I first read this in grad school. It was not as charming as I remembered it, but still it would be a good chapter book for the right reader (especially one fed up with family and wishing he or she was an orphan). It features an unloved and unlikable heroine who finds herself and an unabashed villain.

Kudos for featuring a friendly librarian! "The librarian's friendliness made her feel funny. Molly wasn't used to grown-ups being kind to her." (p. 24)