Just finished Nancy Drew and Company: Culture, Gender, and Girls' Series edited by Sherrie A. Inness. (See? I do read non-fiction. Occasionally.) The book is a collection of essays about girls' series books that started in the 1930s and, in the case of Nancy Drew, are still going strong today. It was an okay book; I'd give it about a C+ overall. I did learn of a series I didn't know about before—the Betsy-Tacy series—that starts when the two girls are five and goes through WWI. The first book is now on my B&N.com wish list. I also learned that the Cherry Ames series started as a means to promote nursing during WWII, but since I've already read one of hers, I don't need to order more. Nancy Drew, of course, remains the longest running series and most emulated character.
Reading critical analyses of series books like these, I keep wondering two things: 1) How come the Dana Girls get so little press? I really liked many of their stories better than Nancy Drew, probably because of the wonderful stuck-up kid at the boarding school—Lettie Briggs, if I remember correctly. 2) Might there actually be a market for an in-depth analysis of the 87th precinct novels? The idea still interests me.
Go for it. I only read two "87th" books. I thoroughly enjoyed the very last book McBain wrote but I just didn't get into "Fat Ollie."
Kathy
