Elsie Dinsmore

by Martha Finley

"Elsie Dinsmore" by Martha Finley is a children's book series written between 1867 and 1905. Set on American plantations before the Civil War, the series follows eight-year-old Elsie as she navigates a difficult relationship with her strict father, Horace, who returns from Europe to claim her. Their bond is tested by constant conflict between his rigid discipline and her devout Christian principles. The books became nineteenth-century bestsellers, launching a 28-book series that sold millions of copies despite—or perhaps because of—their intensely pious heroine.