Holiday House: A Series of Tales

by Catherine Sinclair

"Holiday House: A Series of Tales" by Catherine Sinclair is a children's novel published in 1839. Set in Edinburgh, it follows siblings Laura, Harry, and Frank Graham as they live with their uncle and grandmother. The story traces the children's journey from mischievous behavior to growing maturity, culminating in a tragedy that transforms them. Sinclair deliberately rejected the overly didactic approach common in children's literature of her era, instead celebrating "noisy, frolicsome, mischievous children" in what critics consider a groundbreaking transitional work.