6 h 3 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 6 h 3 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
What happens when the spirit that wins a girl her friends also leads her straight into trouble?
Peggy acts first and thinks afterward. At boarding school, her lively nature brings friendship, mischief and the small crises that make growing up feel anything but simple. In this gentle novel by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards, the same energy that makes Peggy good company also gives her plenty to learn.
Friendship sits at the heart of Peggy’s world. Pranks, impulsive choices and their consequences become part of a girl’s slow path toward greater understanding. Richards keeps the mood warm and good-humored, finding interest in everyday troubles rather than dark turns. The pleasure lies in getting to know a spirited girl as she takes those small steps.
What you’ll discover
- A girl with spirit Meet Peggy, whose lively ways bring both the warmth of friendship and the trouble of mischief.
- Friendship at the center Explore the friendships that help shape a young character through the ordinary experiences of school life.
- Mischief with consequences Follow the link between acting on impulse and having to face what comes next.
- Small steps toward maturity Watch growing up unfold through small events, rather than one sudden change.
- Warmth in everyday troubles Enjoy a kindly voice that brings gentle humor to the small crises of girlhood.
Who will love it
You will love this book if you enjoy school stories full of pranks and nicknames, warm friendships between girls, a sturdy and honest hero, and gentle humor that grows into real feeling.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- An awkward arrival opens a friendship
- Comfort becomes something Peggy can share
- Peggy discovers where she can shine
- Friendship brings mischief and moral choices
- Confession gives trust a new meaning
- Courage also means holding your ground
- Freedom needs care for other people
- Laughter keeps tenderness close at hand
- Everyday courage grows through trust
Who’s who
- Peggy MontfortA strong, honest, clumsy freshman from an Ohio farm who loves geometry and animals and wants to make the best of boarding school.
- Bertha HaughtonThe Fluffy Owl, a plainspoken, bookish junior who becomes Peggy's first friend and keeps a watchful eye on her.
- Gertrude MerryweatherThe Snowy Owl, junior president and monitor, a warm, steady leader who hopes to study medicine.
- Grace WolfeThe Scapegoat, a brilliant, daring, lonely girl who plays pranks on her teacher and wants freedom more than anything.
- Lobelia ParkinsA tiny, timid freshman in old-fashioned clothes who is mocked by others and longs for a friend.
- Viola VincentCalled Vanity, a pretty, chattering junior who loves hats and gossip and has a kind heart.
- Miss RussellThe Principal, a grave and loving woman who trusts her girls and wants to bring out the best in each.
- Vivia VarnhamCalled Vexation, Viola's sharp-tongued chum, who looks down on freshmen and sneers at Peggy.
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- Large print hardcover
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Peggy 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.
Peggy
by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards · 1899
A farm girl who knows rattlesnakes and geometry arrives at a school where many rooms have names.
Easy read2–5 hours to read20 languages
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“Could you love a Goat, Innocent?”
In short
Can a girl who would rather study birds than books find her place in a school where the rooms are named Vanity Fair and Bedlam? Peggy Montfort comes from a prairie farm in Ohio, and she trips over her own feet before she has even been properly introduced.
Peggy at a glance
- Reading time
- About 3 h 25 min2 h 45 min fast, 4 h 5 min slow
- Length
- 49,200 words
- Library level
- Easy short sentences, plain words
- First published
- 1899by 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
Peggy stumbles into a school of nicknames
Peggy Montfort starts school the way she does most things, by tripping. The Principal, Miss Russell, calls out Miss Montfort, and Peggy does not realise the name belongs to her. A girl beside her whispers a hint, Peggy leaps up, steps on her own dress, falls on her knees, and flees to the sound of giggles.
Her new room, number eighteen, is bare and cold after the sunny room she shares with her sister Jean at home. Still she whistles a tune, because she is set on making the best of things.
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Which edition is right for me
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- 15-minute summary
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Details
- First published
- 1899
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 3 h 55 min
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Richards, Laura Elizabeth Howe. Peggy. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/peggy.
Richards, L. E. H. (2026). Peggy. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/peggy (Original work published 1899)
Richards, Laura Elizabeth Howe. Peggy. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/peggy.
@book{richards2026peggy,
author = {Richards, Laura Elizabeth Howe},
title = {Peggy},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/peggy},
note = {First published 1899}
}
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What is Peggy by Laura E. Richards about?
It follows Peggy Montfort, a strong, honest farm girl from Ohio, through her first months at Miss Russell's school in Pentland, where she makes friends, faces bullies, and learns how kindness and courage can change the people around her.
Who is Grace Wolfe, the Scapegoat?
Grace is a clever, daring girl who plays pranks on her teacher and calls herself the Scapegoat, the Wolf, and the Goat. She is lonely under her wit and becomes one of the book's most memorable figures.
Why do the rooms and girls have nicknames in Peggy?
The school has a custom of naming rooms and people after their traits or stories, such as the Owls Nest, Vanity Fair, and the Soap Factory. The nicknames add humor and show how each girl is seen.
The author
Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards
1850–1943 · American children's writer
American writer.
“Could you love a Goat, Innocent?”
More by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards
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