[RosieCotton]

For tough...in fourth grade I had Rod and Staff. Saxon was a breath of fresh air in comparison. Plus the word problems all involved perfect Mennonite children, which ticked me off. "Judy is helping Mother sew a dress for little Betty. They need a yard and a half of fabric. If fabric costs blah blah a yard, how much will Judy need?"

Etc.

We had books by Rod and Staff, too. They mostly were about impossibly well behaved families, and when kids were bad, parents were never angry, only sad. It was highly irritating.

[JenB]

Oh, yuck, my mother avoided that sort of material like the plague. She knew there was no better way to get us do disbehave.... it's like when she read us "Little House on the Praire". Pretty good books but in general those kids were too well behaved. It got old fast.

Oh, and once I had to read an "Elsie Dinsmore" book. I don't remember the author, but did you ever run across those gems? UGH - like Pollyanna, only worse. No wonder I turned to SF and fantasy.... no wonder I wanted to be Eowyn.