Hesba Stretton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sarah Smith
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Sarah Smith
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| Born | 27 July 1832 Wellington, Shropshire, England |
| Died | 8 October 1911 (aged 79) Ham, London, England |
| Pen name | Hesba Stretton |
| Occupation | Writer (novelist) |
| Nationality | English |
| Period | 19th century |
| Genre | Children's literature |
Sarah Smith (born July 27, 1832 – died October 8, 1911) was a famous English writer. She wrote many popular religious books for children using the pen name Hesba Stretton. Her books were so popular that one of them, Jessica's First Prayer, sold over a million copies! That's ten times more than Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. She created her pen name "Hesba Stretton" by using the first letters of her name and her four siblings' names, plus the name of a village in Shropshire, England, called All Stretton.
Contents
Early Life of Sarah Smith
Sarah Smith was born in Wellington, Shropshire. Her father, Benjamin Smith, was a bookseller. Her mother, Anne Bakewell Smith, was a well-known Methodist. Sarah and her older sister went to a school called the Old Hall in their town. However, they mostly taught themselves through reading and studying.
Around 1867, Sarah Smith moved south. She lived in places like Snaresbrook, Loughton near Epping Forest, and Ham near Richmond, Surrey.
Hesba Stretton's Writing Career
Sarah Smith became one of the most popular writers in the 1800s. She used her Christian beliefs to write stories that showed problems in society. Her moral tales and religious stories were mainly for young people. They were printed in huge numbers and often given as prizes in schools.
She started writing regularly for famous magazines. These included Household Words and All the Year Round. Both were edited by the famous author Charles Dickens. This happened after her sister secretly sent in one of Sarah's stories. Sarah Smith wrote more than 40 novels in total.
Jessica's First Prayer
The book that made "Hesba Stretton" very famous was Jessica's First Prayer. It first appeared in a magazine called Sunday at Home in 1866. The next year, it was published as a book. By the end of the 1800s, it had sold at least 1.5 million copies. That's almost ten times more than Alice's Adventures in Wonderland!
This book started a new type of story. These stories were about children who didn't have homes. They mixed exciting parts with religious lessons. They also helped people in Victorian times understand the lives of poor children in cities. In the United States, the book was published as Jessica's Journey.
A follow-up book, Jessica's Mother, was also published in Sunday at Home in 1866. It later came out as a book in 1904.
Writing for the Religious Tract Society
Sarah Smith became the main writer for the Religious Tract Society. She had worked with poor children in Manchester in the 1860s. This experience made her books feel very real. Her stories showed the difficult lives of the poor with strong emotion. She wanted to highlight these problems and encourage people to help.
Helping Others: Social Work
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In 1884, Sarah Smith helped start an important group. It was called the London Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Other important people like Benjamin Waugh and Lord Shaftesbury also helped. This group later joined with similar groups to form the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC). This happened about five years later.
However, Sarah Smith left the society after ten years. She believed there were problems with how the money was managed.
In her later years, Sarah and her sister lived in Richmond, Surrey. They ran a book club for working-class readers. Sarah Smith passed away at her home, Ivycroft, on Ham Common, on October 8, 1911. She died just eight months after her sister.
Popular Books by Hesba Stretton
- Fern's Hollow (1864)
- Jessica's First Prayer (1866, 1867)
- Little Meg's Children (1868)
- Alone in London (1869)
- Lost Gip (1873)
See also
In Spanish: Hesba Stretton para niños
