HILDA BAKER: School Nurse

A worthy career romance for young adult readers beginning to be aware of community problems and human strengths and weaknesses takes Hilda Baker through her first year as nurse for the junior high school in Haddonfield, N.J. Throughout, interest is maintained in the network of personal and public problems that involve Hilda and the people she works with. The first difficulty that presents itself is with Mrs. Perkins, senior faculty member, who is troubled by the fact that the city health department may take over the school service, and hence extremely critical of Hilda's conduct and activities. Then there is the school doctor who loses his heart to Hilda, who in turn loses hers to the school principal's brother Jim, who is a psychologist. There are the students too whom Hilda helps with family problems, and, in the end, she works through to a happy solution of her own. A bit trite, but sound, as have been all the long list of nurse stories by D.D.