Posted in Book reviews by kids

Book Review: Little Women

The cover of a children's novel: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Little Women’s main characters are the four March sisters. Their names are Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. Meg is the oldest and prefers pretty things. Jo, the second oldest, is bold and likes to read. Next is Beth who is faithful, shy, and likes the piano, and the youngest is Amy, who likes to draw. 

When the story starts, we learn that their father has gone out to war. He was the main person earning money for the family, but because he was away, the March family does not have much money. 

The book is about the challenges they face as the sisters grow up and become young women. I’m pretty sure that this is where the book gets its title. Most of the time, the book takes place in the little hut where the girls live.

The parts of the books that I really like are when sometimes the sisters learn new lessons that help transform them into even better people. I learned from them about the importance of telling the truth and to report problems immediately any time they come up. 

My favorite part of the book is when the girls do a good deed and someone else is really kind back to them. I like it because it shows how one act of kindness can trigger or spark another act of kindness. (And another, and another, and another.)

I would recommend the full book to ages 8–12 and the short story version to ages 6–9.


This is Azaadi Kaur’s second review for Alphabet Soup. You can read her review of Wonder here. To send us YOUR book review, read our submission guidelines. Happy reading!

Posted in Book reviews by Aashi, Book reviews by kids

Book review: Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre retold by Mary Sebag-Montefiore and illustrated by Alan Marks

REVIEWED BY AASHI, 7, VIC

Jane Eyre (Usborne Young Reading series), retold by Mary Sebag-Montefiore, illustrated by Alan Marks, Usborne, ISBN 9781409539643

Aashi reviewed her own copy of this book.

Jane Eyre is a classic book about love and friendship. The original book was written by Charlotte Bronte, who was a teacher who loved writing along with her siblings. When Charlotte Bronte died her house was turned into a museum.

She wrote Jane Eyre in 1847. The copy I read was written by Mary Sebag-Montefiore and illustrated by Alan Marks.

Like Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre was a teacher. She became a teacher after abandoning her supposed husband. Jane Eyre’s life flipped and wobbled as kind Jane moved around her home country and all this time she read lots of her favourite books.

Jane was an orphan who lived with her stubborn aunty and her mean cousin. Her aunty always punished her without a reason and not one hour was spent without punishments. One day Jane’s stubborn aunty sent her to a boarding school that made the pupils (students) shiver and whacked canes and rods on their necks and chests. Until one winter day most kids caught bad diseases and most kids in the school died.

This all sounds very sad but the book has a happy ending with lots of kindness. I would encourage reading this book as this gives a view of olden days.

I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars as it is sometimes scary. I would recommend this book for 7-9 year olds. 


This is Aashi’s second book review for Alphabet Soup. Check out her earlier review of Tom Gates: Ten Tremendous Tales. To send us YOUR book review, read our submission guidelines. Happy reading!