“Jack and Jill” by Louisa May Alcott

“Jack and Jill went up the hill, to fetch a pail of water. Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after…”  

A nursery rhyme what I am sure we have all heard over a hundred times. This book is considered a classic written by Louisa May Alcott. She is also famous for an even more popular classic book that I am sure you have heard of, “Little Women”.

“Jack and Jill” is a novel about a girl and a boy named Jack and Jill. They were the bestest of friends and they were the most popular kids in their little town. On a cold, winter day, Jack, Jill, and all of their friends went sledding. Jill wanted to go on the path of more adventure, but she and Jack got seriously injured. They had to stay in bed for months and months. While in bed they were treated to plays, Christmas gifts, and many more magical memories.

The purpose of this story isn’t just a novel for entertainment. It’s main underlying theme is about friendship. Is a friendship with a girl and a boy normal? Of course. I will be honest, I thought that this will end up being a love story, but it turns out that their feelings were more of brother and sister. They just cared so deeply for one another. They also realized that their other friends actually wanted to be friends with them and not because they were the most popular kids. You’d expect that their popularity would lessen because Jack and Jill are bedridden, but their friends always visited and even entertained them.

Louisa May Alcott is an exceptional author who understands how to keep a theme throughout the book. In this case, friendship. I always find that in other novels I read, that authors trail off onto other topics and add in unnecessary characters and detail. This isn’t a bad thing, but it can get confusing sometimes. Louisa May Alcott is straight forward and provides details that build a picture in your mind.

This book teaches that friends are important during hard times. They make you feel better and help you when things may seem impossible. I was skeptical when my mom scheduled for me to read this book because it’s different. I’m glad I did and I think you should step outside of your normal reading comfort zone, because you’d be surprise at what books you find really interesting!