Description
By: L. Frank Baum (1856-1919)
Mary Louise by L. Frank Baum is a delightful children’s book that follows the adventures of a young girl named Mary Louise. The story is filled with mystery, humor, and heartwarming moments that will capture the imagination of readers of all ages.
One of the things I enjoyed most about this book is the strong and resourceful protagonist, Mary Louise. She is a smart and courageous girl who isn’t afraid to speak her mind and stand up for what she believes in. Throughout the book, Mary Louise faces various challenges and obstacles, but she always manages to overcome them with determination and courage.
The supporting characters in the book are also well-developed and add depth to the story. From Mary Louise’s loyal friends to the quirky residents of the small town she lives in, each character brings their own unique personality to the narrative.
Overall, Mary Louise is a charming and engaging book that will appeal to both children and adults. L. Frank Baum’s writing is engaging and the story is full of twists and turns that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun and entertaining read.
Book Description:
The Bluebird Books is a series of novels popular with teenage girls in the 1910s and 1920s. The series was begun by L. Frank Baum using his Edith Van Dyne pseudonym, then continued by at least three others, all using the same pseudonym. Baum wrote the first four books in the series, possibly with help from his son, Harry Neal Baum, on the third.
The books are concerned with adolescent girl detectives— a concept Baum had experimented with earlier, in The Daring Twins (1911) and Phoebe Daring (1912). The Bluebird series began with Mary Louise, originally written as a tribute to Baum’s favorite sister, Mary Louise Baum Brewster. Baum’s publisher, Reilly & Britton, rejected that manuscript, apparently judging the heroine too independent. Baum wrote a new version of the book; the original manuscript is lost.
The title character is Mary Louise Burrows. In the first books of the series, she is a fifteen-year-old girl with unusual maturity (though the other girls in her boarding school find her somewhat priggish). She is suddenly confronted with the fact that her beloved grandfather is suspected of no less a crime than treason against the United States. With the help of old and new friends of Mary Louise … the truth is uncovered. The novel features a federal agent named John O’Gorman; he is assisted by his daughter Josie, a young woman he has himself trained to function as an investigator. (The Josie O’Gorman character, despite preceding Nancy Drew by more than a decade, is much less traditionally feminine.)
