A Bookful of Girls

A camera and a ship full of strangers give sixteen-year-old Blythe Halliday plenty to occupy her on an ocean crossing. While her mother rests on deck, Blythe photographs the steward, visits the bridge and makes friends with Mr. Grey, an English passenger whom others suspect of being a famous poet. Her lively interest in the people around her opens Anna Fuller's collection of six stories about girls.

The scene changes sharply in the story of Polly, who overhears a sewing circle discussing Dan's illness as though his future were already settled. She challenges their bleak predictions, then spends the evening helping him with algebra and Latin. These contrasting episodes show Fuller's attention to youthful curiosity, affection and determination, whether expressed through shipboard adventures or care for someone who is ill. Readers interested in stories of girlhood will find distinct social settings and revealing exchanges between young people and adults.