CINDA by Janet Lambert

 

I honestly can't tell which of these covers is most horrifying! Just kidding, the one in the center definitely is. But it's too bad about Cinda's wretched face, because the beach scene looks like tons of fun!

We have a new heroine! Cinda Hollister is 14 and quite the busybody. She has two older brothers - Warren [War-horse] and Lindsay [Jinx]. Warhorse is from the David Parrish school of strong, big-hearted, seriously repressed boys and Jinx is of the Bobby Parrish school of horn-dogs.  There is another brother and sister, Bobo and Buff, but they are babies. Actually, the girl, Buff, is kind of funny. She plays a lot of make-believe in a way that makes it clear that she is doing a lot of eaves-dropping. I hope she gets to grow up in these Hollister books!

So the story is thus - there is a cousin Paula who is 15 and butt-hurt that her mother has found love after having lost her husband in WW2 when Paula was but a baby. Her sister has taken Paula in while the newlyweds are in Europe and Auntie and niece are visiting in Cinda's town. 

Because Paula is such a dud, Cinda decides to fix her. And she does. End of story.

There is also a bit where the kids trade in some crap boats for a good boat for their father. And they show Paula how to be a family. Also, they are at the beach. Did I mention that? My favorite part is when a college boy asks Cinda out to a dance and she turns him down by telling him that she is, in fact, jailbait. But she does it in such an engaging way that no one is embarrassed and even her brothers are proud of her. 

This is a nice book for the younger girls and while it does have boats, which is not great, at least it doesn't have horses! (I kid, because I just started HIGH HURDLES at the gym last night and now I am all horsed up!) Like all of Lamberts heroines, Cinda is a sweet kid who thinks about others and tries to make the world a better place. I have not yet put together a hierarchy of Lambert heroines - although I love Dria, Candy and Susan for their self-awareness - but she's similar to Penny. She's Penny-light, if you will.

You will enjoy Cinda, just don't look too closely at the covers because you will surely go blind!

A DREAM FOR SUSAN by Janet Lambert

 

Oh the Jordans! What a lovely family! Except for Gwenn, of course. Our heroine for this tome is Susan. She was little in the previous books, but Tippy took some notice of her in WELCOME HOME, MRS JORDAN and Janet hinted in one of the letters to "her girls" that Susan would eventually be a focus.

Susan has Alcie's sweet personality and Gwenn's smokin' hot looks - as indicated by the quite creepy way that Bobby Parrish tries to groom her as a future wife. She is also a twin to the lackluster Neal. He shows up halfway through the book, impressing no one.

When the story begins, Susan is on top of the world. She is about to leave her dull boarding school to move to Turkey with her father, the General [salute!], who will be stationed there. She will act as his hostess and be able to sleep as late as she wants. I can't remember if there is any mention of schooling, but whatever, school sucks. We don't like our girls over-educated in Lambert-world. That's boy stuff. 

Things go amiss right away. After a glorious send off, Susan receives a call in the night from the General [salute!], telling her that his "orders" have changed and he has to go to Japan where he won't be able to have family. This smells of bullshit, which I believe Marjorie Parrish calls out later. He has taking the Asian post to help his career which should, by rights, be over. 

Susan pleads with him to let her tell the headmistress and Alcie, who is scheduled to pick her up and get her on her way to Turkey the next morning. Except she doesn't. She just goes with her sister and tells her once they are home. 

Her thoughts about wanting a home are really heartbreaking. This is a girl who remembers very little of a time when she wasn't shunted off somewhere to make the General [salute!]'s life easier. Alcie feels this and offers to let her stay in her honeymoon house with her and Jon. But Susan is already having second thoughts. She is planning on going back to the boarding school and then perhaps getting a little house with her brothers for the next year. 

Enter Bobby Parrish.

This old creeper is sent from his parents to go get Susan with the story that the Parrishs are missing Tippy so much that they are miserable and they are desperate for Susan to stay with them. She comes down for "a visit" and ends up staying. 

She loves it there. Marjorie and Trudy give her all the maternal love that has been missing since Jennifer went to England. She thrives. If that wretched Bobby was not lurking around it would be great. She loves visiting with Penny and Caroll and their families as well. 

There is a little side-bit about how she kind of ghosted her boarding school friends which is quickly resolved. And then, come to find out, Joe and Lettie are going to get a house of their own and will be vacating the gatehouse. Guess who is going to live there?? Our little Susan and her dull brothers. It's a dream come TRUE for Susan!

Also, Jonathan's little brother Keith is quite into Susan and it makes Bobby jealous because he is a CHILD. I swear, if Bobby and Susan get married someday I will go bonkers. Other than that - this was a sweet one that I thoroughly enjoyed. 

Next up we have a whole new heroine - Cinda!

WELCOME HOME, MRS. JORDAN by Janet Lambert

 

I found it interesting that this book doesn't appear to have one of the 60s style covers that most of the other Tippy books have. Maybe because it is about young marrieds, they didn't rerelease it. This cover is bonkers. Peter looks like a giant, Tippy looks like she is made out of pipe cleaners and the dogs look completely demented - particularly Rollo.

So it turns out Tippy and Peter are to be married and the preparation is very fun to read. Tippy assumes they are going to Germany right after the wedding (which will be as soon as Peter gets his orders) but it turns out they are going to Panama! That wacky army!

The wedding is lovely and there is a nice bit about Susan Jordan - Peter's half-sister, about whom the next book is going to be written. 

The wedding takes up the first six chapters and there is a lot of exposition about who is who and how they are all related. You get this a LOT when the Jordans are involved because there are so danged many of them. 

The next section is the transport to Panama. Tippy and Peter get to have a stateroom to themselves, despite him being a lowly lieutenant, because of nepotism. They meet some other young military types and it seems fine. Tippy is straight-up army, Peter is so lucky to have her because she can take care of herself while he is doing his job.

But once they get to their cute little house, things go off the rails a bit. Tippy is bored by the other wives, she throws a party for the brass and it goes kerflooey (although her guests find it delightful) and worst of all she is desperately homesick. She writes to Penny, but Penny tells her to suck it up. Harsh!

Peter is a little nervous that Tippy is still missing Ken and it takes a while for him to realize that is not the case. 

But then a hero shows up. And, shockingly, it is the worst character in all of Lambert - it's Gwenn! Her stupid husband Bill is a movie star and he tells her that he doesn't want her to work, because she is his wife. But actually, she just sucks. Anyway she has had a tantrum so she runs off to Panama, as one does. 

Well, this is just what Tippy needs! She loves solving other people's problems and she is off to the races with Gwenn. She ends up spending something like $18 on long distance to call Bill to tell him to call Gwenn and beg her to come back. Which is just what Gwenn was planning on happening. 

It works - Gwenn leaves without saying goodbye (and takes one of Tippy's outfits with her) and Tippy realizes how much more wonderful her life is that nasty old Gwenn. Her attitude changes about the other young military wives and finally makes some good friends. She comes clean with Peter about the homesickness, which she had been trying to hide. Classic Tippy... He understands and they share a chair and talk it out. 

You know, I think these crazy kids just might make it work!

As always, Carly of Carly's Malt Shop has a great take on WELCOME HOME MRS. JORDAN here. 

RAINBOW AFTER RAIN by Janet Lambert

 

Check out these covers! It's our Tippy Parrish at her most tormented! When we last left Miss Tippy, she was still desperately sad over the loss of her fiancee, the inimitable Ken Prescott. Even though she was specifically told "Don't Cry Little Girl".  But there's a new/old man about her thoughts - Peter Jordan. You can see him in the window of the original cover.  He doesn't rate a spot on the hipper newer cover that is selling the career girl angle. 

So Tippy is a career girl. She is the assistant to the set designer on a television show. SO HIP!! But she hates it. It's a lot of stress, but what is she going to do, right? Then her boss, the tough-as-nails Miss Turnbull gets injured and Tippy takes over. And Penny is trying to pressure her to become an actress - as if!

The problem (and there always is a problem) is that Peter has come up from Texas, where he is stationed, and he wants to spend time with Tippy. She wants to spend time with him too, but this JOB! So he thinks she's not that into him, she's not sure he's that into her. And they are both crazy about each other. It's really just a matter of time.  

Enter Alcie and Jonathan Drayton.  Alcie knows her brother and Tippy belong together and she doesn't have the patience for that little lunkhead to figure it out herself. So she plots a party wherein she is going to make it look like Peter and her sister-in-law Christie are interested in each other. They are both aware of this plan and give in to Alcie because she is lovely. The description of the party is wonderful and the depiction of the Drayton's early marriage is a delight. We also get to catch up with some of the characters from the Drayton books. 

Tippy feels like she is betraying Ken, but Peter is growing on her. He also calls her Childie which makes me want to kill him.* But other than that - he is pretty great. He pulls her out of her funk and forces her to start living again. 

There is a bit with Tippy practically being forced to be an actress, but she quits her job instead and helps another working girl get her big break. 

There's some goofy stuff about Peter leaving, Tippy chasing him, a kiss and they're engaged. Wrapped up with a little bow. It was fine, but not as good as the previous book or the one that comes after!

*Carly, of Carly's Malt Shop says it well - "I cannot get behind this nickname at all. How is it pronounced? Child-EE? CHILL-dee? Either way, it's such a strange nickname that it trips me up every time I read it. Not to mention, the child part is a little creepy in a way that 'cherub' isn't." *Check out her take on RAINBOW AFTER RAIN here. 

FIFTEEN by Beverly Cleary [chapter 11]

 Before I get started, I wanted to put a link to Constance's excellent take on FIFTEEN from a modern reader's perspective - https://perfectretort.blogspot.com/2020/10/1956club-fifteen-iconic-teen-novel-of.html

And now - the final chapter!

CHAPTER 11 - All's Well That Ends Well

After the flower delivery incident, Jane finds herself the subject of good natured ribbing and interest. She even makes the gossip column! And Stan calls every day for an hour. Two weeks fly by with Jane thinking of some post-steak snogging. Stan is still tan - I bet he laid out in the sun slathered in baby oil as he convalesced. 

When the big night arrives, he looks wonderful. Jane eyes his ID bracelet like Smaug eyes his precious. His shoes are SUPER shiny. He clearly fussed. He brings up the hidden bike story and Jane confesses that she knew, but she could tell he didn't want her to know so she never said anything. She says it was a nice equalizer because he seemed so sophisticated to her. Meanwhile, Stan says he thought she was so poised. What a nice mutual admiration society. They are charmed to find out that they both have the same theory about how bicycles are considered an indicator of maturity. 

The steak bake is a big deal. Buzz and Greg are helping out. Marcy is nowhere to be seen. Lazy. 

Jane and Stan want to be alone together. So they go into the woods. (Perhaps this book is why I was always willing to go into the woods with boys.) They try to talk and chew the horrible steak. Stan gets spoony and Jane gets indigestion the next day from gulping a huge gob of meat. They further bond about funny family phrases for the weather. Sir Puss practically inserts himself even when nowhere in sight. 

They agree to gnaw at the steaks like animals, but even that isn't enough to make it palatable. Stan makes a doggie diner joke proving that someday he will be a good dad. Jane realizes that she is already able to laugh about the Chinatown disaster date. 

They give up on the meat and Stan starts fondling his ID bracelet "Will you go steady with me?" practically screaming from his eyes. Then effing Buzz shows up with Julie. NO JULIE!! ABORT!! ABORT!! Julie does her best, but clearly Buzz needs to be drowned in the stream. He educates them with the news that the "movie" is THE JOHN QUINCY ADAMS STORY and Stan and Jane decide to bail. 

But Buzz will not buzz off, no matter how hard Julie tries. Stan clears things up, but before they can clear out, Mr. Degenkalb calls him back. What is with the adults in this town?? Other than Mr. DeLuca, they hate love! They plan to sneak out once the movie starts, but Degenkalb sits next to Stan. Move over, Miss Erickson, there is a more horrible teacher than even you in teen literature. 

Everyone is sneaking away to Nibley's or the drive-in and Jane is down to clown. She wants to go to Lookout Point. (Shades of THE CHEERLEADER!) Then - as Jane hates John Quincy Adams as she has never hated a president before - Stan takes her hand and puts his ID bracelet on her wrist and this becomes the best freaking movie she has ever seen! 

When they finally get to Jane's house, curfew looms. And just as things are about to get good, they talk about how thrilled they both are to be going steady and Sir Puss outdoes himself in making it all about him to the detriment of Jane's love life. But Stan kisses Jane, and awkward one, half off her mouth. But she loves his soft lips and knows that they have all the time in the world to learn how to kiss TOGETHER!

Then Mr. Crandell makes a final appearance and the party is over. 

"Smiling to herself, Jane turned and walked toward the house. She was Stan's girl. That was all that really mattered." I have not found that to be the case. And honestly, while many young people feel like a relationship is going to make their life perfect, what we learn from this book is that, while much of Jane's soul-searching comes from the desire to "catch" Stan, she really does develop some healthy ideas about being true to herself and recognizing that sometimes things go badly and you just have to have confidence in yourself to get through it. 

And, of course, we learn that Sir Puss is the worst. Well, him and Buzz.

The end!