Julie Andrews Edwards

Mandy, a ten-year-old orphan, dreams of a place to call her own. Escaping over the orphanage wall to explore the outside world, Mandy discovers a tiny deserted cottage in the woods. All through the spring, summer, and fall, Mandy works to make it truly hers. Sometimes she "borrows" things she needs from the orphanage. Sometimes, to guard her secret, she even lies. Then, one stormy night at the cottage, Mandy gets sick, and no one knows how to find her—except a special friend she didn't know she had. This new edition of a classic novel features beautiful black-and-white illustrations that capture the magic of finding a home.

Mandy

𝚕𝚒𝚕𝚢

4 ★ - (really liked it)

Intrigued by the cover when it popped up on Pinterest, I soon realized this book was written by Julie Andrews and decided to try and read it if possible. To my surprise our library had a copy and I checked it out last autumn. (Yes, I am quite late to reviewing this but I was just thinking about it xD) 

Mandy is the coziest and endearingly bittersweet story <3 The orphaned main character wants to belong and be loved, battling with implied depression throughout the book, and by the end she finally finds the love and healing she was searching for. The imagery was simply lovely! A cottage with a seashell room and a colorful garden, an apple orchard and a meadow full of blooms, an old mansion just waiting to be explored... and there were so many sweet characterssss. I was bracing myself for the possibility of being disappointed but this story was really cute and I even teared up at one point :)


CWs or things that caught my attention: mentions/descriptions of illness, sneaking around, depression, stealing, trauma, thunderstorms, lying. (possibly mentions of deceased parents?) 

6/16/24

Celeste Richardson

I think the only thing more magical than Mary Poppins in the actress who played her. And I had no idea she had written books herself until very recently. While Julie Andrews might not be the most artistic author when it comes to prose, the story she told in Mandy is incredibly sweet. I was enchanted by the little orphan and the secret cottage into which she pours her love and longing. Andrews did a great job conveying the loneliness and depression and confusion that such a child must feel, and how baffling and unexplainable such feelings would be for said child. 

Some of my favorite books of all time are A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, and Anne of Green Gables. Mandy had flavors of all three of these books, both in setting and main character. While this book isn’t anywhere near these three in terms of beautiful prose, the story is charming and compelling enough to make up for it. This was a wonderful story with a happy ending that didn’t shy away from painful things, but provided a balm to heal them after exposing them. The hard topics were deftly handled, and I think this is a book that any child would love to escape into for a day.

Catherine Nicolai

I read this book when I was in the fifth grade. I loved it. It was very Secret Garden meets Annie for me. I know that doesn't sound awesome, but it was.

Mariana Miralles

Elisabeth Bontrager

Elizabeth Hagenlocher

maureen

Lila Harrison

Judith Gwyn Brown

Lonely for a place of her own, a ten-year-old orphan creates a secret home in a deserted cottage.

Mandy (rpkg)

Amanda

The magic of finding a home Mandy, a ten-year-old orphan, dreams of a place to call her own. Escaping over the orphanage wall to explore the outside world, Mandy discovers a tiny deserted cottage in the woods. All through the spring, summer, and fall, Mandy works to make it truly hers. Sometimes she "borrows" things she needs from the orphanage. Sometimes, to guard her secret, she even lies. Then, one stormy night at the cottage, Mandy gets sick, and no one knows how to find her—except a special friend she didn't know she had.

Fiona Coffey

Julie Edwards

Longing for a place of her own, a ten-year-old orphan creates a secret home in a deserted cottage in the village of St. Martin's Green.

Mandy

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