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)