This was a group of shorter chapter books about a young girl (maybe 12 or 13?) who goes to live with her Grandpa. He’s the classic crotchety but with a heart of gold character. She’s a typical growing-up girl, trying new things, dealing with friendships, etc.
The characters live in a small, quintessential American town. If I were guessing, I’d say they’re set in the 50s. I read them in the late 70s and they seemed “old-fashioned” to me then — but there was electricity, cars, etc.
I recall maybe 3 or 4 books in the series. I’m sure one was set at Christmas. Another was about her entering a Bake-Off.
I think she had a very ordinary name, and this may have been in the title — Margaret, or Elizabeth?
I also sort of think they were published by Scholastic, and I also think that the Christmas book was made into a made-for-TV movie, that perhaps aired in the early 80s?
Possibly the “House Without a Christmas Tree” by Gail Rock There are several other books in the series. See this website for info on TV Programs http://addiemills.flyingdreams.org
I think this may be the ‘Addie Mills’ series by Gail Rock; though some details differ. The books are set in small-town America just after World War 2 (late 1940s). Addie’s mother is dead, but she lives with her stern though loving father (not grandfather) and grandmother. She also befriends a crotchety old man in one of the books, ‘Thanksgiving Treasure’. The first book is indeed about Christmas, ‘The House without a Christmas Tree’, and I believe it actually started as a TV film -the book was based on the film rather than vice versa. Other books in the series are ‘A Dream for Addie’ and ‘Addie and the King of Hearts’.
Lisa, Ann, thank you both. I don’t *think* that Addie Mills is right, but it’s definitely more on the right track than I’d gotten before… I’m going to try to track down a copy of one of them to look at and see for sure. It may be that I have mixed up that many details.
I’m resuming my intermittent quest to find these books. It isn’t the Addie Mills series, although the Addie books do fit in many ways — Addie’s age range, for instance. But I clearly remember the primary plot of one of them was the protagonist entering a baking contest. And I really think there way just a grandfather and the main character.