Ursula leirillä

Cherry Ames #19

by Helen Wells

While working as a camp nurse, Cherry follows a trail that ultimately leads to the true perpetrator of a series of robberies and exonerates a hard-woarking young man who had been under suspicion.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Young Adult, Childrens, Medical, Historical Fiction, Classics

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1957

About the author

Original name: Helen Weinstock. Social worker turned full-time young adult writer, born in Illinois but moved with family to New York City when she was seven. In 1934 Wells graduated from New York University [where she'd been the first female editor of the literary quarterly], with a major in philosophy and a minor in sociology and psychology.

During World War II, she served as a volunteer with the State Department's Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, escorting Latin American visitors in the United States.

Author of Cherry Ames, Nurse books, a series for young teens.

She was also the author of the Vicki Barr books, about a young mystery-solving flight attendant. And, as Francine Lewis, she penned the short-lived Polly French series (1950s), aimed at a younger readership.

After writing the first eight books of the Cherry Ames series and the first three Vicki Barr books, Wells decided to abandon both series to write for television and radio, and Julie Tatham took over (however, both the ninth Cherry Ames book and the fourth Vicki Barr book were published under Wells's name). Tatham later returned the Vicki Barr books to Wells in 1953 and the Cherry Ames books in 1955.

Reviews

[James Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cherry has yet another different job, this time helping at a summer camp for boys and girls. It's in the woods with typical woodland activities and Cherry only has to treat normal thinks like scratches and things like that.

The problem arises when a guy named Mac Cook shows up and does a lot of work around the camp. He seems to get along well with the kids and the adults, but has a habit of mysteriously disappearing from time to time when a certain photographer, named Purdy, shows up. It's a mystery that Cherry wants to solve.

As she works on it she finds it's a lot more complicated than she thought. The mystery involves a bank robbery, the possibility that Mac Cook may be the robber, the very moody photographer, a mystery man in the woods and other things going on. It takes a lot of work on her part and even puts her life in danger, but Cherry, as always, triumphs in the end. It's a good addition to the series.

[Susann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've never read any of the nurse books, but I couldn't resist this lovely hardback copy, on sale for 50 cents at a Park Slope stoop sale.
Update: a fun read, especially at the start of summer. Can I weave baskets at Camp Blue Water, too? Cherry has VERY clean hands. In the same way that I never felt compelled to read more than a handful of Nancy Drews and Trixie Beldens, I don't think I'm going to read the entire Cherry oeuvre. But, Wendy, I will keep my eyes out for the Sue Bartons that you mentioned.

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember reading at least one of the two "Cherry Ames Student Nurse" books, but could conceivably had read more. After all, that reading would have been at least 60 years ago. Don't remember where I picked up this book. It's obviously a reprint because the list of books in the series printed in the book includes one from 1968.

I did love whatever I read way back when and found delight in this one. While I have read that there were criticisms of the series' writing (having formulaic plots), I found it to be quite well written. Haven't read enough of the books to analyze whether the plot followed a formula. There were a good number of characters, clues, twists and a well developed setting. Don't know if the camp was over embellished. It is quite idyllic. Can't speak to whether today's young readers would find the story compelling. There are strong female characters but no cell phones, modern medicine, etc. Definitely a good nostalgia read and a nice rest from the world as it is. Come to think of it, that wasn't the case when the books originated, allegedly to draw girls into nursing to help the American and Canadian WWII efforts. BTW, the books were popular in Great Britain in the 1950s and 1960s.

[Macjest · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Cherry Ames is pretty much middle of the road. I think the main reason I'm frustrated is that after all her experience, you'd think she'd be moving into more responsible positions. Of course, then there wouldn't be as much time for solving mysteries. Speaking of which, at least Cherry was more sensible about accepting help in this one.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't read the 2007 version; I read the version that looked really old in the 1970's & seemed to take place around the 1930's or 40's.

[Carrie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stupid.

[Karen Szyszko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book #12 - "Great balls of fire!" This book finds our heroine working in the infirmary at Blue Water girls camp in Pennsylvania. The story is short on nursing but long on mystery solving. This story reads more like a Trixie Belden mystery than a Cherry Ames Nurse story. While Cherry never seems to age (yet she celebrates her Christmas birthday), she has grown more mature in this book in that she doesn't trust every person she meets. She uses more discretion in this story. I did have a good laugh at Reed Champion, counselor at the nearby boys camp, having trouble remembering her name. "I knew it had something to do with fruit." The mystery was more in-depth than previous books. These stories are a step back into a more innocent time. Sometimes this is exactly what is needed at certain times.

[Wintermote · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is certainly a story of a past era. This type of summer camp and nurse is a very different experience than todays children are likely to have. It was a fun mystery and I really didn’t know how it was going to turn out until the end. Don’t know how attractive the book would be to kids but I enjoyed it.

[holly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lilly took a series of books about a woman named Cherry Ames & her adventures of being a nurse from our late auntie Erin. Over the summer, we have read through Camp Nurse before she falls asleep & it has been so fun watching her try to solve the mystery of the book. I can’t wait to read more of the series with her 🩷

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many of the books in the series, this is more mystery than nursing. The mystery involves an armed robbery at a bank in New York City — could the suspect be hiding out somewhere near the summer camp in Pennsylvania? Cherry has her suspicions, and enlists help to prove them.

[Zach Strassburger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used to love the Cherry Ames books as a kid, but the intense cheerfulness and lack of character development now reads as fairly grating. Still, it was fun to read one I had missed earlier in my life, and the mystery kept me fooled for a while!

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed these books as a kid and am enjoying them again as an adult. Like the adventures that Cherry has. Looking forward to rest of the series.

[Libbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but predictable

[Holly Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

A first edition. written in 1957. Good clean read.

[Paige · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Not my favorite book of the series but still enjoyable. :)

[Vicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Among the more satisfying of the later books in the series.

[reegs · Rating 5 out of 5]

1957 ( 5 stars because my grandma and my mom used to read it as kids )

[Yolanda Roche · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute story about a camp nurse. ❤️ A Camp Nurse

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another favourite from my childhood / growing up years.

[Jason Mock · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid, yet run-of-the-mill entry in the Cherry Ames series.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 2 out of 5]

What an interesting period piece!

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book to prepare me for my possible future stint as Camp Wapsie Nurse.