14 minSummaryRead it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook editionPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In a child’s world, a grandmother’s love can matter more than any grand adventure.
Grandmother Dear by Mrs. Molesworth places the bond between grandchildren and their grandmother at the heart of family life. This Victorian children’s story looks at that bond through the strength of a child’s affection. The older woman is more than a familiar presence: she is the person who matters to the children above anyone else.
Here, the pace is gentle, and small adventures deserve attention. The habits of the Victorian nursery frame a world where children stay close to home and family. Molesworth brings quiet lessons into this affectionate setting, inviting you to notice how love shapes a child’s world. The appeal lies less in a fast plot than in the feelings that give ordinary life its importance.
What you’ll discover
- A grandmother at the heart Meet a beloved older woman through the affection of the grandchildren who treasure her.
- Life through children’s eyes See family life through feelings that make familiar people matter more than anything else.
- The Victorian nursery Step into the daily habits that frame this gentle story of childhood and family.
- Small adventures worth noticing Discover a quieter sense of adventure, measured by what matters to a child.
- Lessons carried by love Find gentle moral lessons woven into a story centred on affection.
Who will love it
You will love this if you enjoy warm family stories, grandmothers with tales to tell, children who tease and forgive, and old stories told by firelight.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Gentle questions make a home
- Sylvia stops running and thinks
- Molly makes a misunderstood plan
- Grandmother has lessons to learn
- A hidden fault grows heavier
- Ralph looks beyond first appearances
- The schoolboys judge their master
- Everyday events open into stories
- Kindness guides the household
Who’s who
- GrandmotherThe small, silver-haired old lady at Châlet who takes in her three grandchildren and teaches them through questions and stories.
- MollyThe youngest child, warm, honest and muddle-headed, who mixes up stories and says whatever comes into her head.
- SylviaThe thirteen-year-old sister, clever and quick, who tries to be gentle with Molly and loves history.
- RalphThe fourteen-year-old brother, lofty and fond of teasing, who must learn not to judge by appearances.
- AuntyGrandmother's daughter Laura, kind and dry-humoured, who looks after the children and writes a story for them.
- MarieThe old woman at the lodge who tells the story of her apple tree and her foolish youth.
- Prosper de LastreA schoolboy in Châlet who quietly carries wood for a poor old neighbour and wins Ralph's respect.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- 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.
Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout. The eBook opens when the book texts go online.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then USD 0.14 a day in your first year on the yearly plan and USD 0.27 a day after, or USD 0.66 a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Grandmother Dear 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.
Grandmother Dear
by Mrs. Molesworth · 1878
Three children in a French house find that grandmother dear tells stories that teach as they delight.
Medium level2–5 hours to read20 languages
Learn a language with medium classicsSpanishFrenchGermanItalianJapanesePortugueseEnglishHow we measure levels
Excellent
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeRenews every year · Cancel anytimeHow it works
- Read, large type too
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
“Oh, while you live, tell the truth.”
In short
Three children stand in a room in Dover and each says well, hoping someone else will speak first. They have just met their grandmother, and the question in the air is simple.
Grandmother Dear at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 35 min2 h 50 min fast, 4 h 15 min slow
- Length
- 50,700 words
- Library level
- Medium longer sentences, everyday words
- First published
- 1878by Mrs. Molesworth
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
Three children meet their grandmother
The story opens with a game of who speaks first. Ralph, Sylvia and Molly have just met a grandmother they hardly know. Molly says she is just like a real one. Ralph, who is fourteen, says she is not bad for a grandmother.
Ralph is lofty and likes to tease. Sylvia is thirteen, quick and sensible. Molly is warm and muddled, and her mixed-up words make everyone laugh. Their mother died years ago, and their father works in India, so the children will live with Grandmother and Aunty in the south of France.
Renews every year · Cancel anytime
You looked at
Which edition is right for me
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet or computer. Your place follows you, and you can make the type as big as you like.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1878
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 4 h 0 min
- Level
- Medium level
Cite this edition
Molesworth, Mrs. Grandmother Dear. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/grandmother-dear.
Molesworth, Mrs. (2026). Grandmother dear. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/grandmother-dear (Original work published 1878)
Molesworth, Mrs. Grandmother Dear. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/grandmother-dear.
@book{molesworth2026grandmother,
author = {Molesworth, Mrs.},
title = {Grandmother Dear},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/grandmother-dear},
note = {First published 1878}
}
Free gifts
USD 580 in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
USD 170FREE - Every eBookIn 25 languages, any device
USD 120FREE - 15-minute summariesRead in 25 languages
USD 60FREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
USD 60FREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
USD 170FREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Grandmother Dear
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Grandmother Dear about?
It follows Ralph, Sylvia and Molly, who go to live with their grandmother and aunt in France while their father works in India. Grandmother and Aunty tell stories that teach kindness and honesty.
Who wrote Grandmother Dear and when?
Mrs. Molesworth, an English author of many Victorian children's books, wrote it. She died in 1921. The story is set in a world of trains, gas lamps and Paris sightseeing.
Who is Marie in Grandmother Dear?
Marie is the old woman at the lodge of Grandmother's house. On her seventy-fifth birthday she tells the children how her grandfather planted an apple tree for her, and what pride nearly cost her.
The author
Mrs. Molesworth
1839–1921 · English children's writer
Mrs. Molesworth was the pen name of Mary Louisa Molesworth (1839–1921), an English writer of children's stories. She was born in Rotterdam, grew up in Manchester, and later lived in London. Her books include Carrots (1876), The Cuckoo Clock (1877), Grandmother Dear, Hoodie, and Robin Redbreast.
“Oh, while you live, tell the truth.”
More by Mrs. Molesworth
See all their booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
