THE AUTOMOBILE GIRLS AT NEWPORT

A surprising choice launches a new series of period literature originally marketed for girls.

First published in 1910 and reissued with new cover art and original interior illustrations, it is an interesting artifact of that time. However, antiquated vocabulary, awkward syntax, and stereotypes left intact limit its appeal. The classism of the period is on full display. The titular, all-white Automobile Girls, suitably chaperoned by Aunt Sallie, are taking a car trip to the resort town of Newport, Rhode Island. Ruth, the owner of the car, is the daughter of a wealthy widower, while the other girls—from families of good breeding but more modest means—are wowed by their introduction to society. A 10-page introductory “Note from Aunt Claire” attempts to put the story in historical context. The tale stereotypes “gypsies” as dirty, a farmer as uneducated, and servants as both invisible and inherently dishonest. When one young woman exhibits a bit of pluck, she is described as acting “boyish.” Ruth even uses the now-verboten phrase “Honest Injun.” In between parties, a tennis tournament, and wardrobe changes the girls solve a mystery, but heavy-handed foreshadowing dispels any illusion of suspense. The equally antediluvian and white-bread Grace Harlow’s Freshman Year at High School, by Jessie Graham Flower, publishes simultaneously.

Potentially useful if studying upper-class life at the turn of the 20th century, but it’s hard to imagine the kid today who would willingly choose what “Aunt Claire Presents.” (Historical fiction. 9-12)