Kitty Maynard

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

79094

Title

Kitty Maynard

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

A moralistic tale for young readers, 'Kitty Maynard' follows a vain and disobedient girl who faces consequences for her pride. With a gentle, didactic tone, the story explores themes of repentance, obedience, and spiritual growth, appealing to audiences seeking classic, faith-based literature.

Summary up to 500 words

In Lucy Ellen Guernsey's *Kitty Maynard*, a young girl of vain and disobedient disposition is sent to live with her aunt in the country to escape boarding school. Her mother is ill, her father is often absent, and her primary caretaker, Huldah, lacks the authority to correct Kitty's serious faults. At her aunt's school, Kitty struggles with humility, particularly when a classmate named Selina excels in drawing. After Selina makes a joke about Kitty's failed attempt at a complex landscape, Kitty's vanity and desire for revenge drive her to steal other girls' compositions and pass them off as her own. She ignores advice from her aunt and teacher, believing she can succeed without help. The deception is eventually discovered when Kitty falls ill after the incident. Her aunt, Mrs. Evelyn, confesses the sin to God on Kitty's behalf, and the teacher forgives her privately. Upon recovering, Kitty confesses to her classmates and family, realizing that vanity is her besetting sin. Her father and aunt decide to keep her at home for the winter so she can attend school and focus on moral improvement. The story concludes with Kitty resolved to be better, finding strength in prayer and a desire to please God rather than herself. The narrative emphasizes the theme that obedience is better than sacrifice, illustrating how divine forgiveness and personal repentance can transform a wayward heart. Through her illness and subsequent confession, Kitty learns that relying on her own strength leads to failure, while resting on a higher power offers true redemption and growth in virtue.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/79094.epub.noimages

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data/epubs/pg79094.epub

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2026-08-13 22:37 UTC

Categories

• Religion
• Fiction