An Old Fashioned Girl

Title: An Old Fashioned Girl

Author: Louisa May Alcott

Summary:  Polly goes to town to stay with Fan and Tom.  While there, she contrasts her plain dresses with the rich girls' fancy ones.  She also notes a man who manages to be both fashionable and courteous.  His name is Sydney.  
She returns later to teach music in town.  Sydney falls in love with Polly, but she doesn't return his affection.  She nips the romance in the bud.  Then Fan and Tom's family hit hard times.  Tom gets a job out west, and from his letters Fan and Polly believe he loves another girl.  But Polly loves Tom.  Turns out, Tom loves Polly, too.  Sydney and Fan get engaged, and it's a general "happily-ever-after" ending.  

Stars: 5

Violence: 3; Tom tumbles off his velocipede and consequently gets injured.  His injuries are not graphic.  Alcott, no doubt writing for girls in her time period, probably thought girls would have no interest or business with a scene of that sort.  

Romance: 7.  Heh, romantic concerns must encompass over half this book.  Nothing inappropriate for 19th or 20th century girls, so certainly nothing shocking to 21st century readers, except for maybe the barefaced modesty and conservative view of romance.   

Language: 0, I'm pretty sure, but I might have missed one or two words.  

Appropriate for: Young adult/teen

Other: I've noticed a pattern in Alcott's books.  I've made a Google Docs spreadsheet for you all to check out, since it's easier to understand in that format.  The three books I used are An Old Fashioned Girl, Rose in Bloom, and Little Women.  Spreadsheet
Also, I think the picture of Tom at the end spoiled it for me.  He looked old, ugly, and weird.  To my mind, he looked like Bhaer (from Little Women).  It didn't fit Tom.  Here, I'll post a picture.