Two Are Better Than One

Chrys and Cordy #1

by Carol Ryrie Brink, Fermin Rocker (Illustrator)

A Christmas package with two miniature dolls reminds Chrystal of the year she and her best friend Cordelia were thirteen and writing a "romantical" novel...

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

181 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1968

About the author

Born Caroline Ryrie, American author of over 30 juvenile and adult books. Her novel Caddie Woodlawn won the 1936 Newbery Medal.

Brink was orphaned by age 8 and raised by her maternal grandmother, the model for Caddie Woodlawn. She started writing for her school newspapers and continued that in college. She attended the University of Idaho for three years before transferring to the University of California in 1917, where she graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1918, the same year she married.

Anything Can Happen on the River, Brink's first novel, was published in 1934. She was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of Idaho in 1965. Brink Hall, which houses the UI English Department and faculty offices, is named in her honor. The children's section of the Moscow, ID Carnegie public library is also named after her.

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dear little story of two dear friends, Chrys and Cordy, who are twelve-going-on-thirteen in early 1900s Idaho. I love good friendship stories, and this one was really dear as they have adventures in Sunday School, school, riding horses, and so on. The two pocket dolls, Lester and Lynette, are part of each adventure and a part of the novel the girls write together as well. Doesn’t anyone else wish kids’ books were this lighthearted and enjoyable nowadays?

The vintage details like painting on the Shredded Wheat dividers was a neat touch, also. And it was fun to spot My Lady of the South: A Story of the Civil War as the "first novel" Chrys reads after a diet of Five Little Peppers and Oz.

There’s a very, very slight hint of future romance if you compare the last names the girls ended up with and put two and two together. Also, one “sanitized swear.”

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this one for a book report back in 4th grade, and last year I realized I'd really liked it. So I ordered a copy from Amazon.

I'm glad I did. This book pings my interests for two big reasons:

1) I'm a sucker for romantic two-girl friendship stories, especially schoolgirls in a more elegant era. The relationship between Chrys and Cordy is sweet, touching, funny, and all around epic. Their pet name of "tween" for each other, their love of fantasy and imagination and the way they add flourishes to ordinary words to make them sound prettier...it's just adorable.

2) I'm the girl who still played with dolls in middle school while all her friends were getting into boys and makeup. So seeing Cordy and Chrys still doing that even at the age of twelve when they were "supposed to" grow out of them? Was awesome. And I liked that their outgrowing their toys was natural and their own decision, rather than feeling peer-pressured by their families or their friends.

This book is just...amazing. It's sweet, fun, adventurous, amusing and touching in all the right ways. The subplot with the girls' teacher was handled very well...yeah, at first it seemed like yet another "oh noes, the mean teacher is taking away the girls' dolls and oppressing them!" setup, but the book saw it through to the end and resolved itself wonderfully. Miss Hickenlooper was human, the girls realized it, and both sides apologized: her for forcibly looking in Cordy's pocket and them for writing a mean poem about her.

The chapter with Cordy's brothers finding the girls' novel and teasing them about it was a bit of an eye-roller, since that happens all too often in books about girls, but at least the boys got in trouble and the girls were able to get their story back. And were offered some constructive criticism by someone who cared.

And everything else-the easter bonnets, the doll wedding, the exams, the dances, were all done so beautifully.

I also liked the foreshadowing of who the girls married at the end, too, but mostly because it was subtle and even when they discovered boys, Cordy and Chrys's friendship was still the most important thing.

So yes. This book owns.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely, funny, altogether delightful book about the doings of two friends, Chrys and Cordy, growing up in a small town at the beginning of the 20th century. At first it seemed like the kind of period piece that's pleasant, but rather blandly episodic, where the girls just have one good time after another: playing with their dolls (and feeling superior to their boy-conscious 7th grade classmates in not being ashamed to do so), sledding, and jointly penning a hilarious Gothic novel. Gradually though and quite subtly the book reveals itself to be something more; the girls are growing up, without quite realizing it, and the story turns out to be a gentle exploration of what that means to them. Happily, there is a sequel, but I almost don't want to read it because this book seems so complete in itself.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet and fun story about friendship and growing up!

Cordy and Chrys are twelve and inseparable. They do everything together because, of course, two are better than one. They have all kinds of fun adventures, learn some valuable lessons at school, attend a Masquerade party, write a novel about their two pocket dolls, and are even invited to take the eighth grade school exam even though they’re only in seventh grade!

Life is full and as the girls learn, someone is mature when they realize “what a wonderful world he lives in and that a lifetime isn’t long enough to know it.”

Cordy and Chrys will have you smirking often at their antics, particularly when the older brothers get involved! And I loved the nice touch at the end - the final letter was a sweet wrap up!

A great family read-aloud!

Ages: 10+

Content Considerations: “goodness” “mercy sakes” “ye gods” are used. There is brief mention of a witch, a hex, and “sticking pins into a doll” (voodoo doll). Two girls get very upset with their teacher and write mean poems about her. The teacher ends up discovering the poems and the girls learn a valuable lesson and change. There is dancing. There are girls in Sunday School who are boy crazy, meaning: who want to look pretty and be noticed (not the two main girls), although later, the main girls feel odd for not having looked pretty at a party.

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[CLM · Rating 5 out of 5]

The adventures of these best friends are as delightful now as when I first read the book in fourth grade. I am sure it was the collaboration of Chrys and Cordy that made me think my sister and I could co-author a novel. After all, their effort was dramatic and suspenseful too!

[Jessica Dudenhofer Beery · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, my heart. I loved this book...Brinks had such a gift with words and capturing the beauty and innocence of childhood - and the bumps along the way that come with “maturing.” I laughed out loud several times...choked up in a couple spots and loved the ending. Just as it should have ended.

[Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most charming and delightful story of two girls in the space of stepping out of their childhood into maturity. Full of funny romps that make you laugh aloud, (the Shakespeare ghost in the hallway was my favorite part), to Miss Hinklelooper..I was very much thrilled with this book!

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a letter and package arrive for Mrs. Chrystal Banks (nee Reese) one Christmas season, containing a treasured memento from days past, the elderly lady is reminded of her childhood in Warsaw, Idaho, and the good times she had with her best friend and honorary twin (or "tween"), Cordelia Lark. Although outwardly very different - Cordy, one of a large and boisterous family, was a tall brunette; while Chrys, a petite blond, was an orphaned only child who lived with her aunt and grandmother - the two girls were as alike as two peas in a pod, when it came to their interests and activities. Still playing with dolls, despite being almost thirteen, the friends were more interested in the "romantical" adventure novel they were writing, featuring the magical pocket dolls Lester and Lynette, than in any actual romance with boys. Whether dressing up as rag dolls for the Sunday School party, rather than as elegant "Martha Washingtons" like the other girls, or taking the state board examinations in order to get into high school a year early, Chrys and Cordy live out their maxim that "two are better than one."

Only the second book I have read from Carol Ryrie Brink - the other being the Newbery Medal winner Caddie Woodlawn , which I recall enjoying in my own childhood - this charming coming-of-age story is enough to convince me that I have been missing out! I enjoyed everything about Two Are Better Than One, from the many humorous moments - Chrys and Cordy walking each other back and forth one night, because neither wants to pass the jailhouse alone! The contretemps at the Lark household, when the great romantical novel is discovered by Cordy's brothers and Mr. Crump! - to the sensitive depiction of two girls who, although in no rush to grow up, discover that it is happening regardless. I particularly liked the episode involving the girls' rather grumpy teacher, Miss Hickenlooper, in which they discover that she is a human being after all, one for whom they slowly develop an appreciation; as well as the one in which they learn that beautiful new hats are not the most important aspect of Easter. Although no mention is made of it in the text, it is clear from their eventual married names that Cordy and Chrys eventually marry the young men boarding in their homes (Mr. Crump and Mr. Banks). I liked the fact that this knowledge is available in the background, but not commented upon in the story itself, as it gives the book an added sense of depth - one gets the sense that the author had so much more she could have told, if she wanted to.

All in all, this was an outstanding little book, one that reminded me, with its tale of two inseparable girl friends, and their doings in turn-of-the-century small-town America, of the more famous Betsy-Tacy books. I wish someone would bring it back into print!

[Christina Baehr · Rating 4 out of 5]

This took a while because it was a read-aloud with the family. I’d recommend this author for readers of Eleanor Estes and Elizabeth Enright.

I adored the chapter where Cordy’s brothers steal the gothic novel manuscript and then she and her best friend chase them around the house. I’d love to know if it was based on Brink’s childhood, because it feels like a fictionalised memoir. Also, her friendship with Mr Banks was so sweet. We all enjoyed the little twist in the epilogue.

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not sure how much of Two Are Better Than One is autobiographical, but the story of Chrystal (Chrys) Reese and Cordelia (Cordy) Lark in the waning days of their childhood in the early 1900s clearly has personal meaning for Carol Ryrie Brink. From playing with dolls to writing detailed stories, from not caring what boys think to dressing up to get their attention, we accompany twelve-year-olds Chrys and Cordy as they learn about themselves and the great big world they're increasingly part of.

For Christmas, Chrys receives a pair of dolls and gives them to Cordy. The girls are nearly too old for dolls, but Lester and Lynette are more sophisticated than the average child's toy, and the girls use them as models for a melodramatic novel starring the dolls. As Chrys and Cordy write the story over a period of months, they have some of the most formative experiences of their lives.

Chrys and Cordy do well in school but aren't fond of the teacher, Miss Hickenlooper. Her philosophy is that she is there to load information into the students' brains, not entertain them, and she brooks no disruptions to the learning environment. To ease their consternation, Chrys and Cordy write poems making fun of the teacher. Outside of school, Chrys and Cordy are members of the Dorcas Club, along with the ten other girls in their Sunday School class. The club has fun, even attending a masquerade party. Unfortunately, every member wants to go to the party as Martha Washington, that stylish and feminine First Lady. A dozen Martha Washingtons will be a strange sight, so Chrys and Cordy decide to think up a different idea even if the other girls refuse to. Their attention on the party, Chrys and Cordy neglect to keep track of their poems about Miss Hickenlooper, and the teacher finds them. Can both parties improve their attitude so learning is a pleasant experience for all?

Having a teacher come to board with Chrys's family, a young man named Mr. Banks, feels peculiar to her, though Chrys's family was already unconventional. Her aunt and grandmother raise her alone, and are much less social than Cordy's parents. Chrys and Cordy design costumes for the masquerade party that make themselves look like rag dolls, a more creative presentation than going as Martha Washington. The boys aren't impressed, and for the first time, this disappoints Chrys and Cordy. The night appears to be a failure until the timely intervention of two young men who will play pivotal roles in the girls' futures. Chrys, Cordy, and their friends are starting to care about attracting the opposite sex, a fact accentuated by their attention to fashion that Easter. Chrys and Cordy select fancy cartwheel hats to make a good showing at the resurrection church service. Lester and Lynette are paid little attention now, but the girls won't forget the creative inspiration the dolls were to them during their transition to adolescence. They write a happy ending to the novel about the dolls, then study their schoolbooks hard in an effort to bypass eighth grade and move directly to high school. The next few years promise wondrous surprises that Chrys and Cordy are just now setting out toward. Adulthood will be an unpredictable adventure.

"I don't think a person is mature until he understands what a wonderful world he lives in and that a lifetime isn't long enough to get to know it."

—Mr. Banks, Two Are Better Than One, P. 154

This book isn't fast-paced or deeply emotional, but a poignancy lingers as we watch Chrys and Cordy say goodbye to childhood. They're exchanging toys, close friendships, and unlimited potential, and in return getting academia, romance, and a fixed path in life. Things won't be the same, not even their unique friendship. Carol Ryrie Brink expresses the bittersweetness of this tradeoff—losing innocence but gaining stability and purpose—even as Chrys and Cordy are just beginning to understand it. I might rate Two Are Better Than One two and a half stars, and if you enjoy coming-of-age stories that amble along at a deliberate pace, I recommend this one. You'll learn something from Chrys and Cordy's preteen journey.

[Elizabeth]

This was my summer fluff reading, at the recommendation of a friend because of the inset story which reminded her of a feature of my own book Black Dove, White Raven. And I can certainly see the connection. But the weird thing is that, although I have NO MEMORY of ever having read this book (while knowing that I have long been a fan of Brink's quirky Baby Island - so much so that "Pull yourself together lass, you're a Wallace" crept into the crafting of Code Name Verity) - despite that it felt like I was reading this for the very first time, I definitely wasn't. Because I have a pair of dolls named Leslie and Lynette. After the dolls Lester and Lynette in this book. I knew they were named after dolls in a book, but I'd forgotten which book. And it's obviously this one.

So, well enough, this book. Terribly dated, episodic, in a setting that reaps the benefits of manifest destiny, nevertheless it is a fairly charming cameo of life in a small town in Idaho in the early 20th century, and I kind of love it for that. That's really all there is to it - it doesn't pretend to be anything more dire or important than a picture of two best friends having fun and growing up together. (So maybe there is a bit more influence on my subconscious than I realized.)

PS The framing device of the old ladies writing to each other and remembering their youth kind of makes me cringe! I think this must be one of my most detested ways of telling a story. SO GLAD Laura Ingalls Wilder was advised against it.

[Meredith McCaskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve loved this book ever since I first read it as a pre-teen- after all, 13-year-old Chrys and Cordy write a “romantical” novel together!! It’s such a pity it’s out of print and so little known compared to Caddie Woodlawn .

[Kylie · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I don't remember much of the story, I do remember absolutely loving this book as a kid. I searched for it on Goodreads but really didn't expect to find it...yet here it is.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's killing me that this book is out of print because it's an absolute jewel and people need to be able to read it! Set in 1908 in a small town in Idaho, it's the story of two 7th grade best friends, Chrystal Reese and Cordelia Lark, and their lives as they teeter between childhood and young womanhood. Their adventures, scrapes, and joys are a pleasure to read about. I laughed out loud so many times at the things they got into, said, or wrote. (A through line in the story is a novel they write, passing it back and forth for alternate chapters. These are some creative and imaginative girls and they come up with some DRAMA. 😂)

I loved this book and think anyone who enjoys the Betsy-Tacy series by Maud Hart Lovelace, the Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery, or movies like Meet Me in St. Louis will love it too. Here's hoping a company republishes it sometime soon. In the meantime, keep your eyes open at used bookstores and thrift shops. This is a book you'll want to read and treasure.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was darling. It really did remind me a bit of Betsy-Tacy (which several other reviewers have commented on as well). The "Merry Widow Waltz" is even mentioned! I really related to Chrys and Cordy: they are writing a novel, still enjoy playing with dolls (even at 12), are rather precocious, aren't really into boys. . . . Basically, they are the friends I would've loved to have in real life as a kid (and now)!

The concept of the book is so simple that I was worried that this might be dull. But the humor and insight really make it a delight to read. I thought the plot line with their teacher was handled very well. It wasn't resolved too neatly and unrealistically, but it still made an impact on both parties. The college dance they go to sounds like it would be so much fun, and I love the foreshadowing of how the girls' futures will turn out. Oh, and the doll wedding—with all fifty guests! The whole book pretty much just put a big smile on my face. The illustrations were also very charming, and they fit the mood and style of the story perfectly.

It was cute to see how the incidents that happened in their real life were weaved into the novel they are writing. There were some pretty hilarious parts in that. I think it's ridiculous that Lester and Lynette ended up getting married (after suddenly finding out they weren't siblings) and I'm still not sure what happened to the villain, but the inclusion of plot holes and spelling errors made the girls' writing feel more authentic.

**Updated 12/22/12** I didn't realize how semi-autobiographical the character of Chrys was until I was reading Carol Ryrie Brink's 1973 forward to Caddie Woodlawn , in which she recalls her childhood:

"By the time I was eight I had lost both my parents, and I went to live with my grandmother and an unmarried aunt. I had no brothers or sisters. Gram and Aunt and I were the family, and we lived in northern Idaho in an old-fashioned house on a big town lot. It was almost like a tiny farm with a barn for my pony and room for dogs, cats, chickens and canary birds. There were many different kinds of fruit trees, and in cherry season I used to climb up to a comfortable branch and sit reading a book and eating cherries. I was happy, but I was often lonely and I learned to amuse myself by reading, drawing, writing, and telling myself long, continued stories."

The time period of the book also lines up with when the author was a child. How interesting to realize that Gram in this book is the same person on which Caddie Woodlawn is based!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another found deep in storage. The fact I've kept it for so many decades reminds me I used to re-read so much. Nowadays not so much.

[DeAnna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not as well-know as Brink's Caddie Woodlawn, but my best friend and I *loved* this book. We were also two best friends with active imaginations, and the friendship portrayed here rang very true to us.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book from childhood and on my list of best books.

[Naomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fifteen men on the dead man's chest- Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum!

[Mimi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved Brink's books as a kid and this was a fun reread, though not her best.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75 rounded up to 5⭐️

[Priscilla King · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm glad I didn't read this book at the age for which it's written. As an adult, reading it in historical perspective, I like it. Chrys and Cordy are still playing with dolls, acting out silly adventure stories, because they're too intelligent to like boys and too young to be attracted to men. Their "Romantical Perils of Lester and Lynette" remind those who've read his work of George Barr McCutcheon; in other words, dreadful. Rather than advise the girls to do their research before writing about places where they've never been, people advise them not to write fiction at all. They "grow up" and put writing behind them. In grade seven each of them is acquainted with a kind, friendly college boy, and in the brief story of their adult lives that brackets the story of their last doll and first novel, each of them has become an old lady who answers to that college boy's last name. If I'd read this story in grade seven I would've gagged. As an adult I note that it was dedicated to an old school friend of Brink's, who "understands," and I realize that the story may not be as horrible as antifeminist editors made it. It just might have been a true story; one of the girls' names might really have been Carol, and she might have grown up to write good novels.

[Carly Hales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delightful! This is the fantastically original story of two best friends Chrys and Cordy and their "Tween" adventures with dolls Lester and Lynette, writing their own (hilarious) novel, struggles at school with a witch turned friend teacher, a near disaster masquerade party and so much more. I loved the language- the author just nailed it with all the girl's dialogue. I laughed many times and was delighted to follow the girls through all their mishaps and triumphs. Plus one of my favorite things was the subtle hint at who the girls marry down the road by sharing their last names as old ladies in the beginning and end. LOVED that. Such a darling story!!!

[Hessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was eleven years old and absolutely loved it so I decided to see if it really was as good as I remembered, and it was! This is just my style of storytelling with strong well-drawn characters and clever stories that highlight the ups and downs of youth. I also love turn-of-the century settings and this was no disappointment. If you love L.M. Montgomery and her ilk like I do, you will love Two Are Better Than One. I wish good books like this didn't ever go out of print!

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this, somewhat. It's based on the author's childhood, and it's funny to think that Gram is Caddie Woodlawn - I wanted more lines/scenes from her, to see how she grew up. I probably would have loved Cordy and Chrys if I'd found this when I was 12, their age. They were funny and sweet and I loved the story that they wrote. (Okay, the end of both their story and the book were kind of creepy, knowing who they married, but whatever.)

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story is delightful! I've read and reread it too many times to count. Chrys and Cordy are two young girls on the verge of growing up. The doll wedding, and their decision to leave their dolls and their childhood behind, rings so true to my own story. Of all the fictional characters I've met, Cordy and Chrys are two of my favorites.

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely story of best friends in 1900. The chapters of the adventure story the girls are writing are a real treat and the peroid details of life at the turn of the last century make for a very enjoyable read.

[Aimee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE this book. It portrays true friendship, and is a good read throughout Cordy and Chrys' adventures. I had tried reading it much younger, and got bored, but now I can see that Two Are Better Than One is a great book.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my very favorite book when I was in grade school. I really need to read it again.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED