Shelly's Book Blog

Nancy and Plum, by Betty MacDonald, surprised me because it is so different from her Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books. This is the story of two girls named Nancy and Pamela (Plum) Remson who are left in the care of their childless, clueless uncle when their parents are killed in a train wreck. His new responsibility evidently overwhelms Uncle John to the point that he leaves them at the first place he can find: Mrs. Monday's boardinghouse. It turns out Mrs. Monday is simply ghastly: greedy, cold-hearted, and cruel. She takes Uncle John's money but feeds the girls horrible food, clothes them in worn-out rags, and forces them to work like slaves. Fortunately, her brother, Tom, also lives on the property. Although he is just as afraid of his sister as are the girls in her care, he does help Nancy and Plum on the sly whenever he can.

Nancy and Plum's fortunes begin to change when they run away and sleep in a haystack belonging to a kind, generous couple named Mr. and Mrs. Campbell. The Campbells are Mrs. Monday's polar opposite, and they eventually give Nancy and Plum a chance to live a happy, normal life. This sweet, happy ending was not unexpected. However, I was startled several times by the girls' unforgiving nature. For example, Plum openly mocks Mrs. Monday in front of Miss Appleby, the librarian, and says she would like to drop a heavy dictionary on Mrs. Monday's toes (p. 86-88). Plum's feelings toward Mrs. Monday are certainly understandable, but I was still shocked that such a sweet little girl would be portrayed as having a dark side.