9 h 48 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 9 h 48 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when the kindness learned at home meets the rules, friendships, and mischief of school?
In Margaret Sidney’s Five Little Peppers at School, the Pepper children step into a wider world of lessons, classmates, and teachers. Thoughtful Polly takes responsibility seriously, steady Ben wants to do right by his family, and lively Joel often rushes into trouble. Their challenge is to keep their kindness while finding their place among others.
At home, Mamsie holds the family together with love and good sense. At school, those lessons take shape in small choices: sharing a task, standing beside someone who is teased, or admitting a mistake. Alongside gentle Davie and loving Phronsie, the older children face questions about duty, ambition, and how to treat people when no one is watching.
What you’ll discover
- Home beyond the doorstep Follow children who carry Mamsie’s care and good sense into a wider world.
- Friendship in small acts Discover how sharing work and standing by others help friendships take root.
- Room for mischief Meet Joel, whose quick tongue and restless energy bring both trouble and learning.
- The quiet choices Explore growing up through questions of responsibility, ambition, and kindness without an audience.
- A family to know Spend time with brothers and sisters whose different temperaments share a loving foundation.
Who will love it
For readers who love gentle family stories, children's books from the American past, and a close-knit cast. It also works well read aloud, with friendship, schoolroom mischief and family kindness to share.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- The Peppers carry home into school
- Friendship grows from small kindnesses
- Mischief and high spirits have a place
- Growing up means choosing who to be
Who’s who
- Polly PepperThe eldest Pepper girl, thoughtful and helpful, who takes responsibility seriously and looks after her younger brothers and sister.
- Ben PepperThe eldest Pepper brother, steady and hardworking, who cares deeply for his family and wants to do right by them.
- Joel PepperA lively, impulsive boy whose energy and quick tongue often lead him into trouble and into learning.
- Davie PepperA gentle, sensitive younger brother who is close to Joel and quietly watches the world around him.
- Phronsie PepperThe youngest Pepper, sweet and loving, who is cherished by everyone who knows her.
- Mamsie PepperThe Peppers' mother, whose love and good sense hold the family together and guide her children.
- Jasper KingA friend of the Peppers from the wider King family, who is close to the children and cares about them.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
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- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 9 h 48 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 4 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Five Little Peppers at School
by Margaret Sidney · 1903
The Pepper children bring kindness learned at home into a schoolroom full of new friends, rules and mischief.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
Five Little Peppers at School is a children's novel by Margaret Sidney, an American author who wrote it as part of her long family series about the Pepper children. The series began with Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, which showed a loving, hard-pressed family making a home out of very little.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
The Peppers carry home into school
The Pepper family is built around love more than money. Mamsie, the mother, holds the household together, and her children follow her example. Polly, Ben, Joel, Davie and little Phronsie each have a clear nature, and readers of the series come to know them well.
When the story moves into school life, those natures meet a bigger crowd. A schoolroom has its own rules, its own jokes and its own ways of making a newcomer feel small or welcome. The Peppers meet this with the habits they learned at home, such as sharing, helping and speaking up for one another.
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What is Five Little Peppers at School about?
It follows the Pepper children as they meet school life, with its lessons, friendships and mischief. The book shows how the family's kindness and loyalty help them as they grow up.
Do I need to read the other Five Little Peppers books first?
It helps to know the earlier book, Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, because it introduces the family. Still, the cast is easy to follow, and the story can be enjoyed on its own.
Who are the Five Little Peppers?
They are Ben, Polly, Joel, Davie and Phronsie Pepper, brothers and sisters raised by their mother, known as Mamsie. Each has a distinct nature that the series develops.
The author
Margaret Sidney
1844–1924 · American children's writer
Margaret Sidney was the pen name of American author Harriett Lothrop, beloved for Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, the story of a poor but spirited family that charmed generations of young readers and grew into a long-running series.
More by Margaret Sidney
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