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Senior Trip
"Our treasurer reports that we have exactly one dollar and fifteen cents in the treasury. Despite this dismal fact, we voted unanimously to undertake a trip of eleven hundred miles to Washington, D.C., next spring."
What a wonderful, crazy idea! For Fran, president of the senior class, it meant headaches, hard work...and romance!
What a wonderful, crazy idea! For Fran, president of the senior class, it meant headaches, hard work...and romance!
237 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1962
About the author
Marjorie Holmes
56 books31 followersMarjorie Holmes (1910—2002) was an American columnist and best-selling Christian author of 134 books, 32 of which were best sellers. Holmes is known best for her biblical trilogy which began with the novel Two From Galilee, a love story about Mary and Joseph, published by Fleming H. Revell.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 5, 2022
"There comes a time when silence isn't golden. It's just plain chicken."
My favorite quote from this vintage young adult novel. My favorite quote for reasons other than the novel itself. But that's another story.
I found this read to be delightfully old-fashioned and pretty humorous during the first half or so, as the characters strive to earn their way to Washington. The second half, during the actual trip, still gave me nostalgic feels even while the story felt a little scattered to me—likely because the characters, including Fran, are so scattered. By the time I got to the rather abrupt ending, I realized I didn't quite see a driving point to the story.
Also, while I understand why this novel must have been marketed as a romance in its day, it isn't. As far as the romantic thread goes, for most of the book, Fran just moons around dreaming of what eventually happens in rushed, cursory fashion in a few pages toward the end...all at the expense of her hometown boyfriend, who's watching her moon around about another guy.
I could take the kids' fight to get to Washington seriously, but I couldn't take them seriously much once they got there. Still, perhaps the redeeming quality here is that Fran seems aware of that, even as she narrates the story. Like she's pretty much saying, "Yeah. We were a bunch of mixed-up kids back then. Didn't know what we wanted yet, and we'd have to muddle through and figure it out sometime after our senior trip."
So. Maybe that's the point?
Anyhow, for the nostalgic factor alone, I still enjoyed the whole read about this youthful adventure. And I certainly got a kick out of the old-fashioned cover art I tracked down.
My favorite quote from this vintage young adult novel. My favorite quote for reasons other than the novel itself. But that's another story.
I found this read to be delightfully old-fashioned and pretty humorous during the first half or so, as the characters strive to earn their way to Washington. The second half, during the actual trip, still gave me nostalgic feels even while the story felt a little scattered to me—likely because the characters, including Fran, are so scattered. By the time I got to the rather abrupt ending, I realized I didn't quite see a driving point to the story.
Also, while I understand why this novel must have been marketed as a romance in its day, it isn't. As far as the romantic thread goes, for most of the book, Fran just moons around dreaming of what eventually happens in rushed, cursory fashion in a few pages toward the end...all at the expense of her hometown boyfriend, who's watching her moon around about another guy.
I could take the kids' fight to get to Washington seriously, but I couldn't take them seriously much once they got there. Still, perhaps the redeeming quality here is that Fran seems aware of that, even as she narrates the story. Like she's pretty much saying, "Yeah. We were a bunch of mixed-up kids back then. Didn't know what we wanted yet, and we'd have to muddle through and figure it out sometime after our senior trip."
So. Maybe that's the point?
Anyhow, for the nostalgic factor alone, I still enjoyed the whole read about this youthful adventure. And I certainly got a kick out of the old-fashioned cover art I tracked down.
January 28, 2008
This is another book that I've read over and over. It's about a senior class in a small Iowa town that raises enough money to take a trip to Washington, D.C. I have no idea why it appealed to me so much, but I first read it in junior high and now own a hardcover copy (and I still read it on occasion).
September 10, 2011
Really liked the way this started, but the romance was silly. Perhaps I am becoming more and more cynical in my old age?
Love the fascination with Washington, but I wish there were more descriptions of the museums. . .
Love the fascination with Washington, but I wish there were more descriptions of the museums. . .
October 23, 2011
Fun 1962 tale of a small Iowa senior high school class that plans a class trip to Washington, DC. I don't know if life was truly ever as simple as mid-century teen fiction paints it, but I love these kinds of books!
Read
January 9, 2015I read this back when I was 11 or 12. I read the first few pages again today and I'm thinking, "This is why this book stuck with me so long." I really think that moving to the DC area was put into motion even back when I read this, though it took me 20+ years to make the move
April 29, 2020
This was one of my favorite books in middle school and I read it several times. Lately, I have been re-reading the few books I have kept that were important to me growing up. It is interesting to think about how each book formed my thinking and what I thought of and dreamed about before my adult life unfolded.
This book, in particular, excited me because of the trip to Washington, DC. I had checked out non-fiction books over and over in elementary school about the Capitol and White House and dreamed of some day visiting our nation's capitol. Who knew that not only would I get to visit, but actually live in the area and be able to go to all the places I had read about not just once but many times!
I liked the excitement of the classmates riding a bus and getting to know each other in a different setting. When I was in college, I got to have several of these fun bus tours with my choir mates. I also got to travel to Europe with high school friends.
The last thing that struck me about this book was Fran's wish to get out of her small town. Growing up on a farm in Idaho, I often had this same wish and God has taken me so many places. I still feel more at home in the city, though I appreciate and value my rural roots.
Books really do impact us and take us on trips we can only imagine. In my case, I have been blessed to be able to travel and live in a variety of places. Thank you God!
This book, in particular, excited me because of the trip to Washington, DC. I had checked out non-fiction books over and over in elementary school about the Capitol and White House and dreamed of some day visiting our nation's capitol. Who knew that not only would I get to visit, but actually live in the area and be able to go to all the places I had read about not just once but many times!
I liked the excitement of the classmates riding a bus and getting to know each other in a different setting. When I was in college, I got to have several of these fun bus tours with my choir mates. I also got to travel to Europe with high school friends.
The last thing that struck me about this book was Fran's wish to get out of her small town. Growing up on a farm in Idaho, I often had this same wish and God has taken me so many places. I still feel more at home in the city, though I appreciate and value my rural roots.
Books really do impact us and take us on trips we can only imagine. In my case, I have been blessed to be able to travel and live in a variety of places. Thank you God!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews