Summer Madness

Patty and Ginger #4

by Janet Lambert

As her junior year comes to a close, Ginger Johnston is uneasy about the coming summer. Will Spark Plug be different now that he's a college man? And what about the college girl back at the university? As Ginger worries over her campaign to combat Spark Plug's other romantic interests, she learns that her father has accepted a job in another city! Ginger's loyalty to her parents and her devotion to Spark Plug cause great conflict for this very special high school girl.

158 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Janet Lambert, born in Crawfordsville, Indiana, was a popular girls' story author from 1941 through 1969 (and beyond to today). She wrote 54 books during that time about a number of different girls and their families. Her most popular series were about the Parrishes and the Jordons. These stories, and many of her other series, became entwined as the various characters met each other, married, and then had children of their own!

Janet, having an interest in both the theater and writing, decided to write her own plays in which to act. She did achieve her goal and appeared on Broadway. When she married a career Army officer, her life on stage came to a close, but her stories were still flowing. Knowing well the "life of the Army," many of Ms. Lambert's books are set on Army posts throughout the United States.

Legend has it that her stories started as bedtime stories for her children while they were overseas. Each night, the author would tell the next "installment" of the series. Later, after her kids were grown, she penned one of her stories (Star Spangled Summer) and—according to legend—it was sold to a publisher the very day after she sent it to them.

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book #4 in the Patty and Ginger series. I liked it a lot. I like how Ginger is becoming more independent. Patty becomes more self centered and I find myself liking her less and less. Ginger's world is changing. Spark Plug, her next door boyfriend (he doesn't know it) is now a college man and Ginger has to figure out how to extricate him from the clutches of a college girl. Meanwhile, her dad accepts a job promotion in Washington DC and Ginger is torn between loyalty to her parents and her wanting to not leave her "gang" and move to Virginia. This is a definite growing up book with choices and decisions.