Jack and Jill

Monday- 10 minutes                                     

Tuesday- 20 minutes

Wednesday-30 minutes

Thursday-10 minutes

Friday-45 minutes

Saturday-10 minutes

Sunday-none

This week I have taken a break from Anne of Green Gables.  I recently stumbled upon a childhood favorite that I have not read in forever; “Jack and Jill” by Louisa May Alcott.  This book is a spin on a popular classic child’s rhyme called Jack and Jill.  In this version of Jack and Jill they take a tumble down a hill while sledding and come to very disastrous consequences.  Jack very badly breaks his leg, and Jill breaks her back.  Jack and Jill are two good friends who live next door to each other.  The book is set in the 1800’s.  Jack lives with his mother, and brother, and Jill lives alone with her mother next door.  Jill’s family is not very rich, they get by all right, but they don’t have a lot of money to spare.  Jack’s family however is well to do, his mother often times sees that Jill has the things she needs or wants, little play things to keep her occupied.

The village children were playing by their favorite sled hill when daredevil Jill gets Jack to go down the dangerous part of the hill with her.  Unfortunately this was not a wise decision as they took a terrible tumble.  After their accident they are separated, shut up in their bedrooms because of their injuries.  Jack and Jill’s friends feel very bad for them and they all decide to rig up a string pull system so that they can pass notes and small items back and forth between each other.  Jill is able to send up dainty notes to Jack, and Jack sends down little gifts to know that they are still friends.  The doctors diagnoses is not good for Jill as she cannot walk, or hardly move even without a great amount of pain and difficulty.  He fears the worst and tells her and her mother that she must rest as much as possible so that her body can heal.