Laughing Last

Abbott, Jane, 1881-1968Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 352K words
Chapters: 36

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Laughing Last by Jane AbbottAuthor: Abbott, Jane, 1881-1968,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Jul 31, 2014

Editor's review

Laughing Last is a young adult novel by Jane Abbott, classified under juvenile belles lettres and belonging to the light narrative tradition for young readers. Written in English at a moderate difficulty level, its plot advances through character interaction and everyday suspense, making it suitable as extensive reading material for English learners. Its appeal lies not in grand themes but in the narrative charm and values of early twentieth-century juvenile fiction, offering some reference value for those studying children's literature or English language teaching. The free electronic edition from Project Gutenberg facilitates classroom excerpt selection and independent reading. Readers expecting complex mystery or profound social critique may find it thin, but as language practice and a literary-historical sketch, it provides a light yet complete reading experience, suitable for finishing in segments during commutes or after school.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Intermediate English learners seeking extensive reading practice with original English texts
Teachers and researchers studying early twentieth-century juvenile literature
Young readers who enjoy light everyday narratives and do not seek strong suspense
English teachers needing short excerpts for classroom activities

Not a good fit for

Adult literature readers who prefer complex plots and deep themes
Beginners with weak English foundations who need line-by-line annotations
Genre fiction readers expecting mystery, detective work, or intense emotional conflict

Reading tips

Read chapter by chapter, and after each chapter summarize the events in two or three sentences to train English retelling skills.
When encountering unfamiliar words, first guess from context, then look them up together afterward to avoid frequently interrupting the reading rhythm.
Excerpt character dialogue for oral imitation practice to experience the stylistic features of early English juvenile fiction.
If used for teaching, select passages with clear character conflict for role reading and discussion.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What English level is this book suitable for?

As a juvenile novel, its sentence structures and vocabulary are generally not difficult; intermediate English reading ability is enough to attempt it. If you can usually read English young adult books, this book should be fairly smooth; those with weaker foundations can use a dictionary and proceed section by section.

What type of content does the book lean toward?

According to the Project Gutenberg classification, it belongs to juvenile literature. The narrative focuses on everyday character interaction and light plot, rather than hardcore mystery or serious social fiction, making it more suitable as material for English extensive reading and understanding literary history.

Can the electronic edition be used in the classroom?

Project Gutenberg provides a free electronic text, making it convenient for teachers to select chapters for handouts or arrange extracurricular reading. When using it, keep the source information and supplement vocabulary and background notes according to students' levels.

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About the author

Abbott, Jane, 1881-1968 Author

Jane Abbott (1881–1968) was an American author of children's literature. Public information about the details of her life is limited, and she is little known among Chinese readers. Five of her works are included in this collection: Red-Robin, Highacres, Laughing Last, Keineth, and Happy House, commonly categorized as inspirational coming-of-age fiction. These works generally feature young protagonists and center on the choices, responsibilities, and friendships of growing up. The narration is fresh and brisk, with attention to characterization and the details of daily life, and carries a gentle didactic tone. She was skilled at presenting young people's confusion and progress within ordinary family and school settings. Her stories are warm and natural, suitable for young readers, and are representative of coming-of-age reading of their time, offering useful texts for the study of early American children's literature.