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Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In a house shared by cousins, a small quarrel can become a lesson in kindness.
The Twin Cousins by Sophie May brings you into the close world of childhood, where home and family shape each day. Games, secrets and rivalries belong side by side. Everyday troubles matter deeply, and learning to live together means more than simply sharing a house.
This gentle children's classic belongs to a tradition that treats mischief with warmth rather than harsh scolding. Its concern is growing up with grace: learning right from wrong, finding room for kindness, and meeting the small difficulties of family life. The pleasures are quiet, rooted in the household rather than a fast-moving plot.
What you’ll discover
- A home at the heart Enter a child's world where family life gives everyday troubles their weight.
- Mischief met with warmth Find a gentle view of childhood scrapes, with understanding taking the place of scolding.
- The closeness of cousins Explore the kinship that holds shared games, private secrets and small rivalries together.
- Small steps toward kindness Follow the idea that growing up means learning how to treat others with care.
- Quiet pleasures of childhood Make room for a story whose appeal rests in familiar troubles and family bonds.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy gentle family stories, mischievous girls with big hearts, a warm storyteller, and village life with ponies and sleds.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Running away makes trouble grow
- An invitation does not cancel responsibility
- Forgiveness lets a child begin again
- Helping others loosens homesickness
- Beauty shows itself through action
- Small hurts can grow through brooding
- Love helps Preston face his fear
- Kindness takes a practical shape
Who’s who
- Flaxie FrizzleA six-year-old doctor's daughter, bold and impulsive, who wants fun and love and slowly learns to be good.
- Milly AllenFlaxie's quiet and gentle cousin from Hilltop, who follows her everywhere and loves her dearly.
- Preston GrayFlaxie's older brother, a kind whittling boy whose eyesight is failing and who meets it with courage.
- Julia GrayFlaxie's patient older sister, called Ninny, who shines like a candle and looks after everyone.
- Mrs. PrimA stern, learned aunt in spectacles who finds children absurd but is always fair.
- Aunt CharlotteMilly's warm mother, who welcomes Flaxie to Hilltop and lovingly sees her through trouble.
- Miss PikeThe plain Hilltop teacher whose calm kindness shows what a beautiful soul looks like.
- Patty ProudfitA shabby, bold girl from the black house under the hill, who longs for a nicer life.
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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25 languages, side by side
The Twin Cousins in 25 languages, side by side, paragraph by paragraph, once the book texts are online: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
The Twin Cousins
by Sophie May
Flaxie Frizzle invites ten girls to her own party, then runs into the woods without really intending to miss it.
Easy readUnder 2 hours to read20 languages
Learn a language with easy classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
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“Children understand one another even when their words are very crooked.”
In short
What happens when a six-year-old tells the neighbours that her aunt will be thankful when her birthday party is over? In The Twin Cousins, Flaxie Frizzle does exactly that.
The Twin Cousins at a glance
- Reading time
- About 1 h 40 min1 h 20 min fast, 2 h slow
- Length
- 24,300 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). How long the classics take to read · Updated
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A birthday party goes wrong before it starts
Flaxie Frizzle is six, and she badly wants a party. She asks her Aunt Prim, who stands at the pantry window rolling pie crust. Mrs. Prim is writing a lecture on Ancient History, and she thinks children's parties are perfectly absurd. Still, Flaxie's mother left word that a good week earns a party, so Mrs. Prim makes a list of ten little girls.
Then comes the errand. Flaxie and her small cousin Milly must go to the houses and ask the mothers. Milly hides behind a lilac bush. Flaxie, who is afraid of nobody, does all the talking. She recites the invitation without a slip, and she includes the part she was never meant to repeat, that Auntie Prim will be thankful when it is over.
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Details
- Language
- English
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
May, Sophie. The Twin Cousins. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-twin-cousins.
May, S. (2026). The twin cousins. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-twin-cousins
May, Sophie. The Twin Cousins. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-twin-cousins.
@book{may2026twin,
author = {May, Sophie},
title = {The Twin Cousins},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-twin-cousins}
}
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What is The Twin Cousins about?
It follows six-year-old Flaxie Frizzle and her cousin Milly through a run of family adventures: a runaway party, a homesick visit, a schoolhouse fire, a sick Christmas, and her brother Preston's failing eyesight. It is about growing up kindly.
Are Flaxie and Milly really twins?
No. They are cousins of the same age who call each other twin cousins in play. Flaxie knows this, and she admits they are only pretending, just for fun, which shows how close they feel.
Who is Miss Pike in The Twin Cousins?
She is the Hilltop teacher, plain in looks but gentle and brave. Flaxie first refuses to go to her school, then comes to adore her gentle ways before seeing her calmly save the children from a fire.
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