Three Girl Chums at Laurel Hall - a Barton Books for Girls

This was never a book I intended to buy.  Heck, to be honest, I'd never even heard of this book until after I read The Mystery of the Brass-Bound Trunk. You see, after reading the seventeenth Nancy Drew mystery, I was curious whether "Laurel Hall," which is the school mentioned in that book (students from which Nancy, Bess, and George would be traveling with on a cruise to South America), actually existed.  Well, I managed to find plenty of Laurel Halls in various colleges around the country.  But what surprised me was finding a vintage children's book with that name in the title.  So, a quick search on eBay turned up a copy in dust jacket for a more than reasonable price, so I bought it.  And I read it, wondering whether I would find anything in this book that might coincidentally connect it with Brass-Bound Trunk...

 

Three Girl Chums at Laurel Hall is written by May Hollis Barton, who wrote a number of books for girls back in the early part of the 20th century.  This particular book was published in 1926, some 14 years prior to the publication of Brass-Bound Trunk, and as such, it is evident that "Laurel Hall" here was not taken from the Nancy Drew book, but perhaps the other way around?  In any event, this book tells the story of three girls - and no, it's not Nancy, Bess and George.  Here, we get the story of Nan Harrison (short for Nancy?), Jo Morley (a girl with a boy's name?), and Sadie Appleby (the more timid of the three) - three young girls who have been friends for life and who are prepared to head off to Laurel Hall to begin their final years of school.  Nan is described as "fair-haired and blye-eyed," Joe is described as "a rather striking contrast to Nan in that her hair and eyes were as dark as Nan's were fair," and Sadie was "rather a cross between the two, being of medium height, and having light brown hair and gray eyes" (p. 2).  The three reside in the small town of Woodford and are excited at the thought of traveling over two hundred miles t attend Laurel Hall (p. 3).  Of course, as with any good children's series book, this one starts off with trouble in the very first chapter!

Barton's mystery is not exactly the main focus of the story, although it does factor into the difficulties the girls face.  It seems that Jo may not be able to attend Laurel Hall after all, since one of her father's employees has absconded with important documents and money that could bankrupt his company.  Fortunately, as is always the case in these books, fate intervenes, and Jo manages to rescue Nan's invalid aunt from a house thought to be on fire - and in return, Nan's aunt volunteers to pay for Jo's way to attend Laurel Hall.  Once at the grand school, which is located on a beautiful lake between majestic mountains (p. 58), the story shifts from Jo's troubles to the difficulties the girls face with a young sophomore who becomes an immediate nemesis - one Kate Speed (p. 61).  For those familiar with the Dana Girls series, the rest of the book may seem strangely familiar, as the girls must accustom themselves to this new school, being away from home, and deal with a very difficult girl (a la Lettie Briggs) who seems to have nothing else to do but cause them trouble.  Kate even has her own Ina Mason in the form of Lottie Sparks, who helps her in her devious schemes.  And there's poor Lily Darrow (no relation to Mildred Wirt Benson's Ruth Darrow), who is timid and quiet, sort of reminiscent of Evelyn Starr from the first Dana Girls' mystery.  

Most of the book is spent on the girls' adventures at Laurel Hall - learning to row, facing off against Kate Speed in a huge tennis match, going on picnics on islands in the middle of the huge lake, facing off against Kate's friends in a rowing race, and the like.  The greatest dangers they face is when they get trapped in the swampy island trying to find huckleberries or when Lottie sets them up to appear as if they had rummaged through the headmistress's office.  Unlike the Nancy Drew or Dana Girls books, there are no big chapter cliffhangers, and the girls never really face down the dastardly villains.  And speaking of which, yes, that mystery involving the man who nearly ruined Jo's father's business does rear his ugly head - for there are several thefts at Laurel Hall, and it turns out that man, along with a local tramp, are hiding out in a cave on one of the islands in order to lay low until they could sell off the bonds and other documents he stole from Jo's father.  Jo happens to see him once on a boat and recognizes him, but they lose him in a chase.  At the end of the book, the three chums, along with three boys they happened to meet during the course of the story, follow the man and his friend to the cave, where the boys overpower them and turn them over to the police - and as such, Jo's father sees the return of all of his money and papers, thereby reinstating his business and his income.

And just to ensure that readers know this is a one-off story and not an on-going series like Nancy Drew, the Dana Girls, and the like, the last three pages of the book give us a flash-forward, letting us in on the future of the three girls, several years after they started their days at Laurel Hall.  Nan's aunt is fully recovered and no longer an invalid, Nan has found romance ("Nan and Frank ... were walking along Main Street, looking in furniture stores.." [pp. 205-06] - and since this was actually published BEFORE either Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, it is even more coincidental that the names Nan and Frank are associated with one another - but then again, what are these series books, if not full of coincidences?), and Jo and Sadie are both full of happiness as well.  Barton provides a bright and cheerful ending to her tale, ensuring that for Nan, Jo, and Sadie, there truly is a happily ever after!

Again, while the mystery pretty much stays in the background (despite the subtitle of the book as "The Mystery of the School by the Lake") and plays little part in the book, that does not mean that Barton's story is not enjoyable.  Her characters are strong and likable (unless, like Kate and Lottie, they aren't meant to be liked!), and they have their distinct personalities.  I enjoyed the playful sarcasm the three girls would sling at one another, which read like natural banter among friends.  The tennis match and the rowing race were extremely well written, showing either knowledge on Barton's part about both sports, or her ability to research the sports to be able to write them with such clarify and specifics.  And while I have no interest in either in real life, I did find myself getting caught up in the competition while reading the book, rooting for Nan, Jo, and Sadie to win their respective battles!

Thus, while there was no real connection between this Laurel Hall and the one in Brass-Bound Trunk (even the headmistresses were different - Miss Romaine in this book, and Senora Zola - although the difference in years could account for the change in headmistresses - yes, yes, I know, I'm really stretching it here!), I would say that this book is worth the read for fans of series books.

RATING:  8 layer cakes and homemade cookies out of 10 for showing how three girl chums can enjoy adventure without much mystery and still make for a good read!