The Bluebird Books facts for kids
The Bluebird Books is a series of adventure novels that were very popular with teenage girls in the 1910s and 1920s. The series was started by L. Frank Baum, who is famous for writing The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. He wrote these books using a different name, called a pseudonym, which was Edith Van Dyne. Other authors continued the series, also using the same name.
L. Frank Baum wrote the first four books in the series. It's possible his son, Harry Neal Baum, helped him with the third book. The fifth book was based on an idea from Baum but finished by an unknown writer. The last five books were written by Emma Speed Sampson. We don't know exactly why the series was called "The Bluebird Books," but all the books were published with blue covers.
Contents
About the Bluebird Books Series
The books are about young girl detectives who solve mysteries. L. Frank Baum had explored this idea before in his books The Daring Twins (1911) and Phoebe Daring (1912). The Bluebird series began with a book called Mary Louise. Baum originally wrote this book as a tribute to his favorite sister, Mary Louise Baum Brewster.
His publisher, Reilly & Britton, first said no to the book. They thought the main character, Mary Louise, was too independent for a girl in those times. Baum then wrote a new version of the book, and the first story he wrote is now lost.
Meet Mary Louise Burrows
The main character in the series is Mary Louise Burrows. In the first books, she is a fifteen-year-old girl. She is very mature for her age. Some of the other girls at her boarding school think she is a bit too serious.
Mary Louise faces a big challenge when her grandfather is suspected of working against the United States. With the help of her friends, she works to prove her grandfather is innocent. She also helps to uncover the real truth behind the accusations.
A special government agent named John O'Gorman is in the story. His daughter, Josie, also helps. Josie was trained by her father to be an investigator. Josie O'Gorman was a detective character long before Nancy Drew became famous. Josie is also much less traditional and more adventurous than many other girl characters of her time.
How the Series Changed
Later books in the series brought new adventures and changes to the main idea. The second book, Mary Louise in the Country, deals with a real-life historical event. It talks about the struggle for Ireland to become independent from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
In these later books, Josie O'Gorman becomes more important. She is tougher and less "ladylike" than Mary Louise. Eventually, Josie takes over the series. The author, Emma Speed Sampson, even named the last few books after Josie O'Gorman.
Marie Louise in the Country also touches on how people thought about different races back then. Baum shows a difference between a shopkeeper's old-fashioned views and the more fair ideas of Mary Louise and her grandfather. Another book, Mary Louise and the Liberty Girls, shows the strong feelings against Germany in the United States during World War I.
Books in the Series
- Mary Louise (1916)
- Mary Louise in the Country (1916)
- Mary Louise Solves a Mystery (1917)
- Mary Louise and the Liberty Girls (1918)
- Mary Louise Adopts a Soldier (1919)
- Mary Louise at Dorfield (1920)
- Mary Louise Stands the Test (1921)
- Mary Louise and Josie O'Gorman (1922)
- Josie O'Gorman (1923)
- Josie O'Gorman and the Meddlesome Major (1924)
