 Cover of reprint ofCherry Ames, Student Nurse (1943), the first Cherry Ames book | |
| Author | Helen Wells (#1–7, 17–27) Julie Campbell Tatham (#8–16) |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Mystery |
| Publisher | Grosset & Dunlap Springer Publishing (reprints, 2005–2007) |
| Published | 1943–1968 |
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Cherry Ames is the central character in a series of 27 mystery novels with hospital settings published byGrosset & Dunlap between 1943 and 1968.Helen Wells (1910-1986) wrote volumes #1–9 and #17–27, andJulie Campbell Tatham (1908–1999), the creator ofTrixie Belden, wrote volumes #10–16. Wells also created theVicki Barr series. DuringWorld War II, the series encouraged girls to become nurses as a way to aid the war effort.[1]Cherry Ames original editions are prized by collectors and fans. The series generated a few spin-off items, including a Parker Brothers board game; some titles have been reprinted.
The series stars a job-hopping,mystery-solvingnurse in theNancy Drew mold, named Cherry Ames. Cherry (short for Charity) hails from Hilton, Illinois (based on Wells' hometown ofDanville, Illinois), and was steered into nursing by Dr. Joseph Fortune, an old family friend. Cherry's training at the Spencer Hospital School of Nursing is chronicled in the first two books. There, she meets the classmates who become lifelong friends.
With the third book in the seriesArmy Nurse, Cherry joins theArmy Nurse Corps, and, after the war, she moves toGreenwich Village. Whenever Cherry isn't working with the Visiting Nurse Service, Dr. Joe sends her on assignments in various parts of the country. Unlike other nurses of girls' fiction, such asSue Barton, Cherry remains unpartnered throughout her career, although an occasional beau will crop up, such as Dr. "Lex" Upham.
Cherry's early adventures are set during World War II. In these early adventures, Cherry solves problems and captures criminals when men in authority have failed to do so, "demonstrating that women can succeed in the public, working world".[2]
The books were written byHelen Wells andJulie Tatham and published in the United States byGrosset & Dunlap between 1943 and 1968. They were extensively printed in the United Kingdom in the 1950s and 1960s.[3] The books are an example of the "girls' series" genre. Girls' series books follow a girl in her late teens or early twenties, usually with an interesting job, who goes on adventures either on her own or with a small group of friends. The genre was occasionally criticized for its formulaic plots and the poor construction of the books themselves.[4] Beginning in 2005, the Cherry Ames series was licensed to the Springer Publishing Company and are currently being re-printed. In addition, a new edition ofCherry Ames, Student Nurse was released by the Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc., through its Palm Publishing LLC subsidiary. Proceeds from the sale of the books were used to support nursing scholarships.
Cherry Ames public domain audiobook atLibriVoxJuvenile series books (1930–1979) | ||
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