The willful, chatty ten-year-old Rebecca Rowena Randall has been sent away from her home at Sunnybrook Farm to live with her two spinster aunts in the quiet town of Riverboro—where it is hoped she will be brought up as a proper young lady.

Precocious, curious, and full of creative energy, Rebecca isn’t quite ready to be tamed, leaving the prim and demanding Aunt Miranda with her hands full. But soon, Rebecca’s irrepressible spirit and bright intelligence win the hearts of all in Riverboro—including her rigid aunt. As we follow Rebecca’s coming-of-age over the course of seven years, we find that she manages to become a fine young lady in the process.

The unconventional and charismatic Rebecca, a new kind of female character when she was first introduced in 1903, has since become one of the most beloved characters in children’s literature.