DADDY-LONG-LEGS

This 1912 book has been made into a play and several movies. However, Forbes's sparkling delivery gives the charming story a whole new perspective. Jerusha is an orphan girl who expects to be turned out into the world when she leaves the John Grier Home. Since only poor boys qualify for college assistance, Jerusha is astonished when an anonymous man, Daddy-Long-Legs, grants her funding for school. All she must do in return is write letters to him reporting her progress. Her feisty letters provide an excellent view of a girl's life in the early twentieth century. It is a credit to Forbes's skill that she keeps the letters so interesting. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC/JAN 01]