The Real Thing by Rosamond du Jardin (1956)

The summer after graduation from high school can be the shortest summer of a girl's life, especially when her favorite man is going to a different college.  Tobey Heydon found that September came too soon and that saying good-bye to Brose was much harder than she had expected.  Tobey and Brose had decided not to let their relationship stand in the way of new friendships at college, but their sensible decision didn't make the separation any easier.

College proved to be even more exciting than Tobey had foreseen.  Rush Week, classes and roommates kept her from thinking too much about Brose during the first hectic weeks.  The week ends were filled with sorority activities and dates with a variety of new and interesting college men.  But in spite of the fun of being a freshman, Tobey looked forward to vacations.

She missed her family--even her little sister Midge, who had stopped being a pest and started asking for Tobey's advice--and she missed Brose.  As the year went on, Tobey began to realize that the new friends and new experiences of her freshman year had not changed her mind about Brose or about their future. 

Readers of Practically Seventeen, Class Ring and Boy Trouble will welcome another story about Tobey, whose feelings and problems ring true to all girls.  (from the inside flap)

Double Wedding by Rosamond du Jardin (1959)

And in the Distance--Wedding Bells ...

Graduation seems terribly far away to Pam and Penny, as they start their second year of college, especially since they and their fiancés agree that graduation should come before marriage.

But college days are crowded days and many things happen to speed the waiting.  One of the most intriguing of them is Pam's growing friendship with lovely, unhappy Geneva Day, who had been so unfriendly during the twins' "showboat summer"!

Then sooner than Pam and Penny ever dreamed possible, it's commencement time--to be swiftly followed by rice and old shoes!  (from the back cover)

A Man for Marcy by Rosamond du Jardin (1954)

Trouble for the Senior Girls ...

Marcy Rhodes and some of her friends face the start of their senior year in high school with a sinking sensation.  Last year they had dated only senior boys, who are now off to college, and the girls find themselves high, dry, and desperate.

When a club called "The Widows" is organized, Marcy enthusiastically joins the "mourners," and by the time her erstwhile steady arrives home for Thanksgiving vacation, Marcy is wallowing in self-pity.  And her mood doesn't improve when she learns he has been dating at college!

Only the skillful intervention of Marcy's brother Ken averts disaster.  Thanks to him, and to Marcy's basic good sense, the balance of the year is gratifyingly different.  (from the back cover)

Double Feature by Rosamond du Jardin (1953)

Pam Does a Double Take

Pretty Pam Howard is still taken aback by her quiet twin Penny's new attitude of independence.  Until recently, Pam led the way, and Penny followed.  Now Penny wants them both to go to the college that her friend Mike plans to attend, but Pam is resisting--partly just for the sake of resisting.  Old field marshals don't give up easily!

Oddly enough, the ensuing fireworks strengthen the twin's relationship, and the college of Penny's choice proves an exciting place for Pam. also.  As a matter of fact, for a while, it's almost too exciting!  (from the back cover)

Senior Prom by Rosamond du Jardin (1957)

New Year, New Dear?

A New Year's Eve spent with Steve Judson convinces Marcy that from now on, she and Steve will be "just good friends."

Luckily, her last term in high school provides many distractions:  work on the school paper; the effort to get permission for a senior trip to Washington; a growing friendship with reliable Rick Whitney; and a date in prospect with exciting Bruce Douglas for the long-awaited Senior Prom.

The Marcy discovers that Bruce's plans for that gala event are not at all what she has in mind, and is she doesn't go with him, she can't go with Rick, because he's out dating someone else--at Marcy's unselfish insistence!  (from the back cover)

Boy Trouble by Rosamond du Jardin (1953)

An Embarrassment of Riches ...

All the fun of high school graduation and that special summer before college are heightened for Tobey Heydon when dashing Dick Allen adds his attentions to those she is receiving from her favorite young man, Brose Gilman.

And the plot really curdles (along with Brose's feelings), when Tobey meets a handsome artist who seems to be the object behind her non-objective paintings. 

But Brose gets his revenge, and it's not only sweet, it's hilarious.  (from the back cover)

The Golden Dream by Jean Nielsen (1959)

Inside the house Starli's mother was still waiting up. "Oh, Mother," she cried, "Avery brought me home, and then daddy . . ."
"Hush, dear, I heard it all." Mrs. Ryland was very gentle.
"It's the first time a boy has ever liked me. And he said such wonderful things. Then Daddy began to--but maybe it's all just a dream."
"But it isn't, Starli, so you might as well make the best of things. They're going to get better. They have to, because I'm afraid they can't get much worse." (from the back cover)

Jean and Johnny by Beverly Cleary (1959)

Until Johnny asked her to dance, Jean had not thought much about real boys at all. Boys were people who lived in the same neighborhood and went to the same school. Some of them were agreeable to talk to once in a while, and some were noisy nuisances. Certainly she had not thought of any of them as dancing partners . . .

It had been so much easier to dream about a boy on the television screen. With that boy she would be dancing lightly, gracefully. But with this boy, this real, live boy . . . well, it was all so different from her dreams. (from the inside flap)

Introducing Parri by Janet Lambert (1962)

Meet Parri . . . 14-year-old daughter of famous actress Penny Parrish. Her trip into New York for a "sensible" coat ended with a tryout for a Broadway play . . . and began a whole new life of fun and dating. Another wonderful Parrish family story by the author of Star-Spangled Summer, Wedding Bells, and The Stars Hang High. (from the back cover)

A Bright Tomorrow by Janet Lambert (1965)

In New York, a city of eight million, Bitsy Jordon could be alone. She took art classes in the mornings, and, with her portfolio under her arm, hounded publishers' offices in the afternoons. And she always loved coming home to her quiet one-room apartment. After growing up in a large family, Bitsy hugged her new-found privacy and independence to her.

But when tragedy struck the Jordon family, Bitsy suddenly realized she needed other people, and that friends couldn't be turned on and off like water faucets. As the roommate of two young career girls, Bitsy discovered that sharing problems, as well as joys, was illuminating and often very helpful.

Janet Lambert, the popular author of more than forty books for teen-age girls, has written a moving yet ebullient story. The delights and the sorrows of being a member of a big family and the frustrations and rewards of pursuing a career in one of the world's most exhilarating cities are sensitively portrayed and Bitsy herself emerges as a sympathetic and charming heroine. (from the inside flap)

Wedding Bells by Janet Lambert (1961)

"You can't keep me a prisoner in my own--afraid to go see my own sister, or to have her family come to see me. If I marry you, Bobby, trust has to work both ways!" It's only a week till the wedding. And it looks as if Susan Jordon and Bobby Parrish's marriage may be ended before it begins! (from the back cover)

The Stars Hang High by Janet Lambert (1960)

"I'm not going to the Orient with you and Daddy," Bitsy Jordon says firmly. "I'm going to stay right here." Who's turn down a marvelous trip like that? Only a girl who wants to fight her battles on home ground: battles for friends, for a job of her own, for being somebody besides Susan Jordon's little sister! (from the back cover)

Myself & I by Janet Lambert (1957)

In spite of her youth, eighteen-year-old Susan Jordon has always responded to the demands of her large family, even when it meant giving up something she herself desired.

Now Susan has reached a critical point in her life. She has decided that her own individuality must express itself--that "myself" and "I" are more important than "ourselves" and "we." She must find a way to release her "real self."

But the sensitive Susan soon discovers that it is difficult to be firm, when for so long she has been acquiescent. Susan's resolution of her problem and her response to the demands of exuberant Bobby Parrish make a delightful story for all girls who themselves desire an opportunity to express their own personalities.

Join Susan as she travels from Gladstone to West Point, then straight into a trap set by Bobby Parrish at Fort Knox, and finally home again to start her first job and learn that life cannot be lived happily without other people. (from the inside flap)

A Dream for Susan by Janet Lambert (1954)

Susan Jordon simply could not believe her ears! All her life she had dreamed of having a home and family like her friends. Going to Turkey with Dad and keeping house for him had seemed like a dream come true. But now General Jordon was calling to say he had to go to Japan instead, and once more Susan was to be thrust back into the boarding school she loathed.

But there's much to be said about wanting something badly enough. And when a girl has a twin brother like Neal and an older sister like Alice, she can't feel miserable and homeless for very long.

First, Neal has a wonderful idea to be followed by an even better one from none other than Tippy Parrish's mother. With the whole Parrish clan joining forces with the Jordons to help Susan realize her dream, she soon finds herself with a home, a family, and a very ardent admirer.

Janet Lambert has a very special touch when it comes to the people she loves. Her books are chock-full of wonderful, fun-loving, very-much-alive young people, and Susan Jordon is one of the most charming and lovable of them all. (from the inside flap)

The Boy Next Door by Betty Cavanna (1956)

Everyone in town took it for granted that Jane Howard was Ken Sanderson's girl, but Jane felt that they were just good "pals." The night Ken tried to show her that he was not at all happy with is unromantic role, Jane instinctively rebuffed him. When her vivacious younger siste, Belinda, began to date Ken, Jane found herself going through a period of bitterness and jealousy. But with new interests at school and an exciting young English boy, Jane finally gained a greater understanding of herself and the world in which she lived. (from the back cover)

Sister of the Bride - Beverly Cleary (1963)

"Don't tell!" said Rosemary. "I'll come home and tell them myself. But I'm sure Dad will be furious anyway." Barbara hung up the phone in a daze. How could Rosemary possibly get married? She was only nineteen--why, she still had braces on her teeth! And Greg was still in school--he couldn't support a wife. Dad certainly would be furious. "In fact," Barbara told herself, "we can get ready for a first-class fight!" (from the back cover)

Carol on Broadway by Helen Dore Boylston (1944)

Fresh and eager from the success which she scored in her small parts at the Winasset summer theater, Carol Page comes down to Broadway determined to find a part. She is ready to take anything, even the lowliest walk-on, for her dander is up; her father has taunted her with the remark that she will "go bust in two months." She has saved nearly $400 from her summer salary and she means to stretch this until a producer has given her the nod.

With her friend Julia, who is looking for a part in comedy, Carol finds a room in a theatrical boardinghouse.  She finds Herbert, a pet skunk, and his vaudeville trainer on the floor above.  But week in, week out, she finds nothing but discouragement in the casting offices.  "Sorry, but you are not the type--perhaps we can let you know later."  Those turn-downs drive her frantic.  When her money has dwindled to the point of desperation, Carol is lucky to find herself a job as an usher in the balcony.  The she picks up a little work on a radio program, she gets a walk-on part in a play which soon flops, and at long last she comes to her real trial on Broadway.

The story of Carol's and Julia's adventures on Broadway, the story of what they bring to the theater and of what the theater grudgingly gives to them, has the true ring, the warmth and the color, which one looks for in the work of Helen Dore Boylston.  This is a book to be read by every girl who ever dreamed of "going on the stage."  (from the inside flap of Carol Plays Summer Stock)

Sue Barton, Rural Nurse by Helen Dore Boylston (1939)

"Hello darling!" It was Bill on long distance from New Hampshire. Yes, everything was set for the wedding. Honeymoon. Back to the hospital. Bliss. Then his father's sudden death throws a burden on Bill; postpones the marriage. Sue, to be near him, persuades the townspeople to hire her as their first visiting rural nurse. A hurricane, a typhoid epidemic, and community suspicions give Sue and her fiancé plenty to do among the salty characters of Springdale.

Another novel by the writer who knows both nursing and people--Helen Dore Boylston. (back cover)

Carol Plays Summer Stock by Helen Dore Boylston (1942)

Her apprenticeship at Phyllis Marlowe's Repertory Theater behind her, green-eyed Carol Page now faces her first real job as second ingénue at the Richards Village Theater, Winasset, Maine. Along with her go her former classmate Julia Gregg and clever young Mike Horodinsky--Julia as apprentice, Mike as assistant stage manager.

In a rambling old house by the sea, Carol, Julia, and Mike live with the other members of the Richards Theater.  Here their days are filled with learning parts, attending rehearsals, painting scenery, and absorbing as much as possible about the business of a summer theater; nights are filled with the excitement of performance.  Here, too, Carol learns what it means to combat such forces as townsfolk who frown on the stage as evil, Maine fog and rain which seem intent on keeping away an audience.  She learns how to meet discouragement and how to cope with a girl named Orchid, a professional member of the cast whose training gives her an advantage over Carol and whose glamour is as effective as her technique. 

Most of all, Carol and Mike discover the meaning of the theater--its demands, its disappointments, its rewards--and it is with a deeper realization of their love for it that they turn their eyes towards Broadway.  (inside flap)

Passport to Romance by Betty Cavanna (1955)

Now that the farewells were over and the big ship was gliding out of New York harbor, Jody stood at the rail and wondered forlornly whether a year at school in Switzerland was really worth it after all. It's time you were on your own, her father had said, but she would miss his gay, easy companionship terribly. Her friends were sure she would meet some perfectly fascinating boy, but what good would it do her if he didn't speak the same language. Jody felt miserably alone and uncertain.

That "scared rabbit" feeling was one that returned to Jody again and again during the first months at school.  Because of the language barrier, it was hard to make new friends, and Mary Lou, the sophisticated Southern girl who had been her cabin mate aboard ship, went out of her way to make Jody feel young and childish.  Even an unexpected meeting with Timothy, a lanky, serious-minded boy she liked, only embarrassed her, because of his ungainly appearance.  The school year stretched ahead endlessly--and then, one day, it snowed.

Snow means skiing in Switzerland and, for Jody, skiing became a passionate new interest.  Absorbed in perfecting her skill, Jody began to forget her self-doubt.  Soon she was happily caught up in a tentative romance with the handsome instructor whom Mary Lou coveted, a gay Christmas vacation in Geneva, and her growing friendship with Timothy.  Then all her new assurance was suddenly shattered and it was only after near tragedy that Jody realized, once and for all, that she had become a person in her own right.

Betty Cavanna's understanding of girls and her ability to talk their language have made her one of the most popular writers in the country.  In this engrossing novel, based on the real letters of an American girl at a Swiss school, Miss Cavanna has perceptively re-created all the conflicting emotions of that most trying period in a young girl's life--the year in which she begins to accept growing up.  (from the inside flap)

Class Ring by Rosamond du Jardin (1951)

Saucy and irrepressible Tobey Heydon has no sooner accepted her friend Brose's class ring than she finds herself getting the most flattering attention and impossible-to-refuse invitations from not one but two other boys! Brose is very understanding for a while, but finally his patience snaps and he takes his ring back. Tobey thinks she doesn't care, but even her high spirits get very dampened before she learns the value of a tried and true friend and makes up with Brose. (from the back cover)

Stars in her Eyes by Betty Cavanna (1958)

Magda Page's family and friends had reduced her distinctive first name to just plain Maggie, but no one could tarnish the luster of her last name. Maggie, in her early teens, was a little too plump and not very sure of herself; but Maggie's father was the famous television personality whose show, "Peter Page Presents," was known from coast to coast. Maggie longed to look glamorous (though not enough to make her curb her appetite), to be attractive to boys (though she didn't quite know how to go about it), and, above all, to appear triumphantly on her father's television show.  (from the inside flap)

Going on Sixteen by Betty Cavanna (1946)

It should be a wonderful dress. It should be a dress that would transform her from the awkward, self-conscious Julie Ferguson into an entirely different girl. Fervently, Julie whispered to the mirror, "I hope." (from the back cover)

Accent on April by Betty Cavanna (1960)

Kathy McCall buried her face in her hands and collapsed in tears. Then unexpectedly, she began to laugh, a little hysterically. "Goodness," murmured her mother, "storms and sunshine. I'm certainly glad April isn't often." Mrs. McCall, of course, was thinking of the sudden storms of the teen-age years. Kathy, however, decided that for most of this past year the accent had been on April in their home. (from the inside flap)

Sue Barton, Senior Nurse by Helen Dore Boylston (1936)

First in the famous Sue Barton series. Sue looked for a place to escape from the terrible Mrs. Pasquale. There it was--a small door--probably a broom closet. Sue jerked open the door. She stepped in and--dropped! Down and down she fell. Then she struck bottom--soft, yielding bottom. She had fallen down the laundry chute. Adventures--comic, exciting, dangerous--mark Sue Barton's first year as Student Nurse. (from the back cover)

Candy Stripers by Lee Wyndham (1958)

Bonnie Schuyler let herself be talked into joining the Candy Stripers.  As a junior aide at the Medical Center, she lightened the heavy work load each regular nurse had.  But she sometimes wondered why she was there--she didn't plan to be a nurse; it was hard work; she didn't especially like helping other people.  One day she met David, a technician who was interested in a hospital career.  Somehow he made her feel rather special and very grown-up.  (from the back cover)

Double Date by Rosamond du Jardin (1951)

Quiet, sensitive Penny Howard has always tried to be as much like her vivacious twin Pam as Pam wished--wearing the same clothes, and letting Pam arrange dates and choose their activities. But as the girls start their senior year at a new high school, in a new town, Penny' rebellion grows and grows, and results in a private Declaration of Independence. To her surprise, she finds herself quietly cheered on by their mother, their grandmother, and finally and most happily for Penny, by Mike Bradley, the boy she was afraid Pam had chosen for herself. (from the back cover)

Wait for Marcy by Rosamond du Jardin (1950)

Devon had a way of looking up into a boy's face that seemed to do something catastrophic to his will power. When Devon gave Steve that look of hers, Marcy felt younger than she had in a long time. "You kept looking at Devon," Liz teased her later. "What are you trying to do, absorb her technique?" "I should say not!" Marcy replied perhaps too sharply. And all evening she felt a sinking sensation within her. (from the back cover)

Sue Barton, Student Nurse (1936)

First in the famous Sue Barton series. Sue looked for a place to escape from the terrible Mrs. Pasquale. There it was--a small door--probably a broom closet. Sue jerked open the door. She stepped in and--dropped! Down and down she fell. Then she struck bottom--soft, yielding bottom. She had fallen down the laundry chute. Adventures--comic, exciting, dangerous--mark Sue Barton's first year as Student Nurse. (from the back cover)

Paintbox Summer by Betty Cavanna (1949)

A summer on Cape Code, studying in Peter Hunt's studio! Beach parties, swimming, summer fun! A dream summer for any girl. Kate Vale, heroine of Paintbox Summer by Betty Cavanna, popular author for teen-agers, has just that. At Provincetown, on the tip of Cape Code, Peter Hunt established his colorful workshop, Peasant Village, where young people come to study. His gaily decorated furniture and novelties are known around the world. (from the back cover)

Green Eyes by Jean Nielsen (1955)


 "I was just thinking about the play," Danny said, his usually candid eyes not meeting hers. "It's going to be out of this world."
"And that's exactly what we'll say in our editorial," Jan agreed.
"I was being personal, not editorial," Danny explained painfully. He went on slowly. "I was thinking of how much I'd like to ask you for a date to go to the play if I weren't afraid you'd snap back that you had to work or you wish I'd drop dead or something."
 On another day, she might have snapped at him and refused his offer because she was embarrassed. Today it seemed perfectly natural to lean over the banister, smile, and say, "I'd love to go to the play with you, Danny." (from the back cover)

The Luckiest Girl by Beverly Cleary (1958)

Shelley looked out into the soft night and smiled. I am the luckiest girl in San Sebastian, she thought, because I am sixteen and Philip likes me.

At home in Oregon, Shelley had not been in this blissful state. She had grown tired of going steady with her friend Jack, and tired of having everything decided for her: especially that she must wear the pink raincoat with the black velveteen collar that her mother had bought for her, instead of the yellow slicker she wanted. So when she was invited to spend the coming school year in southern California, Shelley's parents decided the change would be good for her. And now, just as she had been sure she would, she had found the boy she had always wanted to meet.

Their romance, however, is only one part of this funny and tender and wonderful book. What follows it is even more enchantingly gilded with a lovely light--the very shine of youth. (from the inside flap)