wonderful as I remember.

It was worth reading again. I always missed it a little. I enchanted me just as it did when I was a child. This is a childrens tale I would recommend to all. After all it has stayed in print for over one hundred years.

I suppose I'm rounding up -- in a way. I was delighted to find this book, and enjoyed it as much as I did, largely because of its connection to one of my favorite children's books, A Little Princess. In that book, born storyteller Sara Crewe tells another child about her fancy that dolls, when we aren't watching them, move about and live active little lives, only to rush back to their chairs just before we come back into the room. For all these years, I never realized that Burnett had written an entire book -- if a short book, for younger children -- based on this idea.

The book itself is a light and pleasant morsel, with pleasing characters, an unsurprising and unobjectionable moral, and a sprinkling of piquant detail. In itself, it's not especially memorable -- but it's worth reading as a sort of tribute to Sara Crewe, a far more enduring character.

Sweet story about being happy with what you are and what you have. Great book to talk about joy and who is important and why with younger kids!