Synopses & Reviews
"It is strange that she remembers a doll's name and not her own," Judy agrees when her friends ask about the little girl Judy and her FBI husband, Peter Dobbs, have taken into their home after the orphanage fire. The mystery deepens when the toy shop where Judy has seen the doll apparently disappears. At the library across the street the little girl, known only as Sister, puzzles Judy still further by insisting that the librarian is her mother. They both seem to know a strange character called Auntie Grumble, but is she real? And who are the mysterious men who made the doll walk and talk and sing? Can Judy and Peter be sheltering a kidnapped child? Somewhere, Judy is sure, there must be a hidden clue to the identity of Sister and her baby brother. How Judy finds it and follows it against the wishes of her father, Dr. Bolton, makes an unusual mystery story that will at first baffle and then delight readers.
Synopsis
The Judy Bolton books, written by Margaret Sutton, were a popular girls mystery series. Judy Bolton is in many ways a complex and believable role model for girls, primarily because of their realism and social commentary. Judy was also unique in that halfway through the series, she got married (something series book heroines rarely, if ever, did). The first 4 volumes were published in 1932. The series continued until 1967 and consisted of 38 volumes. Each book was "based on something that actually happened" and many were also based on real life sites.
Synopsis
The thirty-eight volume Judy Bolton series was written during the thirty-five years from 1932-1967. It is one of the most successful and enduring girls' series ever published. The Judy Bolton books are noted not only for their fine plots and thrilling stories, but also for their realism and their social commentary. Unlike most other series characters, Judy and her friends age and mature in the series and often deal with important social issues. To many, Judy is a feminist in the best light-smart, capable, courageous, nurturing, and always unwavering in her true beliefs; a perfect role model. In this thirty-fifth book of the Judy Bolton Mystery Stories, Judy and her husband take a little girl into their home after a fire in an orphanage. How Judy finds the girl's identity is baffling and delightful.
About the Author
Margaret Sutton was born Rachel Irene Beebe in Odin, Pennsylvania in 1903. She was the daughter of Victor Beebe, a well-known historian, and Estella Andrews Beebe. Being a spirited nonconformist, she dropped out of high school, but in 1920, graduated from the Rochester Business Institute. After graduation, she worked for several years as a secretary and in printing. During that time, she met William Sutton at a church dance in New York City. After a courtship exchanging poems and playing chess, they were married in 1924, and she began writing stories for her husband's daughter, Dorothy. Her first Judy Bolton Mystery was published in 1932 under the pen name Margaret Sutton. Ms. Sutton wove many real events and places into the Judy Bolton stories through the 35-year history of the series. She also wrote numerous stories for children and young adults. She was also active in social causes, joining the historic March on Washington in 1964. In 1965, her husband of more than 40 years died. In 1975, after traveling extensively, she married a long-time family friend, Everett Hunting. They moved to Berkeley, California and made their home there until 1993 when they moved back to Pennsylvania. Mr. Hunting died shortly after they moved. In 2001, at the age of 98, Margaret Sutton died in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, not far from her native Potter County.