Judy Bolton Series

The Judy Bolton detective series, created by Margaret Sutton, is notable because it created a realistic young woman who is able to solve mysteries. Although the series was not quite as popular as Nancy Drew, Judy Bolton is in many ways a more complex and believable role model for girls. Judy was also unique in that halfway through the series, she got married (something series book heroines rarely, if ever, did).

The mainstays of the series were Judy Bolton, auburn-haired girl detective; her brother, news reporter Horace Bolton; her parents, Doctor and Mrs. Bolton; her loyal black cat, Blackberry. She was torn for most of the early volumes between suitors, the wealthy Arthur Farringdon-Pett and the upstanding lawyer Peter Dobbs before finally choosing Peter in volume 10. Her best friend was Peter's sister, Grace Dobbs, also known as Honey; her rival for Arthur's affections was Lorraine Lee; she was friends with Arthur's sister, Lois Farringdon-Pett, and one of her archenemies in High School was the snobbish Kay Vincent. She also befriended a mill worker, Irene Lang, who later became Irene Meredith.

There were 38 titles in the original Judy Bolton series, all copyrighted between 1932 and 1967. The final 12, particularly the last one, had limited printings and as a result are hard to find. Collectors often find themselves paying upwards of $200 for a volume in good condition. Each story was based on an actual event from the author Margaret Sutton's life. The series ended before the 39th book, "The Strange Likeness", could be published (Another children's book by the same title was published in 1929, and written by Harriet Pyne Grove, but is unrelated to the Judy Bolton series). Pelagie Doane illustrated many of the early books in the series.

In 1997, three decades after the last Judy Bolton title was issued by Grosset & Dunlap, author Linda Joy Singleton completed a book that series creator Margaret Sutton had begun writing several years before. Once the first draft was finished, Singleton submitted it to Sutton for revisions, and the book that emerged from their collaboration carries the name of both co-authors. Chronologically, "The Talking Snowman" takes place during the Christmas season between the events described in volume 3 and volume 4, and thus is known to collectors as "volume 3.5".

Listing of novels

1. "The Vanishing Shadow"

2. "The Haunted Attic"

3. "The Invisible Chimes"

3.5 "The Talking Snowman" (1997)

4. "Seven Strange Clues"

5. "The Ghost Parade"

6. "The Yellow Phantom"

7. "The Mystic Ball"

8. "The Voice in the Suitcase"

9. "The Mysterious Half Cat"

10. "The Riddle of the Double Ring"

11. "The Unfinished House"

12. "The Midnight Visitor"

12. "The Name on the Bracelet"

14. "The clue in the Patchwork Quilt"

15. "The Mark on the Mirror"

16. "The Secret of the Barred Window"

17. "The Rainbow Riddle"

18. "The Living Portrait"

19. "The Secret of the Musical Tree"

20. "The Warning on the Window"

21. "The Clue of the Stone Lantern"

22. "The Secret of Fog Island"

23. "The Black Cat's Clue"

24. "The Forbidden Chest"

25. "The Haunted Road"

26. "The Clue in the Ruined Castle"

27. "The Trail of the Green Doll"

28. "The Haunted Fountain"

29. "The Clue of the Broken Wing"

30. "The Phantom Friend"

31. "The Discovery at the Dragon's Mouth"

32. "The Whispered Watchword"

33. "The Secret Quest"

34. "The Puzzle in the Pond"

35. "The Hidden Clue"

36. "The Pledge of the Twin Knights"

37. "The Search for the Glowing Hand"

38. "The Secret at the Sand Castle"

39. "The Strange Likeness" (series canceled before this book was published)

References

* [http://www.judybolton.com/ Judy Bolton home page]