This was not the lighthearted romp I expected, with scrappy kids living joyously free of adult rule. Instead our protagonist Susan had to balance cooking all the meals and doing the washing, mending, and cleaning with going to school and managing the adults in her community who wanted to break up the family, keeping "Orphanages, Homes, and Adoptions" at bay. Still, I loved this book and imagine I'd have loved it more as a child. Highly recommend!