New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-12-08
Stories for Girls

]
GIRLS ~ BooKLANp. ny Hildesssrts Hay
/ ih0rns Illustrated by John Wolcott Adams. sIo'
! % esl The George u. Dorsn Company.
/ THE HEART or ISABEL CARLETON. By Mar
g3rc A-hmun Ihu;irsted BY = g Cas"eA
ABOUT PEGGY sAynLE. By Mrs. George De
/ Horne Nasey. illustrated. l2mo. pp A9. q.
/ =. Puinam'5 Sons
| APRON STRINGS BY Eleanor Gates. limo. 70.
/ s0s Sullg hleintech
"Girls in Bookland" is a fairy story,
although the fairy is like Tinker
Bell': She never appears; you only
hear her. One dark, snowy day in win
ter she comes into the life or dreams
Of two lonesome little girls shut in by
a storm. They are Middle Western
girls who live on a ranch The fairy
/ transports them into the time and lives
Of their favorite story book heroines.
There are Mark Twain-like antics
which remind you of "A Yankee in
King Arthur's Court" Quite the most
delightful visit is with Alice, Through
the Looking Glass" The Red Queen
and the White Rabbit, the Mock
Turtle, the Gryphon, Tweedledum and
Tweedledee and other of the delightful
funnies are there, acting quite nat
, urally unnatural, but we missed the
Cheshire Cat dresdfully. Magic jour
news are made to visit Rebecca and
Rowena, Romola, GuinLvere, 10, Meg,
Beth and Amy and mary other OF our
well beloved friends who dwell in the
happy land of romance. The book is
chaming one, and would delight the
heart Of any young girl. We wonder
also il the author has not intentionally
used her material with an idea Of in
citing in her readers a wish for
more intimate acquaintance with the
good books which she recalls. If so,
she hides her purpose very cleverly.
No wide awake child could escape a de-
sire TO read all about the characters
which she introdu ,es.
1.-THE Heart Of Isabel Carleton" is the
second book Of a series. The action Of
the first part takes place in London
at the beginning of the war. 1t is well
done, and one has a feeling Of regret
when the author arbitrarily compels
the reader to return to America. IL
seems almost like begging the ques-
ton. There was so much more to be
said Of life on the other side. How
ever. the ensuing story is interesting
and wholesome. II is not at all
"preachy," but there are scattered
through it many excellent bits of wis
dom for a growing girl. There is
slight love story, delightfully."- handled,
and there is promise Of more chap
tiers to come about Isabel.
Peggy Gin about Peggy Saville") is
a provoking, amusing little witch. She
IS a girl from India whose parents leave
her in England, in the home of an Eng
lish vicar. Peggy is mischievous and
whimsical, the other children are nat
ural, and while the book has little plot
il is entertaining. There is a bit of
drama. too, when Peggy is burned try
ing 10 save Rosalind, and an exciting
moment when you know that Robert
and Peggy have won the prize. This is
another excellent book for young peo-
pie; honest and straightforward about
children such as you meet in real life,
not the phenomenal managing variety
by whom we have been of late too fire.
quently bored.
We wish we might truthfully speak
as well of Apron Strings" but il is
in fact dull book. The characters are
unnatural and che authors striving for
bizarre effects and smart conversation
makes much OF the plot unintelligible.
The idea is not new one, and is not
particularly well handled. We do not
understand why the book should be la
belled "A story for all mothers who have
daughters and for all daughters who
have mothers" We do not think IL
would be a particularly edifying study
for daughters, and the characters VINO
are obviously intended as a warning 70
mothers are so badly overdrawn that
they are almost caricatures. At the
melodramatic end the author descends
10 the time-worn device of killing
character TO unite the complications.
This is art--if you term it art at all
of the penny-dreadful variety.