In a small town far out West, 11-year-old Pollyanna loses her mother and then her dad to disease. This book describes how the orphan is sent to be raised by her aunt who lives far away in the East of the country. Unfortunately, her aunt does not want her but accepts her very reluctantly only out of 'duty' and sticks her into a tiny hot attic room so she will be "out of the way". What Aunt Polly does not know is that Pollyanna is bringing the game of being 'glad' that her father taught her and that her irrepressible happy attitude will transform not only that dull and miserable house but an entire village before she is through.

Eleanor H. Porter, American novelist, and creator of the Pollyanna series of books generated a popular phenomenon. Hodgman studied singing at the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. She gained a local reputation as a singer in concerts and church choirs and continued her singing career after her marriage. By 1901, however, she had abandoned music in favor of writing. Her stories began appearing in numerous popular magazines and newspapers, and in 1907 she published her first novel