Maggie Rose, Her Birthday ChristmasEight-going-on-nine-year-old Maggie Rose, who was born on the night before Christmas and named after a real live princess, is one of "those Bunkers," a lazy and shiftless family who live in a dilapidated shack on the wrong side of the Point, a resort spot near Bangor, Maine, and are known to one and all as the laziest, laughingest, singingest family for miles around. Tim and Liz bunker and their brood of seven children are without an ambition in the world and prefer to lean generously on the charity of their neighbors rather than go out and work. Only Maggie Rose ever wishes for something a little better; most especially, she wishes that just for once there was enough money for "those Bunkers" to have a wonderful birthday Christmas celebration all of their own. In spite of their faults "those Bunkers" have a fine feeling for the important things in life and they all recognize Maggie Rose as something special, someone who might have come out of the top bureau drawer. So when tragedy threatens Maggie Rose, "those Bunkers" are finally jolted out of their kitchen chairs, and in an unprecedented move they rally together and determinedly set about making Maggie Rose's dream come true. |
Common terms and phrases
Admiral alligator asked baby baked baked beans Bangor beans berry business birds birthday Christmas boys brought Bunkers candles Captain cast-off Cat's-paws celebration cents chair Chapel china bowls chintz chowder clams Clarion Range clean cookies corner Crabtree cup cakes Deck the hall dinner doan't dollar door dress empty everything eyes feet fish folks Fuss and Feathers George gone Hain't hand head held Holy Book hungry inside Jeremy Jim Matthews Junebug kitchen knew lanterns little girl looked Maggie Rose thought Miss Agnes Miss Lucy mucilage mumblety peg Myra Moon neighbors never night pail pick a box picked plumb postmaster Preacher Thomas pulled puppa raspberries remember road Rose's sandwiches scared secret place Seems shouted sing Slingerland smiled Suddenly summer-resorters Thank things Tim's took tramp tree voice waiting wild strawberries words