Kitsy Babcock, Library Assistant - an Avalon Books Career Girl Romance/Mystery

A dear friend of mine who has taken seriously ill was moved up north to live with her daughter - and because of that, her daughter listed her house and all the belongings for sale through an estate sale company.  Now, my friend was planning to open a used book store focused on mysteries (for both children and adults), but sadly, that never was able to happen due to problems with the city.  Thus, her house still had literally thousands of mystery novels, including hundreds and hundreds of children's mysteries.  I was notified of the estate sale and went to her house to buy some books that would be a keepsake and a reminder of my dear friend.  One of the books I purchased was one that I had never heard of, but which piqued my interest because it featured a librarian - and, let's face it, it's not like there are a ton of children's mysteries out there featuring a library assistant as the main character!  Plus, since another good friend of mine happens to work in the library, I thought it might make for a fun read.

Kitsy Babcock, Library Assistant was published back in 1958 by Avalon Books (although the copyright appears to have been held by Thomas Bouregy & Company).  The author is listed as Joan Sargent, but some research shows this was a pseudonym for Sara Lucile Jenkins Cunningham (1904-1963), according to the Library of Congress records.  Mrs. Cunningham wrote books in both the children's / young adult genre, as well as in the adult romance genre, utilizing this same pseudonym, as well as others.  What I found interesting about the book (well, one of the many things I found interesting about the book) is that according to the inside front flap of the dust jacket, Avalon Books apparently included a "Plasti-Kleer Jacket Cover on all Avalon Books."  This leaves me wondering if the jacket protector on the book is actually the original plastic cover used to protect the dust jacket.

In any event, the story turned out to be a different type of read for me.  I had expected somewhat of a mystery for Kitsy to solve (and "Kitsy," by the way, is a nickname for Katherine), but while there is a slight mention here and there of something that could potentially be a mystery, nothing really develops until more than half way through the book!  The first half of the book focuses more on Kitsy's money problems, her desire to remain at "University" (which, oddly enough, has no name other than simply "University"), and her obtaining a job at the "City Library" (yes, that's the name used).  Readers follow along as Kitsy learns in the ins and outs of working at the library, as well as her growing interest in the black-haired artist, Donald Mitchell, who also works at the library.  I did enjoy the relationship between Don and Kitsy, as there was plenty of fun banter back and forth, and the joking dialogue came across as natural and real for two young people who are fast becoming friends (and, eventually, more).  What starts off as a nervous meeting for Kitsy quickly grows into a casual friendship, then a deepening, more trusting friendship, and ultimately a loving relationship.  It develops naturally over the 220 pages of story, making the characters seem more real than not.

Based on these elements, I began to feel like the book was more of a career romance story than a mystery.  While I did like the character of Kitsy, I am just not a huge fan of romance stories.  So, when there was a hint of a mystery - the elderly man wanting to donate his collection of papers detailing some of the rich history of Florida (more on that later) who is afraid someone is trying to steal them ... and the strange man Kitsy refers to as "Mr. Gray" who frequents the library but who makes Kitsy somewhat uncomfortable - I kept waiting and waiting for something to develop.  Well, it took more than 130 pages before something happens, but when it does, boy, is it a doozy!  Poor Kitsy walks in on the criminal wanting to steal the papers from the library, gets knocked out, and wakes up in the hospital.  Upon her release, she convinces Don to help her follow up on a clue as to the identity of the thief, but they both end up kidnapped, tied up in a hotel room at gunpoint, and left to figure out how to escape and recover the stolen papers!

Backtracking a second, I was surprised to discover when I started reading the book that the story is set in Florida.  I'm assuming this may be because the author, according to sources I found online, married her husband in Miami in 1952 and died in Florida more than ten years later.  Thus, when this book was published, she was living in Florida, which would have given her first-hand knowledge of the state.  This, of course, created a mystery in and of itself, as Cunningham never actually names the city where Kitsy is attending "University," and everything is described in such generalities, that it is hard to determine an exact location; however, she makes mention of Orlando, Sarasota, St. Augustine, Pensacola, Key West, and other locales being some distance, which basically crosses those cities off my list.  The "City Library" where Kitsy gets a job is described as "larger than she had imagined it, a three-story marble building that covered a block" (pp. 22-23), and it has a "portico that lay behind tall columns" (p. 23).  This could easily described the downtown Orlando Library (which I am more than familiar with, since I work only a few blocks from that building), but since Orlando is mentioned as a distant city, it could not be that one.  I thought perhaps it might be Tampa, since the University of South Florida is a large university there, but none of the libraries in Tampa fit that description.  Then I considered Miami, since there is also a university there, but, again, none of the libraries fit that description.  So, perhaps Cunningham simply used the description of the Orlando library for her fictional town.

 

In addition, the papers that are the subject of the theft are said to be important historical papers from the "Hernandez" family - a family that "[c]ame from Spain and had one of the first grants from the king of Spain ... [their] descendants have always been bookish people and interested in Florida.  They kept scrapbooks and diaries and bought books about the country..." (pp. 34-35).  While not completely accurate, it turns out there was a real Hernandez family who played an important part of Florida history, eventually owning a number of plantations throughout the state (Hernandez Family in Florida).  The book also makes reference to the Frazier family, claiming "John Frazier just about discovered this part of Florida" (p. 46), to which Kitsy responds, "I always thought it was Ponce de Leon" (p. 46).  The story further explains that after the United States bought Florida in 1821, "Mr. Frazier ... came south of Jacksonville and began to tell everybody how wonderful the country was" (p. 46).  Now, doing some research online, I was not able to find a reference to a John Frazier in Florida history such as this; however, I found two "Frazier Parks" in Florida - one in Jupiter and one in Miami Gardens.  Neither of them appear to have a library just across the street, though.  So, it is likely the whole Frazier story is just that - a story made up for this book by the author.  However, it does give some indication that perhaps the setting of the book is on the east coast, since Kitsy assumes Ponce de Leon is the one who discovered "this part" of Florida, where she and Don are. 

Aside from being set in my home state of Florida, there is also a fun connection to Canada. While talking with her dorm-mate, Maggi, Kitsy mentions Maggi's plans to take a trip to Canada over the summer (p. 119).  This throw-away line struck me for two reasons - one, my friend who is a librarian (and who was part of the reason I bought this book) lives in Canada; and two, the copyright page of the book indicates the book was published simultaneously in "The Dominion of Canada by the Ryerson Press, Toronto."  Thus, this book was just full of surprises - the Florida connection, the Canada connection, the sudden danger into which Kitsy is thrust half-way through the book.  It definitely made for a more enjoyable read and increased my liking of the book!

 

And one last thing to mention - this book is apparently not a very easy one to find. Searches on eBay, Etsy, Abe, Amazon, and other sites reveal almost no copies of the books for sale, and definitely none if dust jacket.  I feel very fortunate to have found the dust-jacketed copy that I have (and at such an unbelievable low price to boot!).

RATING:  10 brand new library wings out of 10 for showing the world that a librarian (or even a librarian's assistant!) can solve a dangerous mystery when the need arises!