Sisters, Schoolgirls, and Sleuths: Girls' Series Books in America (Volume 30)

Girls series books have been popular since the early 1840s, when books about Cousin Lucy , a young girl who learns about the world around her, first appeared. Since then, scores of series books have followed, several of them highly successful, and featuring some of the most enduring characters in fiction, such as Nancy Drew. In recent decades, series books like The Baby-Sitters Club and Sweet Valley High have become staples for young readers everywhere. In Sisters, Schoolgirls, and Sleuths: Girls' Series Books in America , Carolyn Carpan provides a social history of girls' series fiction published in America from the mid-19th century through the early 21st century. Carpan examines popular series, subgenres, themes, and characters found in approximately 100 series, noting how teenage girls are portrayed in girls' series fiction and how girls' series reflect or subvert the culture of the era in which they are produced. Her study also focuses on the creation, writing, and production of such books. This is the first study of American girls' series books to examine the entire genre from its beginnings in the 1840s to the present day, revealing facts about a sub-genre of children's and young adult literature that has rarely been studied. Appendixes in this volume include a listing of the girls' series covered in the book as well as important books about girls' series fiction.

sisters, Schoolgirls, And Sleuths Provides A Social History Of Girls' Series Fiction In America From The Mid-19th Century Through The Early 21st Century. Carpan Examines Popular Series, Sub-genres, Themes, And Characters Found In Approximately 100 Popular Series, Noting How Such Books Reflect Or Subvert The Culture Of The Era In Which They Were Produced.

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tracing The History Of Series Books For Girls From 1840 To The Present, This Book Is A Dry Read That May Find A Small Audience With Those Researching Literary Or Publishing History And Would Appeal More To Library Professionals Than To Teen Readers. As Each Girls' Series Is Presented, A Detailed Look At The Variety Of Plot Lines And Characters Within The Series Is Presented, As Well As An Attempt To Put The Series In Context Among Other Series Or Larger Cultural Movements Of Its Era. Insight Is Offered Into Publishing Trends Of Series For Girls, Including The Frequent Use Of Ghostwriters And The Practices Of The Stratemeyer Syndicate, A Powerhouse In Cranking Out Girls' Series—the Company Developed Outlines And Hired Ghostwriters To Create The Works. The Book, Largely Structured Chronologically, Identifies Trends And Subgenres During Certain Time Periods; However, Because The Nancy Drew Series Went Through Many Iterations And Revisions Over Time, The Tale Of The Series Is Spread Throughout The Entire Book And Is Retold As Each Set Of Events Is Added. While This Allows Chapters To Better Stand Alone, It Leads To Some Redundancy In The Work As A Whole. A Clearer Definition Of What Constitutes A Girls' Series Would Be Helpful; However, The Book Could Lead To Interesting Discussions About Why Series Are Included Or Omitted, Particularly More Contemporary Ones. Reviewer: Erin Wyatt

Series books for girls have been popular since the early 1840s, when books about Cousin Lucy, a young girl who learns about the world around her, first appeared. Since then, scores of series books have followed, several of them highly successful, featuring some of the most enduring characters in fiction, such as Nancy Drew. In recent decades, series like The Baby-Sitters Club and Sweet Valley High have become staples for young readers everywhere Victorian and Vassar girls Schoolgirls and sorority sisters Adventure girls and the new woman The secret of Nancy Drew and her sister sleuths Career girls and World War II Romances and revisions Romance meets reality Sweet dreams for teen queens High school horrors! "In Sisters, Schoolgirls, and Sleuths: Girls' Series Books in America, Carolyn Carpan provides a social history of girls' series fiction published in America from the mid-nineteenth century through the early twenty-first century."--Back cover Discusses the history of American series books geared towards young girls, focusing on themes, charcters, and the books' relations with their respective cultures and time periods, as well as the books' creation and production.