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Sisters, Schoolgirls, and Sleuths: Girls' Series Books in America

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Sisters, Schoolgirls, and Sleuths: Girls' Series Books in America

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Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810857568
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	12/04/2008
Series:	Studies in Young Adult Literature , #30
Pages:	184
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Carolyn Carpan is director of Public Services in the Burke Library at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. She is the author of Rocked by Romance: A Guide to Teen Romance Fiction (2004) and Jane Yolen (2005).

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xi

Chapter 1 Victorian and Vassar Girls: Nineteenth-Century Origins of Girls' Series Fiction 1

Chapter 2 Schoolgirls and Sorority Sisters: Progressive Era High School and College Series 12

Chapter 3 Adventure Girls and the New Woman: From the Progressive Era to the Jazz Generation 33

Chapter 4 The Secret of Nancy Drew and Her Sister Sleuths 49

Chapter 5 Career Girls and World War II 66

Chapter 6 Romances and Revisions: The Junior Novel and the New Nancy Drew 84

Chapter 7 Romance Meets Reality: Girls' Series Fiction and the Second Wave of Feminism 101

Chapter 8 Sweet Dreams for Teen Queens: Romance Renaissance in the Reagan Era 114

Chapter 9 High School Horrors! Genre Fiction for Teens 129

Appendixes

A Alphabetical List of Series 151

B Important Books about Girls' Series Fiction 155

Index 157

About the Author 165

From the B&N Reads Blog

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Editorial Reviews

This makes an excellent reference for any library strong in young adult fiction or women's studies.

Midwest Book Review

Tracing the history of series books for girls from 1840 to the present, this book.. .. may find a small audience with those researching literary or publishing history and would appeal more to library professionals than to teen readers.

VOYA

An interesting, detailed, easy-to-read look at the birth, development, and current state of series books for girls....As a first chronological genre study of girls-series books, Carpan's study complements other books on the subject. Recommended.

Choice Reviews

Carpan chronicles the history of this genre in a highly readable narrative. It is also a unique reference source. Students of history, literature, and gender studies will find it informative and enlightening.

Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)

An interesting, detailed, easy-to-read look at the birth, development, and current state of series books for girls....As a first chronological genre study of girls-series books, Carpan's study complements other books on the subject. Recommended.

Choice

An interesting, detailed, easy-to-read look at the birth, development, and current state of series books for girls....As a first chronological genre study of girls-series books, Carpan's study complements other books on the subject. Recommended.--CHOICE

Many of us know Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden, but this compendium provides the broader background of what came before them and what we see now as series books for girls....This well-written and thoroughly researched volume follows the changes that Nancy Drew underwent. This intriguing history is for anyone interested in how we went from innocent Elsie Dinsmore to 'Sweet Valley High' and 'The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.' University libraries will be particularly interested in this title.--School Library Journal

Carpan chronicles the history of this genre in a highly readable narrative. It is also a unique reference source. Students of history, literature, and gender studies will find it informative and enlightening.--Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA)

From the Publisher

An interesting, detailed, easy-to-read look at the birth, development, and current state of series books for girls....As a first chronological genre study of girls-series books, Carpan's study complements other books on the subject. Recommended.

CHOICE

This makes an excellent reference for any library strong in young adult fiction or women's studies.

The Midwest Book Review

Carpan chronicles the history of this genre in a highly readable narrative. It is also a unique reference source. Students of history, literature, and gender studies will find it informative and enlightening.

Young Adult Library Services

Many of us know Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden, but this compendium provides the broader background of what came before them and what we see now as series books for girls. In 1867, Elsie Dinsmore was published. In this long-running, moralistic series, Elsie, who lost her mother and was abandoned by her father, defied all odds and grew into a religious and upright citizen. Series really took off in the early 1900s when Edward Stratemeyer hit upon the idea of books written by ghostwriters, which allowed him to churn out story upon story to the delight of his readership. It was under his stewardship that Nancy Drew, the Bobbsey Twins, and the Hardy Boys appeared. In many ways, these series did not change much over the years in terms of offering girls specific ideals and mores of society in any given era. It wasn't until they had to contend with realistic YA fiction in the 1960s that girls opting for careers over family began to appear. This well-written and thoroughly researched volume follows the changes that Nancy Drew underwent. This intriguing history is for anyone interested in how we went from innocent Elsie Dinsmore to "Sweet Valley High" and "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." University libraries will be particularly interested in this title.—Joan Kindig, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

School Library Journal

Sisters, Schoolgirls, and Sleuths: Girls' Series Books in America

Sisters, Schoolgirls, and Sleuths: Girls' Series Books in America

Hardcover

Hardcover

Related collections and offers

Overview

Product Details

About the Author

Table of Contents

Customer Reviews

Related collections and offers

Overview

Product Details

About the Author

Table of Contents

Related Subjects

Customer Reviews