Subject
Teenage girls -- Societies and clubs -- Juvenile fiction Books
Best books
Grace May North
Adele Doring at Boarding School
"Adele Doring at Boarding School" by Grace May North is a young adult novel written in the early 20th century. The story revolves around Adele Doring and her friends as they embark on their new adventure at Linden Hall, a boarding school. With themes of friendship, growth, and the challenges of adolescence, the narrative explores the dynamics of a group of girls navigating their new environment alongside the introduction of new characters like Carol Lorens and the challenges they face together. At the start of the novel, Adele expresses her excitement about returning to school after vacation and shares her enthusiasm with her mother. We are introduced to her friends, including Rosamond and the newcomer Carol, who faces the uncertainty of fitting in. As Carol learns about the Sunnyside Club and her place in the community, we begin to glimpse the contrasts between the girls, such as their social backgrounds and friendships. The opening chapters set the stage for their forthcoming adventures, hinting at themes of acceptance and the trials of adolescence within the boarding school setting.
Gertrude Hall Brownell
The Nowadays Girls in the Adirondacks : $b or, The deserted bungalow on Saranac Lake
"The Nowadays Girls in the Adirondacks: or, The Deserted Bungalow on Saranac…" by Gertrude Calvert Hall is a juvenile adventure novel written in the early 20th century. It follows four spirited friends—Sylvia Pursell, Rose Bancroft, Alice Harrow, and Hazel “Baby” Reed—who call themselves the Nowadays Club and set off for an Adirondack summer with their dignified chaperon, Mrs. Theodora Leigh Brownley. Woven through their vacation plans is Sylvia’s worry for her brother Roy, recovering at Saranac after a breakdown tied to a lost chemical formula, hinting at mystery alongside outdoor fun. Expect dances, canoeing, mishaps, and budding friendships as the girls make their way toward Saranac and the promise of a deeper intrigue. The opening of the story introduces the club, their lively personalities, and Sylvia’s plan for an Adirondack tour that will end near Roy’s sanitarium at Saranac Lake. A troubling telegram about Roy is softened by a later reassuring call, and the girls plunge into New York shopping and theater before departing with Aunt Theodora. On the train they befriend Jack Benton, detour for a sociable week in Syracuse, then reach Old Forge. There, a ballroom mishap sees Alice’s emerald ring lost and dramatically recovered, a canoe collision tips Alice into the lake (rescued by practiced oarsmen), and a golf drive knocks a passerby—but only his pride—before the girls try their luck fishing. Finally, they set off by guide-boat through the Fulton Chain toward Raquette Lake, stopping at the first carry as their journey—and the larger mystery—begins to take shape.
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