Ginnie and Geneva

Ginnie and Geneva #1

by Catherine Woolley

A shy little girl learns to cope with school and the teasing from the most popular girl in the class

Genres: Childrens, Middle Grade, Fiction, Historical, Juvenile, Young Adult, Friendship

154 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1948

About the author

A prolific writer of over eighty books, Catherine Woolley published so many children's books that her publisher recommended using a pen name for some of her works. Ms. Woolley's Ginnie Fellows series was and continues to be a reader favorite across generations.

Pen name: Jane Thayer.

Reviews

[Wendy Darling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread for the umpteenth time, because I'm wretchedly ill and in need of a comfort read. This is the coziest book, filled with hikes in the snowy woods, fudge-making, cats, sweet gingham dresses, mothers who greet you after school with fresh chocolate cake, and skating parties. I wish Catherine Woolley's books were still in print and better known; if you enjoy the Betsy-Tacy or The Moffats books and old-fashioned stories about friendships and growing up, Woolley's two middle grade series are definitely worth trying to find. They are so very dear and comforting.

I'm gonna have to have a hot dog tomorrow after reading this.

[Lisa Mcbroom · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a child I read the whole "Ginnie" series. Ginnie Fellowes is a young girl who has been homeschooled. When her parents settle in a small surburban town, Ginnie is put into public school. There her circle of friends include mischevious Geneva, shy quiet Anna, twins Leonard and Lucy and bookish Peter. A most delightful series of books that harkens to a more innocent time.

[Ginnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found this by searching for my spelling of my name. A darling book from the 40's. The story built and the finale made my mother's heart tear up. Would not mind rereading or reading the other books in the series.
Recommend to anyone who liked Pollyanna or the Little Princess.

[Rebamom7 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok, so the book is outdated, but it brings back such warm fuzzy elementary school feelings that I can almost smell the school library and hear the librarian shushing me, well not ME (of course!) but you know! Ginnie has been homeschooled until she is 9 years old, so is going to a whole different world when her family finally settles in a little town that seems to be in New Jersey within driving and train distance of NYC. It takes me back to the day when moms were homemakers and children were more polite, at least to the adults' faces! It's a fun read!

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mom made me remove these books from my room last night. She also made me read them when I was young...very young. I distinctly remember getting very upset in kindergarten when the librarian wouldn't let me take out Catherine Wooley books--They were, of course, "too hard" for me...

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my absolute favorite book as a kid. My mom and I would read it constantly and die laughing at the mixed up happenings of Ginnie and her crazy friend Geneva.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a little funny to have this be the sixth book in the series I’ve read. But it was quite nice going back and learning how everyone met each other and how the friendships began.

Another interesting thing that came about my having read several books out of order, is seeing how much Ginnie has developed as a character. In this, her first book, she’s quite the timid person. Her friendship with Geneva definitely did her good and helped her to come out of her comfort zone.

Homeschoolers will like to know that Ginnie was homeschooled through third grade!

This book begins with Ginnie attending school for the first time and learning to make friend, not judge too hastily, to be bold when right, and to not be afraid to try new things.

This is a good series!

Ages: 8 - 14

Content Considerations: gosh and gee and the like are said. A girl does some things that aren’t nice and that later she truly regrets doing. Someone is told to shut up.

**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide Content Considerations, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!

If you’re considering a book or looking for a new title to read, check out my highly categorized shelves, read my reviews and Friend or Follow me to spiff up your feed with clean, wholesome, living books.

I have an Instagram account that’s pretty bookishly unique too!

[June]

I read and re-read the Ginnie books when I was a girl, and recently decided to track down as many of the series as I can afford (some of them are pricey!) for a Ginnie I know and love. I didn't remember that Woolley's Ginnie was Georgina! What a name.

This one felt clunky to me; maybe it's been too long since I read a '40s children's book.

[Suzanne Lorraine Kunz Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this story because it goes to show that just because you don't like or get along with someone in the first place doesn't mean that you can't solve the misunderstanding and become amazing friends in the end. It's a relaxed little story that emphasizes kindness, including others and sticking up for the underdog. I love the open communication and respectful relationship that Ginnie has with her mother. A timeless and wholesome read.

Talking points - do you know any bullies? How do they bully others? What can you do about it? Have you ever been the new girl (or boy)? Who befriended you? How do you go about making friends? Can you think of any one who needs a friend now? What is your family like - 2 parent? 1 parent? How many brothers and sisters? What do you like best about your family and what are your family's struggles? What can you do to help your family be stronger and better? How did you meet your current best friend? What qualities do you think a good friend should have? How would you rate yourself as a friend?

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love books that give insight into girls' lives - especially during the 1940s-1960s.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the next few months I plan to reread a lot of books that I loved as a child. So feel free to ignore my reviews. (It's likely to be approximately every other book I read.)

My rating for this book reflects how I remember feeling about it when I was 6 or 7, as opposed to 65. This book, the first in the Ginnie series, was written in 1948, and that's obvious. I don't think many kids today would be going to school for the first time in 4th grade simply because they and their mothers frequently accompanied their fathers on business trips until then. Some of it was sweet and innocent, but one thing especially annoyed me: Ginnie's friend's mother telling her she was "almost pretty" when she smiled and that she should smile more often. I don't believe in EVER telling a child to smile. That's entirely up to the child. And really...."almost pretty"?

I wonder how kids today would respond to this? Clearly, it's very unsophisticated, but kids are kids.

[Audrey Ettinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally working my way through this series on OpenLibrary. I loved Ginnie's Babysitting Service and I'm pretty sure I read the Mystery Doll, too. But I'm quite sure that I never read this one! Very sweet to learn the backstory (the idea that Ginnie didn't go to regular school until she was in 4th grade doesn't seem to appear again! And how zany that they seemed to always live in a hotel?!), that her real name is Georgina, how Anna came to live with Grandma, and the beginnings of all the friendships. Kind of hilarious that Mother would dump Ginnie on new friends Geneva and Mrs. Porter for weeks after barely meeting them, but maybe the moms hit it off? Or this was supposed to convey the tightness of Ginnie and Geneva's friendship, or how serious Grandma's illness was?

Otherwise not particularly dated -- impressive for a book from the late 1940s!

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 2 out of 5]

C-. fiction, children's fiction, grade 4, friendship, family, series, (Ginnie and Geneva, #1) from stash, discard

[Tabitha · Rating 4 out of 5]

pretty dang adorable.

[Jennifer McGill-Sadera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great old-fashioned story. I read this when I was a kid!

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

A childhood favorite story of friendship.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read as many as I could find online for July and August. I hope to be able to find the rest of them in used bookstores!

[carrietracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

One I fondly remembered from childhood. Very sweet upon rereading!

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reliving my childhood again.

[Jovelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

The whole series is just so cute.

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this series when I was younger, and recently read book #1 again when I found it in my parents' shed. It brought back so many memories and feelings! I love how books, especially childhood books, can do that. This book isn't mind blowing or profound, it is just cute and cozy and captures so many moments of girlhood that are easily forgotten (starting out at a new school, making friends, trying new things, etc.). I can't wait to introduce my own baby girl to them one day!

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this series when I was in elementary school. My mom said she liked them when she was little so I picked them up. I remember really liking them, too. Rereading this first book, I have no recollection of the story at all. None of it seemed familiar. It was still a cute story, though. Definitely written in another time.

[Elizabeth SaFleur · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG, I can't believe I found this beloved book from my childhood. It says it was published in 1989. But, I read this back in the 1970s. I selected 'finished" in 1974, but honestly I don't recall the year. I just remember it being a beautiful story of friendship told in a far simpler time. It was a great companion during a long, lonely summer in the country.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this series over and over as a kid and recently discovered that our library had it. Reading it again, to Lizzy this time, made me nostalgic for the wholesome values of the 1950's. It made Lizzy want to wear dresses with ruffles skirts. We've got some summer sewing cut out for us:)

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read several of the books in this series when I was a kid. I always liked the name Geneva after this one.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sm not sure why I loved this book so much in the 5th grade but I loved it

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite childhood book series, which I've recently re-collected and have been re-reading. A great series for girls 7-10.

[Georgia Hilliard]

Read this series in elementary school and loved them all.

[Jane Eyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book from my childhood. An old treasure!

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A re-read of a favorite series of mine from childhood.