by Elspeth Bragdon (Author), Marjorie Torrey (Illustrator)
Bleak Island, where Ann Marsh lived, was a wind-swept, solitary place, but it had everything that can make an island wonderful for a little girl. There were beaches to explore, and the ever-changing sea to look at, and there was the lighthouse of which Ann's father was the keeper. From the top of the tower Ann thought she could see the entire world
Then one day the Coast Guard boat brought a small, frightened stranger to Bleak Island: nine-year-old Betsy Gates had come alone all the way from Ohio to stay with her grandmother. Everything on the island seemed strange to the child, who had lived all her life in a city and had supposed the rest of the world to be made up of apartment houses and stores. Ann quickly made up her mind that Betsy was like "a summer person's little girl"- she didn't belong; she didn't know anything.
Gradually the two girls learned to understand the differences in each other's worlds and became best friends. And the delightful relationship between the grownups and the children is one of the nicest parts of this classic New England story.
Includes drawings in line by Marjorie Torrey.