Little Women and Me

By Lauren Baratz-Logsted

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Emily March is tired of being overlooked. Her sisters seem to get most of the attention in her family, and the boy she likes wants to date her older sister. When Emily’s English teacher asks his students to write an essay about something they would change about a favorite classic novel, Emily chooses her childhood favorite, Little Women. As she ponders this, she finds herself swept back in time to its world – where she could change things for real. Emily makes some funny missteps as she adjusts to her new life, unknowingly bringing modern slang, styles, and dating customs into the March family. But after several years as the middle sister in a different March family, Emily longs to return to her own time. How will she get there – and what changes will she find when she returns?

Baratz-Logsted’s take on Little Women’s well-known plot and characters will resonate with contemporary teens who have read the novel. She pokes gentle fun at some of the more dated aspects of Little Women, such as Marmee’s frequent preachiness, while showing respect and love for both the characters and the novel. Baratz-Logsted finds the heart of Emily’s unhappiness – her feeling that she’s a second-class member of her family because she’s the middle daughter. As Emily finds her way with the Marches of the 1860s, she realizes that her position in her own family can also change, and she discovers strengths that she didn’t know she had. This timeslip twist on a coming-of-age novel is appropriate for readers ages 12 and up.