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Portraits of Little Women Books in Order

Part ofSusan Beth Pfeffer Books in Order

Browse the Portraits of Little Women books in order by Susan Beth Pfeffer, with summaries, series background, and help choosing where to begin.

Last updated: July 9, 2026

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Portraits of Little Women books in publication order

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14 books

1

Amy's Story

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

1997

Amy longs to have her picture taken at a new photography studio, even though the cost is beyond her family's reach. Her clever plan leads to a sweeter surprise than the one she expected.

2

Beth's Story

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

1997

Shy Beth gets the trip of her life when she goes to pre-Civil War New York with Marmee and Father. Away from home, she finds wonder, courage, and a new sense of her own voice.

3

Jo's Story

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

1997

When a wealthy aunt offers to adopt one of the March girls, Jo decides she should be the one to go. Her brave, impulsive plan shows both her fierceness and how much family matters to her.

4

Meg's Story

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

1997

Meg is thrilled by an invitation to a grand picnic, even though Jo is left out. Her choice between loyalty and excitement becomes an unforgettable lesson in manners and conscience.

5

Amy Makes a Friend

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

1998

Amy wants art lessons badly enough to chase the friendship of richer girls. When ambition and kindness pull in opposite directions, she has to decide what sort of friend she means to be.

6

Beth Makes a Friend

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

1998

Gentle Beth tries to help Sean O'Neill, a hungry Irish immigrant boy caring for his struggling family. Her kindness leads her into trouble, and into hard questions about theft, pride, and real generosity.

7

Christmas Dreams

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

1998

At Christmas, each March sister reflects on her place in the family and what growing up might ask of her. These linked stories keep the focus on warmth, longing, and small moral choices.

8

Jo Makes a Friend

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

1998

Restless Jo can hardly understand quiet, housebound Pauline Wheeler, who is blind and guarded. A frightening day outdoors forces both girls to see each other differently.

9

Meg Makes a Friend

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

1998

Asked to sing at a wedding, Meg expects a perfect day and instead collides with prickly Julia Thorpe. Their uneasy start grows into a story about jealousy, family, and unexpected friendship.

10

A Gift for Amy

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

1999

Amy enjoys the attention of a wealthy boy until his expensive present forces her to be honest about what she really wants. It's a small, pointed story about vanity, status, and growing up.

11

A Gift for Jo

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

1999

Jo treasures the journal she's given for her private thoughts, until her sisters read what she wrote. A small gift turns into a sharp lesson about anger, trust, and family closeness.

12

A Gift for Meg

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

1999

Meg receives a beautiful length of lace meant for her future wedding day, and suddenly even home doesn't feel safe from mishap. The story turns a treasured object into a test of patience and sisterhood.

13

Birthday Wishes

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

1999

Each March sister tries to make her tenth birthday unfold exactly her own way. These four linked stories show how family love often arrives with disappointment, compromise, and unexpected joy.

14

Ghostly Tales

by Susan Beth Pfeffer

2000

Four eerie stories send Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March into brushes with the supernatural. It's a gentler, spooky Portraits of Little Women collection built around each sister's personality.

Portraits of Little Women books in chronological order

  1. Book cover for "Meg's Story"

    Meg's Story

    by Susan Beth Pfeffer

    1997Portraits of Little Women, Book 1
  2. Book cover for "Jo's Story"

    Jo's Story

    by Susan Beth Pfeffer

    1997Portraits of Little Women, Book 2
  3. Book cover for "Beth's Story"

    Beth's Story

    by Susan Beth Pfeffer

    1997Portraits of Little Women, Book 3
  4. Book cover for "Amy's Story"

    Amy's Story

    by Susan Beth Pfeffer

    1997Portraits of Little Women, Book 4
  5. Book cover for "Meg Makes a Friend"

    Meg Makes a Friend

    by Susan Beth Pfeffer

    1998Portraits of Little Women, Book 5
  6. Book cover for "Jo Makes a Friend"

    Jo Makes a Friend

    by Susan Beth Pfeffer

    1998Portraits of Little Women, Book 6
  7. Book cover for "Beth Makes a Friend"

    Beth Makes a Friend

    by Susan Beth Pfeffer

    1998Portraits of Little Women, Book 7
  8. Book cover for "Amy Makes a Friend"

    Amy Makes a Friend

    by Susan Beth Pfeffer

    1998Portraits of Little Women, Book 8
  9. Book cover for "Christmas Dreams"

    Christmas Dreams

    by Susan Beth Pfeffer

    1998Portraits of Little Women, Book 9
  10. Book cover for "A Gift for Jo"

    A Gift for Jo

    by Susan Beth Pfeffer

    1999Portraits of Little Women, Book 10
  11. Book cover for "A Gift for Meg"

    A Gift for Meg

    by Susan Beth Pfeffer

    1999Portraits of Little Women, Book 11
  12. Book cover for "A Gift for Amy"

    A Gift for Amy

    by Susan Beth Pfeffer

    1999Portraits of Little Women, Book 12
  13. Book cover for "Birthday Wishes"

    Birthday Wishes

    by Susan Beth Pfeffer

    1999Portraits of Little Women, Book 13
  14. Book cover for "Ghostly Tales"

    Ghostly Tales

    by Susan Beth Pfeffer

    2000Portraits of Little Women, Book 14

Series background & context

The Portraits of Little Women books take a familiar literary family and move in a little closer. Instead of retelling Louisa May Alcott's full novel, Susan Beth Pfeffer focuses on Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy at around age ten, giving each sister her own short adventure while keeping the March household warm, busy, and full of moral tangles.

These are not big, sweeping epics.

They are smaller stories about picnics, birthdays, holidays, treasured gifts, new friends, bad choices, jealousy, pride, and the kind of everyday trouble that feels enormous when you are young. That smaller scale is part of the appeal. A book like Meg's Story can turn a single invitation into a real crisis of loyalty. Jo's Story uses Jo's boldness and stubbornness to drive a family problem. Beth's Story and Amy's Story each lean into the traits readers already know, Beth's quiet heart and Amy's vanity and ambition, without making those girls feel flat.

The later books widen the frame in gentle ways. The Makes a Friend titles bring each sister into contact with someone who tests her patience or her self-image. Christmas Dreams and Birthday Wishes use linked stories to show how the same family can experience one season in four very different ways. Ghostly Tales adds a light touch of the supernatural while still staying true to the personalities of the girls.

What holds the series together is the sense of home. Marmee, the sisters, the rhythms of Concord, and the pre Civil War setting all matter. So do the little lessons that come out of each story. Pfeffer does not write them like sermons, but the books do care about generosity, honesty, responsibility, and how quickly selfishness can wound the people closest to you.

They are also very readable entry points for younger readers who may not be ready for the full Little Women yet. The books keep the emotional vocabulary simple without flattening the characters. Fans of Alcott usually recognize the spirit of the March family, and new readers can meet the sisters one by one.

If you want the cleanest way in, start with the four Story books, then move to the friendship, holiday, and gift collections. Taken together, they feel like a cozy side shelf beside the original novel, smaller in scale, but full of affection for the same girls.

Edited by

Richard Reis

Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.

Anurag Ramdasan

Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.

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