Pollyanna Grows Up

Pollyanna Grows Up, Pollyanna book 2 In Pollyanna Grows Up, the only sequel written by Eleanor H. Porter herself, Pollyanna finds that despite overcoming the health issues that she faced in the original Pollyanna, adulthood brings fresh challenges to conquer. This Pollyanna sequel is told in two halves; the first part takes place about two years after the first book and the second half of the story races forward several years to follow a young 20-something year-old Pollyanna.

Readers get to visit with beloved, familiar characters such as Aunt Polly, Dr. Chilton and Jimmy Bean. This story involves loss and hardship but largely focuses on love and growing up. The heart of this sequel remains consistent with the first, in that there is always something to be glad about. Pollyanna and Pollyanna Grows Up brings us a strong and admirable heroine, despite the modern, infamous use of the character s name to describe those who utilize false positivity or phony optimism. Pollyanna is able to change her circumstances, and the circumstances of those around her, by practicing being glad. Positivity is contagious and that lesson is still as relevant for young children today as it was in 1913 when this story was first published and flew off the shelves, the year leading up to WWI.