The Children Who Lived in a Barn

A sort of early twentieth century "My Side of the Mountain," this is one of those great children's novels that make kids feel like they can do anything. In a highly improbable plot, Mother and Father are called away because of an emergency and leave 13 year old Sue in charge. A series of disasters fall upon the kids, and they end up losing the house because of the wicked landlord! The children move into a nearby barn, and procede to tidy it up and create a nice little home for themselves. But will they be able to evade the nosy old ladies who don't think that Sue can manage? This is the kind of book that grown-ups roll their eyes at, but that kids love. It is very well written, and though it is a little dated (it was originally written in the 1930's) it is a very fun fantasy book for kids.