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Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What if the small adventures of a summer matter more than the grandest escape?
In Hildegarde's Holiday, Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards follows Hildegarde through a season set apart from ordinary school and work. Home, friends and the pleasures of a holiday shape this gentle coming-of-age story. Its adventures are modest, but the feelings they stir matter deeply to the girl at its center.
For Hildegarde, time away from routine offers room to think, feel more grown and see family and friends with fresh eyes. The story's pull is this quiet change in how a girl sees her world. Richards keeps the pace unhurried, giving everyday bonds and small experiences space to matter.
What you’ll discover
- A summer apart Step away from ordinary routines into the open, unhurried mood of a girl's holiday.
- Friendship at the center Spend time with a story that gives friendship room to shape a young life.
- Small adventures, strong feelings Find the appeal of modest adventures that matter deeply to the young people involved.
- The quiet of growing up Join Hildegarde as a holiday offers room to see familiar people with fresh eyes.
- Warmth on every page Enjoy Richards's light, affectionate approach to young readers and the worlds they care about.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy gentle, humorous tales of friendship, country summers, quirky old ladies and cats, and girls who learn to see the world with a kind heart.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Relief opens the way to summer
- Honesty softens a carefully ordered home
- Rose brings imagination into the garden
- A simple kindness reaches a stranger
- Ca-iry offers care without argument
- Flowers bring joy beside sorrow
- A tidy cottage holds lasting love
- Children reshape the quiet household
- Kindness takes shape in ordinary actions
Who’s who
- Hildegarde GrahameA bright, warm-hearted girl from New York who loves poetry and the outdoors and wants to make her friend's summer perfect.
- Rose ChirkHildegarde's gentle friend, who has just learned to walk after years of illness and wants to enjoy every step.
- Miss Wealthy BondAn elderly, orderly and kind cousin who loves neat blinds, her pansy brooch and a quiet house.
- MarthaMiss Wealthy's loyal, sensible cook and companion, who bakes cookies and knows every family secret.
- Bubble ChirkRose's cheerful, mischievous younger brother, who dreams of being a surgeon and adores his sister.
- BennyA small, bossy, endearing boy recovering from pneumonia who wants songs, cows and the title of boy of the house.
- JeremiahThe gloomy but kindly gardener who mixes flowers with vegetables and keeps the boat safe.
- Galusha PennypackerA ragged old miser who lives alone in a shack and wants only to be remembered.
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Hildegarde's Holiday 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.
Hildegarde's Holiday
by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards · 1891
Hildegarde and Rose spend a Maine summer with Cousin Wealthy, and a lonely red house waits in the woods.
Easy read2–5 hours to read20 languages
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“It is a great privilege to have Martha.”
In short
A girl paces a hospital waiting room while a small dog sulks in the corner. Behind a closed door, her dearest friend, who has not walked for fourteen years, is having an operation.
Hildegarde's Holiday at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 35 min2 h 50 min fast, 4 h 15 min slow
- Length
- 50,900 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
- First published
- 1891by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards
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 successful operation sets a summer moving
The book opens in a hospital waiting room, where Hildegarde paces with her hands clasped and her eyes black with worry. Then her mother and the cheerful Dr. Flower come in. The operation on her friend Rose has gone wonderfully well.
Rose has not walked for fourteen years. The doctor says she may take her first steps in about ten days. He prescribes beef tea, fresh air and exercise, and he trusts Hildegarde to see it through. She cries, laughs and calls him a dear, good doctor.
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Which edition is right for me
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Details
- First published
- 1891
- Language
- English
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Richards, Laura Elizabeth Howe. Hildegarde's Holiday. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/hildegardes-holiday.
Richards, L. E. H. (2026). Hildegarde's holiday. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/hildegardes-holiday (Original work published 1891)
Richards, Laura Elizabeth Howe. Hildegarde's Holiday. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/hildegardes-holiday.
@book{richards2026hildegardes,
author = {Richards, Laura Elizabeth Howe},
title = {Hildegarde's Holiday},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/hildegardes-holiday},
note = {First published 1891}
}
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What is Hildegarde's Holiday about?
It follows Hildegarde Grahame and her friend Rose, who is recovering from an operation, during a summer in Maine with elderly Cousin Wealthy. They explore a river and orchard, meet children in a hospital and learn the secrets of a red house.
Who are Rose and Bubble in Hildegarde's Holiday?
Rose Chirk is Hildegarde's gentle friend, who has just learned to walk after years of illness. Bubble, whose real name is Zerubbabel, is her lively younger brother who plans to become a surgeon and loves tall tales.
Who is Dr. Johnson in Hildegarde's Holiday?
Dr. Samuel Johnson is Miss Wealthy's large black coon cat, named for the famous writer. He decides on his first impression whether to like people, and he is one of the most important members of the household.
The author
Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards
1850–1943 · American children's writer
American writer.
“It is a great privilege to have Martha.”
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