Although
Nancy Drew may be more known,
Trixie Belden has also intrigued
many young female sleuths wanna-be's....
Probably
the second most popular series after Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames introduced
many young girls to the nursing world. The Sue Barton series by Helen
Dore Boylston was very similar.
Young
detectives seemed to have a spirit and sense of independence girls craved.
Judy Bolton, Donna
Parker, Ginnie Gordon, Robin Kane, Annette (as in Funicello), Ginnie
and Geneva, Beverly Gray, and others all fostered a sense of intrigue.
Dana Girls provided Nancy Drew fans
who had read all of her books already another series.
Camp
Fire Girls and their outdoor adventures was an early successful girls'
series, but not the first. The earliest series I know of (e-mail me with
earlier ones) was Louisa May Alcott's series on Jo and the Marches, starting
with Little Women.
Army
life, acting, travel—the world of Penny
Parrish et al by Janet Lambert seemed an exciting place to be for
many young girls.
Although
many of these series were ghostwritten and we know little about the author,
Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House
on the Prairie series focuses on the writer, albeit in a romanticized,
somewhat fictionalized manner.
Young
girls can read the books their mothers and grandmothers read, but they
also have series of their own, notably Babysitter's
Club, Sweet Valley High and The American
Girl Collection. A new series to which I have been introduced
is American Diaries.
I
have to admit a penchant for occasional fluff. I thoroughly enjoy the
new (and probably not long-lasting) series Disney
Girls. Who wouldn't want to "be" Belle?
One
of my recent finds is a series called Here Come the Brownies! Unlike Mildred Wirt Benson's
old series, this one is officially sanctioned by the Girl Scouts. Unfortunately,
it is out of print :(
Creating
and maintaining children's series web pages is introducing me to books
and authors I missed out on as a child, such as Lenora Mattingly Weber.
While
not a series book in any way, I highly recommend Why It's Great to be a Girl for any
parent, teacher, librarian or other adult who deals with girls.
My
Christmas list is growing to include other holidays. I have included
books and chapters in books in which series books take place over holidays
in my Holidays, Series Book Style
page. Check it out and help it grow!
If
you are interested in one or several of these series, I have started a
reference shelf of information
in print. Many of these books are available through Amazon.com.
Many
people have written me to ask where they can find out-of-print books.
To help them and others, I have created a dealers
page. Good luck in finding that last book for your collection!
Recommended
links: