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Cherry Ames #18
Cherry Ames, Department Store Nurse
Cherry's first aid center is adjacent to the antiques department of a large department store, where a series of thefts have pointed the finger of suspicion at a young, recently widowed employee. But Cherry's instincts say otherwise, and her tenacity helps uncover the truth.
224 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 1955
About the author
Helen Wells
116 books77 followersOriginal 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 14, 2023
When you are violently ill at the department store, you go to the department store doctor, but when you’re only a little sick, you go to the department store nurse. Cherry Ames is the department store nurse! She's cheerful and professional and she has a sweetheart named Tom Reese, whose office is on the sixth floor, along with the medical offices and the antiques department. The antiques department is not actually a department in the store but a private concession run under the auspices of the store by an individual who is contracted to run the department under the stores terms but as a private business. Do you want to know how the antiques are insured? You'll sure find out!
Cherry mostly looks after lost children and hands out aspirin. On first thought, getting a professional nurse to hand out aspirin seems like an insane waste of employee time when you could just have your employees buy their own painkillers and take them in their spare seconds, but a nurse handing out aspirin legitimizes employee pain, allows employees to rest because Cherry makes everybody who needs an aspirin rest for ten minutes, and the rest probably diminishes sick days and leaves employees refreshed and ready to do excellent feats of customer service.
Lost children and aspirin are great but they're not the stuff of formulaic period teen novels, so Cherry involves herself in the mystery of who stole the small vase, the large piece of furniture, the music box belonging to the woman who is accused of stealing, and a diamond necklace. Fortunately, the only suspicious people in the book are the ones who did it all along. Cherry and Tom Reese call the police and they show up, sirens blaring in a way that spooks the thieves and makes them have an exciting airport chase scene.
This book is highly enjoyable. I like the idea of department stores back when they were glittering emporia and people would go all the way downtown to have lunch in them. (Only certain people were allowed have lunch in department stores.)
Cherry mostly looks after lost children and hands out aspirin. On first thought, getting a professional nurse to hand out aspirin seems like an insane waste of employee time when you could just have your employees buy their own painkillers and take them in their spare seconds, but a nurse handing out aspirin legitimizes employee pain, allows employees to rest because Cherry makes everybody who needs an aspirin rest for ten minutes, and the rest probably diminishes sick days and leaves employees refreshed and ready to do excellent feats of customer service.
Lost children and aspirin are great but they're not the stuff of formulaic period teen novels, so Cherry involves herself in the mystery of who stole the small vase, the large piece of furniture, the music box belonging to the woman who is accused of stealing, and a diamond necklace. Fortunately, the only suspicious people in the book are the ones who did it all along. Cherry and Tom Reese call the police and they show up, sirens blaring in a way that spooks the thieves and makes them have an exciting airport chase scene.
This book is highly enjoyable. I like the idea of department stores back when they were glittering emporia and people would go all the way downtown to have lunch in them. (Only certain people were allowed have lunch in department stores.)
March 2, 2022
What a delight! After some tiring days at work, Cherry Ames was the perfect remedy. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and a glimpse into 1950’s life in a fancy Manhattan department store.
Thank you Emily for sharing your copy with me!!!
Thank you Emily for sharing your copy with me!!!
August 17, 2009
there are hospitals in department stores???
July 14, 2021
This is the first Cherry Ames books I’ve read and I was hoping to like it more than I did. I can see why the character was appealing — attractive, very competent as a nurse, smart, deductive. But the book itself hasn’t aged well. Cherry is very deferential to the men around her (heaven forbid she not defer to a doctor!). Her habit of wanting help from Tom Reeves all the time got irritating (and kind of creepy — he’s part of the department store management and it starts to feel like that old-time idea that it’s perfectly OK for a boss to date a secretary or a teacher to date a student).
But mostly, the book moved really slowly. Things unfold in a fairly leisurely way. While there’s none of the wackiness of some Nancy Drew situations, there’s also not nearly as much adventure and excitement, other than a slightly tense visit to a home where an antiques dealership is set up and one scene where she’s spying on a crook in the store.
I found myself hoping the book would end sooner than it did and feeling relieved when I finally finished it — having figured out the mystery about 1/2 way through.
But mostly, the book moved really slowly. Things unfold in a fairly leisurely way. While there’s none of the wackiness of some Nancy Drew situations, there’s also not nearly as much adventure and excitement, other than a slightly tense visit to a home where an antiques dealership is set up and one scene where she’s spying on a crook in the store.
I found myself hoping the book would end sooner than it did and feeling relieved when I finally finished it — having figured out the mystery about 1/2 way through.
January 13, 2016
Cherry gets yet another job, this one as a nurse at a department store. She takes care of minor problems like headaches or cuts and also helps out with getting lost children back to their parents.
The main part of the book deals with a guy named Mr. Dance who runs the antique shop in the store. Things start to go missing and one of the other workers in that section becomes the main suspect. Cherry, though, doesn't think it's her and works to find out who is behind the thefts. She ends up sort of like Nancy Drew as far as checking people and places out. The woman who is suspected of the thefts could lose her job, but Nancy uncovers things that call a lot of stuff going on in the store into question.
The medical aspect of this book is actually pretty minimal; most of the book deals with the thefts.
The main part of the book deals with a guy named Mr. Dance who runs the antique shop in the store. Things start to go missing and one of the other workers in that section becomes the main suspect. Cherry, though, doesn't think it's her and works to find out who is behind the thefts. She ends up sort of like Nancy Drew as far as checking people and places out. The woman who is suspected of the thefts could lose her job, but Nancy uncovers things that call a lot of stuff going on in the store into question.
The medical aspect of this book is actually pretty minimal; most of the book deals with the thefts.
July 21, 2020
I think I read all the Cherry Ames books when I was a young teen...rather like Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys in that it was a series of gentle mysteries, solved by good old fashioned observation and reasoning. Cherry Ames is a nurse who has close friends, a lovely family, and many different places she ends up nursing. The stories are set back in the late 40's, early 50's, so the language and atmosphere are very old-fashioned and dated, but it was still a good, quick read. I doubt I will revisit the entire series, but I found this one at a thrift shop and thought I would give it a whirl. YA readers nowadays wouldn't be very interested in the books, I am afraid, due to the dated technology and lack of "s-e-x", although Cherry does have a couple of dates with a handsome manager from the department store - very tame, and home by midnight...
October 8, 2017
I loved Cherry Ames books as a child and was excited to find this in an antiques store. Of course, it was not as good as I remember. However, it was nice to re-visit my childhood. I just wish my girls had been interested.
February 23, 2021
More mystery than nursing related. Almost as soon as Cherry begins filling in for her friend Ann, she discovers a mystery in the Antique department, run as a concession on the same floor as the clinic. Enjoyable, if not quite believable.
July 7, 2017
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.
July 30, 2018
Entertaining
July 22, 2019
Another good mystery with a nursing bent.
September 5, 2023
Book #11 finds our heroine "filling in" for her friend, Ann Evans, who has other obligations taking her away from her nursing duties. Department stores had nurses? Who knew? Fortunately, in this book, nursing takes a back seat to the mystery in the antiques department. I couldn't imagine a book solely dedicated to nursing sick customers or tending to employees with headaches. The lackluster mystery gave the book purpose. That's the best I can give this story.
March 24, 2024
It may be time to stop rereading these books that I liked so much when I was young. This time the culprits were obvious, the red herring was amateurish, and Cherry was bland…. nothing to inspire a young girl to think about a career.
March 12, 2026
proofread for the library. it will pass. I love cherry ames but feel like this one was underwhelming from a nursing perspective.
December 19, 2013
Not one of the better entries in the series. Cherry works for a while as a department store nurse and reunites with her Nursing school friends. Neither Cherry or some of the nurses came off like their past characterizations. Also, there was very little actual nursing going on. The mystery was a bit on the lame side too.
March 7, 2013
This entry in the classic series is a good campy way to spend a couple hours.
July 2, 2014
If I could give it 1/2 star, I would. The title should be Cherry Ames, Private Investigator. She needed something to do in that department store because there certainly wasn't any nursing needed.
November 23, 2009
Department store nurse? Really? There ever was such a thing?
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews