Mary Louise


Read by Sibella Denton

(4.6 stars; 115 reviews)

The Bluebird Books is a series of novels popular with teenage girls in the 1910s and 1920s. The series was begun by L. Frank Baum using his Edith Van Dyne pseudonym,then continued by at least three others, all using the same pseudonym. Baum wrote the first four books in the series, possibly with help from his son, Harry Neal Baum, on the third.

The books are concerned with adolescent girl detectives— a concept Baum had experimented with earlier, in The Daring Twins (1911) and Phoebe Daring (1912). The Bluebird series began with Mary Louise, originally written as a tribute to Baum's favorite sister, Mary Louise Baum Brewster. Baum's publisher, Reilly & Britton, rejected that manuscript, apparently judging the heroine too independent. Baum wrote a new version of the book; the original manuscript is lost.

The title character is Mary Louise Burrows. In the first books of the series, she is a fifteen-year-old girl with unusual maturity (though the other girls in her boarding school find her somewhat priggish). She is suddenly confronted with the fact that her beloved grandfather is suspected of no less a crime than treason against the United States. With the help of old and new friends of Mary Louise … the truth is uncovered. The novel features a federal agent named John O'Gorman; he is assisted by his daughter Josie, a young woman he has himself trained to function as an investigator. (The Josie O'Gorman character, despite preceding Nancy Drew by more than a decade, is much less traditionally feminine.) (Summary from Wikipedia) (4 hr 12 min)

Chapters

00 - Publisher's Note 2:03 Read by Sibella Denton
01 - Just an Argument 7:49 Read by Sibella Denton
02 - Gran'pa Jim 9:27 Read by Sibella Denton
03 - A Surprise 7:20 Read by Sibella Denton
04 - Shifting Sands 5:47 Read by Sibella Denton
05 - Official Investigation 11:59 Read by Sibella Denton
06 - Under a Cloud 10:43 Read by Sibella Denton
07 - The Escape 9:15 Read by Sibella Denton
08 - A Friendly Foe 12:06 Read by Sibella Denton
09 - Officer O'Gorman 14:32 Read by Sibella Denton
10 - Rather Queer Indeed 7:27 Read by Sibella Denton
11 - Mary Louise Meets Irene 14:52 Read by Sibella Denton
12 - A Cheerful Comrade 8:02 Read by Sibella Denton
13 - Bub Succumbs to Force 13:47 Read by Sibella Denton
14 - A Call from Agatha Lord 13:00 Read by Sibella Denton
15 - Bub's Hobby 10:44 Read by Sibella Denton
16 - The Stolen Book 4:08 Read by Sibella Denton
17 - The Hired Girl 6:29 Read by Sibella Denton
18 - Mary Louise Grows Suspicious 9:10 Read by Sibella Denton
19 - An Artful Confession 11:41 Read by Sibella Denton
20 - Diamond Cut Diamond 14:37 Read by Sibella Denton
21 - Bad News 6:28 Read by Sibella Denton
22 - The Folks at Bigbee's 8:09 Read by Sibella Denton
23 - A Kiss from Josie 7:04 Read by Sibella Denton
24 - Facing the Truth 8:51 Read by Sibella Denton
25 - Simple Justice 7:12 Read by Sibella Denton
26 - The Letter 9:38 Read by Sibella Denton

Reviews

Fun


(5 stars)

Fun wholesome book. Great reader. Thank you!

Enjoyable story


(5 stars)

I am now in the process of either listening to or reading all the Mary Louise books. The summary covers the plot of the story. Mary Louise is a frisky young lady who works at outsmarting the secret service to save her grandfather, whom she can not believe is guilty of treason. It's a good thing the secret service has the help of an unexpected player. Reader is excellent, story is excellent, enjoy!

very enjoyable


(5 stars)

This reminds me of books my mother read in her teens with strong, female characters who succeed against the odds while not betraying the conventions of their time. Nicely read and very enjoyable. thank you.

well written and well read!


(5 stars)

I’m surprised that I’ve never heard of the Mary Louise series since I was an avid reader. This book held my interest throughout and was well read.


(5 stars)

Excellent example of a moral past. Sad to see how far we have fallen.

Loved it!


(5 stars)

Excellent reader! Very fun and suspenseful story. I love this author.


(5 stars)

A fun and wholesome mystery for readers of all ages! Thoroughly enjoyable.


(4 stars)

Thoughtfully read- I appreciate L Frank Baum’s writing. Interesting story line!