I've been searching for this book for years, and am so happy it has been re-published! Nancy and Plum really captured my imagination when my teacher read it to my fourth-grade class in the mid-1960's. Later I checked it out of the school library to read again and again. The book has a magical quality. It's a little bit Orphan Annie, Little Princess, and all those Shirley Temple movies about beleaguered orphan girls with sunny attitudes rolled into one. This was one of my favorite books, and I can't wait to share it with my two girls!

nancy and plum was written in 1952 the year i was born i read it in junior high school and was transported by ms macdonalds warming story and prose she was definitely a "word painter" i slept with this book and delayed finishing it by re- reading the previous chapter befor starting the next i have checked every library i have entered in the last 20 years searching for a copy of this story of the two orphaned sisters (i had only brothers) reading nancy and plum was like finding a sister now i will have her again my plum ( i was nancy) i cant wait to get my hands on this book now at 47 years old i will read it to all the little girls in my life and the boys too thanks to the macdonalds for the timely reprint! i have created and lived on a beautiful farm for 22 years and would welcome nancy and plum if they came along!

Nancy and Plum has been part of my family's reading tradition since I found the book at a library sale for 5 cents in the early 1960s. The story captivates and transports the reader into Nancy and Plum's world. Girls who are tomboys will cheer on Plum's bravery, and those who read books and are more gentle will love Nancy's imagination and kindness towards the other children in the orphanage. This is an engaging book that I still read to my daughter when she is sick, although she has read the book several times herself. It may not be as well known as Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, but it is our favorite book by Betty MacDonald.

you wouldn't think that a stay in a tb hospital could be a subject for a funny book; at least not until you read betty macdonald's "the plague & i". she is the author of the wonderful classics, "the egg & i", "anybody can do anything", "onions in the stew", and the children's series, mrs. piggle-wiggle. this particular book brings her light hearted outlook to what could have been a very stressful time in her life. through betty's eyes the reader is invited to look at a serious subject with humor and wit. i'd recommend this to any reader of erma bombeck or jean kerr.

I have read all of Betty MacDonald's books and highly recommend them to anyone who enjoys the wonderful release of laughter. The Plague and I is such an interesting book about the methods of treating TB during the 40's in contrast with the use today of antibiotics. She keeps the reader laughing at the antics of the staff and the patients at the sanatorium. I stuggle to slow down whenever I read any of her books because they are so much fun to read,that before I realize it, I have come to the end. The Plague and I is no exception. If you want to have fun and laugh alot and laugh outloud, get a copy. I had to wait 3 months for my local library to round up a copy. Sadly, all of Betty's books are out of print. I hope someone will do a reprint very soon.

When I was 15, I acquired TB and was hospitalized for 7 months. What a grim sentence for a teenager. A library assistant gave this book to me and it began my long love affair with Betty MacDonald's books. This is a favorite of mine. Her descriptions of the personnel and patients in the sanitorium are hilarious. Wit and a talent for the language makes each of MacDonald's books a treasure to be read over and over.

I discovered Betty MacDonald when I was about twelve years old, after checking The Egg and I out of the Carmichael Branch library here in Sacramento, about 22 years after it was first published. My parents had mentioned that the egg ranch Betty lived on with her first husband in the 1920s, which she writes about in The Egg and I, was located some miles from the place where we lived in Washington state, in the late 1950s. Furthermore, they had actually taken a day trip with friends to look at the old place, sometime after the book and the movie of the same name came out in the 1940s.

This familial connection, however faint, to an old, famous book and the movies it inspired, piqued my childish mind, and I eagerly started reading about life on a chicken ranch on the Olympic Penninsula. I fell in love with Betty's easy, friendly, hysterically funny, down-to-earth yet somehow elegant prose, and immediately checked out her other autobiographical books: The Plague and I, Anybody Can Do Anything, and Onions In The Stew.

In all of her autobiographical books save Onions In The Stew, Betty uses the first chapter to presage her theme by describing her experiences as a child in a large, boisterous family, in loving and extremely funny detail. In Anybody Can Do Anything, Betty describes life with her family and her two young daughters, Anne and Joan, in Seattle after she has left her husband and the egg ranch behind. The Depression is on, and Betty, now a single mother, struggles with her large and interesting clan to make ends meet, somehow finding a lot of laughs and funny adventures, often with her exuberant sister Mary, the inspiration for the book, along the way. Anyone who is interested in what life was like in Seattle in the 1930s, in witty character descriptions, and in a personal glimpse of how families coped with the "Great Depression", will find this book fascinating, not to mention frequently hilarious.

Betty, I miss you and the way you used to make me laugh out loud--I was sad when I finished reading Onions In The Stew for the first time and then realized it was the last autobiographical book you wrote: the tuberculosis finally caught up with you in 1958, when I was only four years old, still living in Washington, not far from your home on Vashon Island. I re-read your books many times as I grew up, even visited Vashon Island, and often wished I could have met you and your family. It's silly, but I've always felt a sense of loss at never having known you, because I am sure you must have been a marvelous friend. Your sense of humor had a profound effect on me, and inspired me in my earliest writing attempts. It's been many years since I've read your books, but I've never forgotten your irrepressible, bona-fide funniness. Wherever you are, thank you!

This sweet, magical book is one of my favorites. This is a memoir of life in the Depression in Seattle, Washington. It is one of a set of four books by Mrs MacDonald: THE EGG AND I, ANYBODY CAN DO ANYTHING, THE PLAGUE AND I, and ONIONS IN THE STEW.

Betty MacDonald's sister, Mary Bard, also wrote at least three books: THE DOCTOR WEARS THREE FACES, FORTY ODD and THE BEST YOU CAN BE (I am a little unsure of the last title). Mary Bard is one of the major characters in ANYBODY CAN DO ANYTHING, and is almost as delightful as Betty MacDonald herself.

I recommend all of Betty MacDonald's books.

This is a sweet, wonderful book about the a family living through the depression in a Seattle that bears little resemblance to the blandly affluent city that today bears its name. The writing is still fresh and entertaining even though the book is more than fifty years old.

This is a great book for kids, as it explains the realities of the depression in a way that is much more understandable than most historical accounts. I first read it in 1977 when I was 12, and it gave me a wonderful insight into the lives of my depression generation parents.

I would recommend that everyone search out Betty's books and read them over and over, especially if you are a resident of Seattle or its environs. They are marvelous books from a marvelous author.

I grew up reading the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series. I loved every single story and I still remember them vividly. They may be a little dated but the lessons are still current and they are still very amusing.

I remember sitting in the library when I was little reading Mrs. Piggle Wiggle books over and over again. I loved everyone one of her "cures" and now that I have a daughter of my own I want her to have her own copies of these classics from my childhood.

This set of books is full of many humerous tales of childen and their annoyances. You would love the hilarious anticdotes. It is fun filled, easy to read, and enjoyable by all.

This is one of the funniest stories about Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle. What is a parent to do when your child does not want to take a bath? Why let them stay dirty-so dirty in fact that one can plant seeds on them. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle tells the frusterated parents to plant radish seeds on their dirt-encrusted daughter. Magically the seeds grow over-night to the astonishment of the little girl. After submitting to a bath she enjoys the radishes that she grew. A hilarious take on the old You-Can't-Make-Me rountine.

I read this book at the Children's Story Hour in our town. This is the first Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle I read to the children. They were on the edge of their seats, laughing and participating! They begged me to bring more Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle stories. I have and they just as big a success!

I first read Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle in the forth grade, checking it and the other Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books out of my school library. I found Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle very fun to read, and really enjoyed the rest of the books as well. I recently purchased it from Amazon for my 9 year old daughter who loves to read. I took the time to re-read the book before I gave it to her, and it is interesting to read it as an adult. I still found it fun, especially the last chapter, the Fighter-Quarrelers Cure, which I had completely forgotten. (I must say, I am tempted to try the cure one of these days) My daughter seems to agree that this is a fun book, as she had two chapters read before breakfast this morning. I am looking forward to ordering the rest of the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books, for myself almost as much as for my daughter!

UPDATE~ My daughter finished the book in two days. She loved it and couldn't put it down until she was finished. If you have a child who is a reluctant reader, give Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle a try.

Most people who have read Mrs. Piggle Wiggle will agree that she is one of the dearest characters to grace the pages of any children's book in our time. She is as smart as she is caring, as interesting as she is magical.

To sum up, she helps out the neighbourhood kids by curing them of "bad habits" such as quarreling, not picking up toys, and every not so nice trait which has been attributed to children. I guarantee that kids will love this book, it is funny and well written, but at the same time it teaches a lesson to everyone. Even the grownups. Mrs. Piggle Wiggle is the best!

The only problem with the book is that yes, there is the fact that the women are the ones who stay home and take care of the children etc. etc. But I'm sure if you explain this to your child they'll understand. Honestly when I first read it when I was eight, I didn't even notice. (And I'm still only a teen now if anyone is thinking differently!)

But besides this one problem, which most kids will probably look past since it is not the focus of the book, I guarantee that they will adore it. It is a beautiful little book which I am surprised is not more popular.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle was a book that I enjoyed tremendously at age 8 when it was read aloud to me by my third grade teacher. Every day the entire class looked forward to hearing another chapter describing the shennanigans of some child that was having issues that we were having at that time (ie didn't want to go to bed, didn't want to eat, didn't want to clean up your room etc...).

At 32 years of age, I once again am enjoying Betty MacDonald's creative way of capturing her audience with fun filled stories as I share them with my little one. This is a classic, along with anything by Beverly Cleary or Beverly Cleary.

If you like problems and interesting things you better get this book and read it. I rate this book 4 stars because the kids always had a problem. Of course, Mrs Piggle Wiggle had to find a cure for the kids. Such as Sharon- she needed a powder that was called the Heedless Breaker Powder. She needed that powder because she would always break something. I thought that this book was great. I would recommend this book to ages 6 and up.

I have just finshed reading Mrs. Piggle - Wiggle's Magic by Betty MacDonald. In this book Mrs.Piggle-Wiggle tells storys about cures that she made, such as the tattletale cure or the thought-you-saiders cure and many more. I like this book because it has all different kinds of little stories in it. Mrs.Piggle-Wiggle seems like a very nice lady but when she gets poor, she asks all the kids that she knows to help her look for money and gold that is hidden in her house. I gave this book five stars because it was very interesting and a little funny.

I read this book as a child..and never knew there were more books about Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle until I was quite grown up! This one remains my favorite, however. The pages of my copy are quite worn where I turned the pages ...and read and re-read the stories. Yes, times have changed and much is different today from the 50's but Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle's delightful acceptance of children with all their foibles is still an inspiration to all parents --and a reminder to me as a mom to lighten up and laugh with my kids and their antics. Betty MacDonald is very clever in bringing childish faults to light by way of terribly funny situations and even more preposterous cures. I LOVE THIS BOOK! and so do my girls.

One of the funniest books ever written, The Egg and I is all the more remarkable because it sounds completely contemporary, even though it was written more than 50 years ago and describes events that took place more than 70 years ago. MacDonald had a relentlessly clear eye, a sharp, witty writing style and in her own way was as liberated as was possible for her time (she was divorced and a single mother when such things were considered heinous). And I'd like to say one thing: although she does write disparagingly of some Native Americans living in her area, I think this is more due to a specific dislike of certain people she met rather than a blanket prejudice (early in the book she talks about her love and admiration for the Plains Indians who lived near her childhood home). I think McDonald was a singularly unbiased person, something also unique for a white woman of her era; one only has to read about the close friendships she made with Japanese-American and African-American women in "The Plague and I" (her account of her stay in a tuberculosis sanitarium) to realize this. No misguided PC agenda should deter anyone from reading MacDonald's irreverent and hilarious stories. She was a terrific writer.

I've read this book many times, the first time about 9 years ago when my husband and I were about to move onto 10 acres and raise our own chickens ( which we still do.) As s fellow city slicker like Betty, her book helped me keep it all in perspective. I thought the setting went back much further than the 1940's and didn't even know the Ma and Pa Kettle movies were based on the book until much later. Now I'm looking for an original publishing of the book and can't find one. I'm told it's because the Ma and Pa Kettle movies have such a great following on cable TV. Just my luck. I discovered a jewel years ago and now it's in great demand. Does anyone know of an original publishing that is for sale? Or are we all looking for one too? Well, if so, we all appreciate true wit and a good sense of humor.

For three days I read this book with a grin on my face and laughter in my belly. Towards the end of the book I was actually laughing out loud, with no one around to hear my glee. Betty describes, in wonderful detail, life on a chicken ranch and life with neighbors and various animals. Since I grew up in the country and my parents on a farm, I could relate to her wonderful descriptions of the sunrise and wild animals. I enjoyed it thoroughly and recommend this delightful read to anyone. (And I learned a few things about chickens as well.)