Aunt Claire Presents (Book Four): Grace Harlowe's Sophomore Year at High School

I put off reading this book for a bit, as I knew it would be the last "Aunt Claire Presents..." book, and I hated the idea of reading this final bit of history.  It seems the children's series of yesteryear just do not receive the credit they are due, and "Aunt Claire Presents..." provided the perfect avenue to give today's readers a window into the past - to see, yes, some of the prejudices and stereotypes that were present in that time, but to also see the camaraderie, as well as the innocence of a different era.  But, alas, apparently today's readers just aren't ready for that, or they simply aren't interested - as I can only guess that sales just did not warrant any more books in this series.

In any event, the final book presented by Aunt's Claire is actually the second book in the Grace Harlowe series - Grace Harlowe's Sophomore Year at High School (or "The Record of the Girl Chums in Work and Athletics"), by Jessie Graham Flower, A.M.  Grace and her friends Anne, Nora, and Jessica all return for new adventures and a new mystery, once again centered around poor Anne. In the first novel, there was the competition for the highest grade point average in the Freshman class, and someone was sabotaging Anne's chance.  In this second novel, the girls are excited about their basketball team, but it seems someone has given the junior team all of the sophomore's signals, leading them to lose their first game.  The blame is placed on Anne, and even she is uncertain as to whether it was her fault, since she lost the paper Grace had given her with all of the signals on there.

While the mystery is subtle and not at all difficult to figure out (who really did give the juniors the signals and put the blame on Anne?), the book focuses more on friendship, loyalty, betrayal, forgiveness, and standing firm in your beliefs.  While Grace sticks by Anne, the rest of the basketball team (except Nora) all fall in line with Miriam, who accuses Anne of leaking their secret signals and bans her from watching their practices.  A division begins to form within the sophomore class, and Grace finds herself a target of distrust for standing by Anne, despite all the accusations against her.

As the introduction by "Aunt Claire" points out, the book was written during a period when distinct prejudices existed toward people of a lower class and of certain professions (such as Anne's father, who was an actor).  While many of those prejudices have gone by the wayside, what is a shame is that some of the better attitudes displayed in the book - such as fierce loyalty to friends and a continued belief that even the worst people have some good in them - also seem to have disappeared in today's society.  Despite the other girls' vicious antics in the book and the last, when Julia  falls through the ice in an unexpected accident while ice skating, Grace doesn't hesitate to put herself in jeopardy to help rescue the girl (and in the process, learns to overcome one of her own prejudices when she meets a deaf-mute man who she immediately writes-off as slow and dim-witted, only to discover that he has more sense than her when it comes to lending aid to Julia!).

One thing I did find a bit odd about this book was that the mystery of the spilled secret was resolved by the end of chapter 22 - yet, for reasons unexplained, the author felt the need to throw in a couple more chapters and send Grace on yet a wholly unrelated adventure involving an escaped mental patient (who was mentioned nowhere earlier in the book, and whose appearance serves absolutely no purpose in the story other than to put Grace in a dangerous situation).  Perhaps the author was contracted to provide a certain amount of pages or chapters, and so this added plot element was thrown in at the last minute to meet the page/chapter count - whatever the reason, it was certainly out of place and unnecessary.

Nevertheless, I'm now considering hunting down the vintage books in this series to see where it goes next - after reading Grace Harlowe's freshman and sophomore years, I have actually found myself interested in these characters and curious to see what their junior and senior years bring, and how things extend beyond that.  I just wish the young adults and children of today's generations could appreciate the writing and stories of the early 20th century, so that more books along these lines could be reprinted.  But, alas, it's not meant to be - so it's out to the used book stores, antique malls, and online to eBay to begin my search for the next Grace Harlowe adventure...

RATING:  8 sprained ankles out of 10 for attempting to remind today's readers of the joys of the last century's reading material for children and young adults.

Aunt Claire Presents (Book Three): The Girl Aviators and the Phantom Airship

Vintage series books are always fun to read, as the language is so rich, the dialogue and actions usually reveal a lot about the time period in which the book was written, and the stories are ... well, they are so innocent and naive in a lot of ways.  Thus, I am truly enjoying this Aunt Claire Presents series of reprints, as they allow me to escape the confines of this media-heavy, technology-addicted century that we live in and enter a world where simple things such as airplanes and automobiles are things of awe and wonder!

The Girl Aviators and the Phantom Airship is the third book in the Aunt Claire Presents series, and it is also the first book in The Girl Aviators series from the early 1900s.  Originally published in 1911 (wow! more than 100 years ago!), the story follows Peggy Prescott and her brother, Roy, as they attempt to save their home from a greedy bank manager intent on foreclosing their home if they won't sell him the airplane that their father began to build and the two youngsters finished.  But, as with all series book protagonists, these two teenagers are not that gullible, and so they refuse the offer and work to make their "Golden Butterfly" the best it can be, so as to win an upcoming air show, with a grand prize of $5,000!  (Can you imagine the worth of $5,000 back in 1911???)

The mystery from which the title is derived stems from a mysterious airship that Peggy and Roy see in the night sky when they are fighting the wind - the strange craft seems impervious to the winds, and although they can only see the red and green lights, it is clear the airplane is far superior to their own as they are nearly blown out to sea.  Interestingly enough, however, that is the only appearance of the "phantom airship," and no other real mention is made of the mystery.  Instead, the greater mystery seems to involve the theft of their friend Jess's wallet of jewels (including a family heirloom ruby) valued at ten thousand dollars!  Throughout the entire book, Peggy is curious as to who took the jewels, and although she suspects it is Fanning Harding, the son of the banker who is determined to prove he can build a better airplane than Roy Prescott.

But even the mystery of the missing jewels takes a backseat to the thrill and danger of flying in up in the clouds and the excitement of the upcoming air show.  It is interesting to note the varied reactions to Peggy and Roy as they fly into various places - the excitement and wonder of Jess and James Bancroft, the apprehension of the older doctor, and the fear and uncertainty of the lighthouse keeper.  Plus, author Margaret Burnham clearly has her own thoughts on women's rights, even back in the early 1900s, for although Roy is thrust into the limelight when it comes to the airplane, it is truly Peggy who often saves the day, and even their friends Jess and James (or "Jimsy" as Peggy calls him) recognize the large contribution that Peggy puts into it.  Of course, flying is a man's territory, so Peggy tends to stand back and allow her brother to take the spotlight (even though it's clear the author believes women are just as capable, if not more so, than women).  An interesting example of this occurs when the villains in the story kidnap Roy and he ends up trapped at the bottom of a well, and Peggy is forced to disguise herself as her brother and take flight in the contest to avoid having to forfeit their chance at the $5,000 cash prize!  This is quite the switch, particularly for those days, since it was usually the female character who was in trouble, and the male lead had to rescue her!

The internal illustrations are reproduced in the book as well, which add some nice flavor to the enjoyment of the book, and the hardcover to the book reproduces a facsimile of the original cloth cover board, including "stains" to give it a true vintage feel.  As with the prior two, "Aunt Claire" provides an introduction to the story, giving a background as to the time period, the subject matter, and the biases and stereotypes found within the story.  I can certainly see these books used in a classroom for educational purposes - not only do they make for a fun read, but they could certainly provide opportunities for students to study the history of our nation through series fiction!

I without a doubt recommend these books and hope that the series is selling well enough to warrant more reproductions (as there are currently only four books out - two in the Grace Harlowe series, one in the Automobile Girls series, and this one in the Girl Aviators series).

RATING:  7 silvery-bearded hermits out of 10 for a rather tame mystery but an exciting glimpse into the past awe and wonder of air flight!

Aunt Claire Presents (Book Two): Grace Harlowe's Freshman Year at High School

The books of yesteryear hold a very special place for me, as I absolutely love the writing of the children's series books from back in the day.  The writing has more depth and more complexity than the simple writing of today's books, and it has much more characterization and descriptive settings.  That's why I am thankful for this new "Aunt Claire Presents..." series of books, and it's my hope that the publisher continues to reprint a lot of the classics such as this.

Now, I have heard of the Grace Harlowe series, and on occasion, I've seen books in the series while shopping antique malls and used book stores.  I even have one book in the series (which, admittedly, I've never read), titled Grace Harlowe's Overland Riders and the Kentucky Mountaineers.  The only reason I picked up that book is because of the Kentucky reference, since I am from Kentucky.  So, it was with some bit of curiosity that I opened this second book in the "Aunt Claire Presents..." series, as I am more of a mystery fan and less of a girl's life series book reader.

Grace Harlowe's Freshman Year at High School, or The Merry Doings of the Oakdale Freshmen Girls, by Jessie Graham Flower, A.M., proved to be an enjoyable read.  While Grace Harlowe is the headliner of the book, as the introduction explains, the story is not just about her.  The story also highlights Grace's friends - Jessica Bright, Nora O'Malley, and Anne Pierson, with a good portion of the tale focusing on Anne and her desire to fit in at the school and win the freshman prize at the end of the year with a perfect score on her examinations.  The story also features a nemesis, of sorts, in the form of Miriam Nesbit, who reminds me a lot of Lettie Briggs from the Dana Girls mystery stories.  While there is no overarching mystery for the girls to solve in the books, there are a couple of minor mysteries that they solve along the way - such as who stole the answers to the final examination papers, and who sent Anne the frightening marionette in the image of her father.  There is no real difficulty in solving the mysteries, but it does provide the girls with some more adventures (as if trying to escape from ravenous wolves in the forest, helping Anne escape her father who is trying to kidnap her, fending off a thieving guest, and dealing with pranks from the sophomore class were not enough!).  And then there is the secret letter that Anne is hiding as the story reaches its end, a secret that could place Anne under suspicion for stealing the examination answers!

The introductions to these books by "Aunt Claire" are actually very informative, and give not only information about the book and its author (who I did not realize was yet one more pseudonym in the world of children's book authors), but also provide information about the time period when the books were written and how it affected the authors' writing.  It's great to see the text preserved and not edited to remove racial or social stereotypes and slurs, and I absolutely love that the binding of the book under the dust jacket is a reprinting of the original binding (which titles the book as Grace Harlowe's "Plebe Year" at High School, rather than "Freshman Year" at High School.

Now, remembering that this is a period piece, I did find a couple of passages somewhat humorous when read in the context of today's language.  One of them is the description of Mrs. Gray's nephew when he first appears at her house, on page 138:

He was tall and slender, very dapper and rather ladylike in his bearing  His alert, dark eyes were set too close together, and his face had a narrow, sinister look that made them all feel uncomfortable ... "Asinine dandy!" hissed Hippy.  "I knew he'd be a Miss Nancy," exclaimed Reddy ... "What do you like, then?" demanded Nora ... "I live afternoon tea," he answered, "and bridge."

The definition of a dandy, for this period, was someone who paid much too much attention to his appearance; usually, this type of person put on airs and tried to pass himself off as more affluent than he actually was.  The definition of a Miss Nancy was someone who was effeminate - a sissy, for lack of a better term.  Throw in the "rather ladylike in his bearing" description, and it could be assumed that the author was inferring that this Tom Gray character was a homosexual - but, at the time, she could not just come right out and say that.

Then there is the observation that David Nesbit makes on page 100 - purely innocent in nature, but read with today's language, society, and thought processes in mind, it takes on an entirely different meaning:

"If the Dunsmore boys are in good trim, I'm afraid they'll give us a stiff pull," observed David, "but the stiffer the pull the more interesting it is to watch, so long as they don't like us."

Now, in the story, David is talking about the important football game coming up between Oakdale and its big rival, Dunsmore; however, simply reading the statement in today's world, it comes across with a blunt overtone of sexual innuendo (which I doubt the author, back in 1910, intended).  Then again, perhaps it is just my dirty mind placing innuendo where there is none!

Nevertheless, the book was fun to read, and I look forward to reading what happens to these girls in their sophomore year in the next book (which is advertised to come out in the Spring of 2018 along with a Girl Aviators books, which I hope is true).

RATING:  9 crashing fir trees with ornaments and candles out of 10 for preserving the childhood joys of yesteryear for today's generation to read and love!

Aunt Claire Presents (Book One): The Automobile Girls at Newport

There is a reason why, when I go to a bookstore, I will stroll up and down the aisles of the various genres - mystery, science fiction, graphic novels, young adult, and children's.  Sometimes, as I stroll down the aisles and let my eyes wander across each of the shelves, I will (a) see a cover of a book or a title that catches my eye; (b) see something new that I was not even aware was going to be published; and (c) see a book that really gets me excited about reading.

All three of those reasons are why I picked up Aunt Claire Presents... The Automobile Girls at Newport.  Now, to be completely fair, this was not the first book I noticed.  The first one I noticed was actually Aunt Claire Presents...Grace Harlowe's Freshman Year at High School.  My eye caught the name "Grace Harlowe" in the part of the title on the spine on the bottom shelf at the store, and I immediately knelt down and pulled the book out.  I am fully aware that Grace Harlowe was a series of vintage children's books written nearly 100 years ago, so my first thought was that they were doing an updated version, or that possibly it was a pure coincidence that the name was the same.  Those ideas were quickly dispelled as soon as I saw the cover and read the back of the dust jacket.

"These are the series books that American girls read for fun a century ago.  They are not only fast-paced tales of friendship and adventure, but also pieces of history that reveal many interesting things - good and bad - about the time in which they were written.  Look under the book jacket to see the original front cover from 1910!"

Reprints!  These were surprising reprints of series books from the early 20th century, books that I never imagined in a million years they would actually reprint.  And just as the back of the dust jacket said - under the dust jacket, the cover to the book is a reproduction of the actual cover of the 1910 edition of this book (although it is not cloth, it gives the appearance of cloth and age, even with what appears to be shadowed stains here and there, which any collector will tell you appears on pretty much any of those old series books).  There is a frontispiece, and there are illustrations throughout the book - although not glossy, they are indicated to be copies of the original illustrations from the 1910 version of these books.

Needless to say, I quickly picked up both the Grace Harlowe and the Automobile Girls books (and a quick look at Amazon.com reveals a second Grace Harlowe book is set to come out, along with a reprint of the first Girl Aviators book).  I couldn't wait to tear into these (not literally tear - I would NEVER do that to a book!!!!), so I started with what is indicated to be the first one "Aunt Claire" reprinting, The Automobile Girls at Newport.

This book begins the adventures of Barbara Thurston; her younger sister, Mollie; their friend, Grace Carter; Grace's friend, Ruth Stuart; and Ruth's aunt, Aunt Sallie Stuart (who acts as a chaperone for the girls on their trip).  Pages 7 to 18 provide an introduction (aptly titled "A Note from Aunt Claire"), which gives young readers an introduction to the book and provides information on the time period, the characters, the ideals of the day and age in which it was written, the style of clothes, etc. It also gives a snapshot of the various titles in the 6 book series. It even provides illustrations of magazines, advertisements, and photographs from the era to help enhance the reading and understanding of the book.

The story itself was very enjoyable to read.  Barbara and Mollie are lower middle-class girls who help their mother in their modest cottage.  Their father died, and although he was partnered with his wife's brother in a lucrative business, their uncle, upon their father's death, claimed there was little money left on their father's part, as he lost a great deal on speculations (although, frankly, there are subtle hints that this is not the case, and I hope that later books in series revealed the girls were not as poor as they thought...).  As with any good series book, something unexpected happens in the first chapter that gets the mystery and adventures started, and in this case, it is sixteen-year old Barbara stopping a runaway carriage.  The inhabitants of the carriage happen to be none other than their friend, Grace, and her friend, Ruth - as well as the Thurston's rather uppity cousin, Gladys Le Baron, and her companion, Harry Townsend.  As a reward for her help, Ruth invites Barbara and Mollie (much to Gladys's dismay) to the hotel in town for a special luncheon the next day - where she invites the two girls to join her and Grace on a great adventure:  travelling by automobile to Newport!

Now, this is where one has to remember the time period in which this book was written.  First, automobiles were not something everyone had.  And those who did have them did not allow women to drive them.  Of course, Ruth, much in the vein of Nancy Drew, lost her mother at a young age, has an indulgent father, and is a determined young woman who accomplishes whatever she sets out to do.  And just so the automobile journey is approved by her father, Ruth's Aunt Sallie has agreed to accompany the girls.  It is only natural the girls are able to join them for the ride, and Mrs. Thurston even provides the girls with a little extra money that she has been saving up for them so that they can buy the proper clothing for riding in an automobile (remember, most roads were not paved back then, if any where, so driving along stirred up quite a bit of dust and dirt!).  The mystery, though, begins when two 20-dollar gold pieces that Barbara and Mollie had earned are discovered to be missing after Grace, Ruth, Gladys, and Harry leave.

The author, Laura Dent Crane (pseudonym or real?  good question...), writes a fun and engaging story of friendship, jealousy, accusations, mystery and mishaps, and adventures that girls back in 1910 would find exciting and perhaps a bit tense.  In today's day and age, a flat tire on the side of the road is nothing; however, in 1910 - without cell phones, without easy equipment to jack and replace the tire - a flat tire for five young women could be a near catastrophe, particularly when it starts raining, and Barbara gets caught "borrowing" a horse for a nearby farm house to race to town to get help!  But I do give Crane credit for keeping the mystery subtle at first, but slowly building it throughout the story as there appear to be thefts at every stop along the way, with big-ticket thefts occurring at the parties the girls attend in Newport!  And while I new who the culprit was pretty much from the get-go, it was fun to watch how Crane weaved the story and had the characters slowly figure it out.  Plus, the fact that Barbara did figure it out and make an accusation that caused her to basically be ostracized from the group - only to be vindicated later when the truth came out - made for some great tension among the characters.

All who know me know that I love the vintage children's series, and this is one that I have taken a great liking to - I hope "Aunt Claire" presents some more titles from this series - would be a manageable (and affordable!) way to collect the series and read them!

RATING:  9 diamond butterfly pendants out of 10 for bringing back a classic tale and introducing it to a whole new generation of readers!