2018 book 34

Elizabeth Goudge's The Little White Horse
I had never heard of this book before, but it's apparently something of a classic in England, and it was charming and delightful and magical and just what I was in the mood to read today. It's set in the late 1800s, and centers on an orphaned thirteen year old girl who, with her governess and her (adorable, ridiculous) dog, is sent to live with a heretofore unknown cousin in a mysterious old castle. Can she solve all the old family mysteries and give everyone a happy ending? And will be be a funny and moving journey along the way? I mean, you can probably guess the answer, but it is still worth a read. A-.

__
A couple of caveats. This book was written in the 1940s and one of the characters is a little person who is described with some cringeworthy language. Also, the book is full of that sort of benign but pervasive Christianity often found in books from this era. I didn’t find it bothersome as a non-Christian reader, but thought it worth noting.