Jane Withers and the Hidden Room - the first Whitman Authorized Edition

While most of the books in the Whitman Authorized Editions are single-issued books, there were a few in the line that gave the characters two books - such as Shirley Temple, Deanna Durbin, and Betty Grable.  However, once actress was fortunate enough to get three books, published one a year from 1942 to 1944, and that was Jane Withers (1926 - 2021).  Now, I'll be honest, before getting these books, I had never even heard of Jane Withers before, let alone did I know who she was.  Upon performing a bit of researched, I was surprised to learn she was an extremely popular child star in Hollywood in the 1930s and early 1940s.  I was even more surprised to find that she was "Josephine the Plumber" in those old Comet cleanser commercials on television!  These three books from Whitman seem to have been published just as Withers' childhood fame was starting to die down, so it is interesting that of all the actors and actresses who had books published using their name, she is the only one to have received three!

 

Jane Withers and the Hidden Room was written by Eleanor Packer - and this was Ms. Packer's only contribution to the Whitman Authorized Editions.  The "hidden room" of the title is a bit misleading, as it is not necessarily hidden (since it is easily seen from the outside), but it is a room that is only accessible from the inside by going through a hidden panel in the back of a closet or from outside by clicking a secret release under the ledge of the window.  However, it is what is kept in that room, who is using the room, and why access to the room is so obscure that create the real mystery for this book.  The room, in fact, does not really come into play until nearly half-way through the story!

 

The book actually opens innocently enough, with you Jane Withers arriving by train in the small city of Hollytown-on-the-Hudson. (NOTE - there is no such city; yet, oddly enough, there are two special events that take place with similar names: (1) "Holi on the Hudson" is a Hindu festival that celebrates love, goodness, and renewal; and (2) "Hooley on the Hudson" is an Irish festival that celebrates their culture and heritage. It seems both celebrations on the Hudson River are relatively recent, so it is unlikely the author was inspired by either for the name of her fictional town.)  Jane has returned late from her summer vacation in California due to illness, so she has a lot to catch up on now that she is back at Holly Hall, the "school for young ladies" that is Hollytown's greatest pride (p. 16).  This includes the new professor of Romantic Languages, Paul Berthon.  According to Jane's best friend, Ellin Dwyer, the teacher is the talk of the school, as all of the students (and some of the teachers) are quite smitten with the handsome man.  Jane, however, is more worried about catching up on all of her missed schoolwork rather than silly, girlish crushes on a new teacher.

 

Holly Hall reminds me quite a bit of Starhurst School for Girls from the Dana Girls series.  Both are prestigious schools for young ladies; both are run by a stern, but fair older lady (in this instance, Miss Abigail the second heads up the school; her aunt, Miss Abigail the first, was the previous mistress of Holly Hall until her death); and both have students who become amateur sleuths who fall upon mysteries that must be solved.  While the Dana sisters are both involved in solving the mysteries, in this instance, Jane is on her own - even though her best friend Ellin is in the picture, she does not actually become involved in the mystery.  As this book was published in 1942, some eight years after the first Dana Girls books were published, perhaps Packer was influenced by the Dana Girls series (and numerous other girls series from that era and before that were sent in girls' schools).  

In any event, the mystery begins when Miss Abigail announces some of her jewelry was stolen from her room at the school.  When one of the missing earrings is found under Jane's hatbox in her room, Jane's inquisitive mind kicks into gear.  How did it get there?  Who could have dropped it?  The mystery deepens when Jane is invited to join Ellin at her parents' home for the weekend, and the new teacher, Paul Berthon, and his sister, Lucienne, are also there - and shortly after the visit, the Dwyers' jewels are stolen from their safe!  Jane begins to have suspicions about Professor Berthon and his sister, but Ellin and her parents dismiss them.  Yet, when Jane and Ellin are guests at the professor's cottage, Jane happens upon a small jewel case under the cushion of her chair, which only strengthens Jane's distrust of the professor and his sister.  She is determined to uncover the truth, so she goes to confront her professor - but, instead, she stumbles upon a sinister plot much greater than she had originally thought and becomes the captive of a group of ruthless criminals!

 

The story was actually one of the best of the Whitman Authorized Editions I have read to date.  A strong plot, a very likeable main character, and plenty of danger, excitement, and mystery to keep the story moving at a good pace.  There are definitely some more adult themes to this story, though.  The constant threat of death looming over Jane while held captive by the criminals keeps it very suspenseful, and the fact that they repeatedly make it clear the school's caretaker was "already taken care of" only strengthens the reader's belief that Jane's fate is sealed.  "The little black boy won't never talk again," one crook comments (p. 142); but a more insulting comment is made shortly thereafter, when the same crook sneers and remarks, "You didn't wait to let the Chief decide when you got rid of that darkie" (p. 143).  This kind of comment reminds readers how dated the book is.

 

In addition, Lucienne's rather sarcastic comment to her brother when referring to all of the schoolgirls who have a crush on him, calling him "my gay Lothario," has some very adult undertones, since Lothario often refers to a man who acts very irresponsibly with regard to his sexual relationships with women (which stems from a character of this nature from the 1703 Nicholas Rowe tragedy, The Fair Penitent).  I am surprised such a reference would have been allowed in a book intended for children and young adults to read back in the 1940s!

 

Aside from that, the book was a great read.  It is illustrated by Henrey E. Vallely, who seems to have provided illustrations for a large number of the Whitman Authorized Editions, for which I am glad, as he provides some very beautiful illustrations. The only negative observation I have to make (and it's not about his actual artwork, but rather, about the scene he draws) is with regard to the end pages.  This is not the first book where the end pages provides a dramatic scene which actually spoils the story if you pay attention to it before you actually read any of the book - stories about Ginger Rogers, Betty Grable, and Ann Sheridan also showcased art on their end pages that revealed dramatic moments, either from the end of those particular stories, or from climactic moments that revealed important elements of the story.  Not sure why Whitman would choose these particular scenes, but they should come with a "spoiler alert"!

 

After reading this first Jane Withers mystery, I am anxiously looking forward to the next two - especially since they are not written by the same author as this one, and I'll be curious to see in what direction they take the title character.

 

RATING:  10 little gold typewriter charms out of 10 for a well-written mystery that is pretty much on par with the Nancy Drew and Dana Girls mysteries being published around the same time!