The Girl Scout Series

The Girl Scouts Series By Edith Lavell

Marjorie had been too popular lately; she was having things her own way entirely too much. It was not good for any one girl to receive so much attention, Ruth thought; for the sake of the others in the troop, as well as for herself, she had regarded her prank as veritably charitable. But now she was almost beginning to regret it. For she knew that when the girl did finally appear, she would be petted heroine of the party even though Ruth herself might win the cup. And who knew? Mr. Andrews might even suggest that the winner compete with Majorie and Frieda! It was a strange thing that Ruth Henry had not learned by this time that her underhand scheming never got her anywhere. But each time she seemed to forget, and tried her mean practices all over again. –Page 178, The Girl Scouts’ Canoe Trip

This ten volume series was published by A.L. Burt in hardcover with dust jacket from 1922 through 1925. The books each have a glossy frontispiece illustration, which is the same illustration that appears on the dust jacket of each book.

The series was written by Edith Lavell, who is described in the advertisements for the series as “an author of wide experience in Scouts’ craft as Director of Girl Scouts of Philadelphia.” The series follows the adventures of Marjorie Wilkinson and the other members of the Girl Scouts Pansy troop of Miss Allen’s School. Miss Allen’s School is located somewhere in the general area near Philadelphia, not surprising since the author, Edith Lavell, lived in Philadelphia.

At the beginning of the series, Marjorie Wilkinson and Ruth Henry arrive at Miss Allen’s School as incoming freshmen. At this time, the two girls are best friends, but they soon become rivals due to Ruth’s jealousy. During volumes one through five, Ruth plays tricks on Marjorie in order to cripple Marjorie’s achievements as a Girl Scout. Ruth’s pranks gradually become worse and worse until they reach the level of criminal activity. Ruth is a very vicious young lady. Ruth is only present in volumes one through five.

In volume six, Marjorie and her friends graduate from Miss Allen’s School. Marjorie graduates from college at the beginning of volume ten. By the end of volume ten, nine years have passed since the beginning of the series. Such a great amount of time passes because most of the books take place during the girls’ summer vacations. In most cases, each book begins a year after the end of the last book so that very little time actually spent in school.

This series has a very large amount of Girl Scout lore. Edith Lavell was a Girl Scouts Director in Philadelphia and only someone with a vast amount of knowledge about the Girl Scouts would be able to place such a large amount of information in the books.

The books in this series are rather scarce, both with and without dust jackets. The last few titles are the hardest to find. Volume one also seems to be one of the harder to find volumes which I am at a loss to explain. Volume three may be the easiest to find volume. The bare books usually sell for $5.00 to $10.00, and the books with intact dust jackets sell for around $25.00 to $75.00.

The Girl Scouts Series Summaries

01: The Girl Scouts at Miss Allen’s School

Good friends Marjorie Wilkinson and Ruth Henry arrive at Miss Allen’s School as incoming freshmen. The two girls had hoped to room together but are assigned different roommates. Marjorie’s roommate is another freshman, Lily Andrews, who is very rich and very overweight. Ruth’s roommate is Ethel Todd, a sophomore who is a member of the school’s exclusive sorority. The new girls, most particularly Ruth, are entranced by the idea of joining the sorority, which consists of just four girls from each class. In the meantime, Marjorie throws herself into athletics, forgetting about the sorority. Most likely because of Marjorie’s popularity and athletic success, she receives one of the coveted invitations to join the sorority. Ruth feels intensely jealous. Ruth suggests to the faculty that they form a Girl Scout troop. The idea is received enthusiastically. A troop is formed, with both academic and athletic requirements. As more girls qualify for the Girl Scouts, the students lose interest in the sorority. Marjorie struggles to bring her grades up so that she can become a Girl Scout, little realizing that another student has interfered. Meanwhile, Marjorie and Lily become close, and Lily tries out for athletics, gradually losing weight. Lily becomes a Scout, but Marjorie still fall short of the requirements. Marjorie wonders whether her dream will ever be realized.

02: The Girl Scouts At Camp – Twelve Girl Scouts of Pansy Troop depart on a summer camping trip that will last for two weeks. Captain Phillips has created a contest for the girls, teasing the girls with hints. The girls ask endless questions about the contest, but Captain Phillips waits until the Scouts are established at camp before revealing any details. The winner of the contest will be the girl who earns the most points in Scout activities, and the greatest chance to gain points will go to the girl who successfully locates a cave somewhere in the general area. The winner will earn a brand-new canoe. Both Ruth and Marjorie are keenly interested in the contest, and Ruth fears that Marjorie will win instead of her. Ruth is still jealous of Marjorie and even tells on Marjorie when Marjorie breaks a rule so that Marjorie will lose points in the contest. In the meantime, a thief take supplies from the Scouts’ camp, and the girls lay a trap in hopes of catching the culprit. It is not until nearly the end of the camping trip that the thief is captured and a girl declared the winner of the canoe.

03: The Girl Scouts’ Good Turn – Now in her sophomore year at Miss Allen’s School, Ruth Henry schemes to become class president, but finds herself out of luck when Lily Andrews is voted into office. As always, Marjorie Wilkinson is happy for her friend and unconcerned that she did not win the election. Frieda Hammer is the recipient of the Scout’s good turn, and the Scouts have secured a room for her in a boarding house. Frieda will attend public school. The project is particularly important to Marjorie, and Marjorie is devastated when Frieda arrives, sullen and unfriendly, and refuses to be grateful for what the Scouts have done for her. Marjorie tries hard to become Frieda’s friend, progressing slowly but surely, until Ruth makes a hateful comment within Frieda’s hearing, causing Frieda to run away. Even worse, Frieda steals Marjorie’s most prized possession, her canoe, when she takes flight. Sickened over the loss of her canoe, Marjorie tries to continue with everyday activities. As much as the canoe meant to her, selfless Marjorie ultimately worries more about Frieda and hopes that she can somehow find her.

04: The Girl Scouts’ Canoe Trip – Now between their Sophomore year and Junior years, Marjorie Wilkinson and her friends set forth on a canoe trip with their beloved Captain, Miss Phillips. Their final destination is Silvertown, much to Ruth Henry’s delight. Silvertown is an exclusive resort in which only the wealthiest people vacation; Ruth is thrilled about the opportunities that the vacation will provide. The girls learn that at Silvertown, there will be a canoe race, and the girl who wins will receive a silver cup. Ruth is determined to win, but Marjorie and Frieda are both better canoeists than she. Ruth sends a telegram to her admirer, Harold Mason, to help her prevent Marjorie and Frieda from reaching Silvertown. Harold disguises himself as an old man and kidnaps Marjorie and Frieda! Marjorie and Frieda find themselves unable to escape, and Marjorie worries that she will miss the canoe races. Will Ruth have her way, or will Marjorie and Frieda find a way to free themselves from their captor?

05: The Girl Scouts’ Rivals – The Pansy troop of Miss Allen’s School achieves a high honor when it qualifies for the prestigious Girl Scouts training camp in Maine. Only ten troops of eight girls received the invitation. At the training camp, one patrol of eight girls will be selected to attend an important international event in Canada. Once in Maine, Marjorie Wilkinson feels intimidated by the strictness of the Scout officials and worries that her troop does not stand a chance. Meanwhile, Ruth Henry makes friends with the leader of the Daisy troop of New York, learning that the Daisy troop is short one member—another girl named Ruth. Since the Daisy troop has the best chance of winning, Ruth schemes to take the place of the missing girl. The Pansy troop is left at a disadvantage with only seven of the required eight members, and events are scored by dividing by eight. Marjorie rallies the rest of the troop to try just as hard, even if it is no longer possible for them to win. Ruth gloats in the knowledge that as a member of the Daisy troop she will be guaranteed the glory of the trip to Canada. However, Ruth forgets the strength and tenacity of her former troop. Ruth must use every devious means at her disposal to prevent Marjorie and the Pansy troop from winning.

06: The Girl Scouts on the Ranch – Marjorie, Lily, and their friends graduate from Miss Allen’s School. At a celebration dinner, Marjorie’s parents reveal that their present is a two month long trip to a ranch in Wyoming. Best of all, the entire senior patrol of the Pansy troop will go on the trip with Marjorie and Lily. Marjorie’s one regret is that by accepting the invitation, she is breaking a promise she made to John Hadley to spend two weeks of her vacation somewhere near him and his mother. Marjorie feigns indifference, and John thinks that Marjorie no longer cares about him. After departing for Wyoming, the Scouts learn that Daisy Gravers will be unable to return to Miss Allen’s School in the fall. Her family has spent a large amount of money trying to locate Daisy’s sister, Olive, who ran away after an argument with her husband. The girls have a splendid time on the ranch, but the end of their vacation quickly approaches. The girls reluctantly plan for the day when they will be separated forever. A surprise party planned by John and his mother reunites the girls for one last time, brings John and Marjorie closer together, and helps the Scouts solve the mystery of Daisy’s missing sister.

07: The Girl Scouts’ Vacation Adventure – Daisy Gravers and Florence Evans check on a sick woman as a favor to Florence’s sister, Edith. The girls learn that Mrs. Trawle is poverty-stricken, deathly ill, and has a young baby. Daisy impulsively agrees to take care of the baby so that Mrs. Trawle cam go to the hospital. Florence sis scornful of Daisy’s decision, but Mrs. Evans and Edith approve of the plan. Daisy tells Marjorie about the baby, and Marjorie enthusiastically brainstorms about ways the Girl Scouts can raise money to care for Mrs. Trawle and the baby until Mrs. Trawle is well enough to take care of herself. The decision is made to open a tea room in Philadelphia. John Hadley knows the perfect house that is empty, and his friend lets the Scouts have the house rent-free. All seems perfect, except – the house is haunted! Three previous owners died inside the house in rapid succession. It is said to be dangerous to stay overnight in the house. The Pansy Tea Room opens, and the girls gradually gain customers. Marjorie worries constantly about finances, hoping that they are making a profit. A mysterious disappearance and a warning message complicate the situation, but the girls continue to work hard, hoping that their struggle will be worth it.

08: The Girl Scouts’ Motor Trip – Alice Endicott has an amazing announcement for the other Scouts. Her aunt wants to reward the girls who helped with the Pansy Tea House by giving each of them a new car. In order to claim the vehicle, the girls must travel to San Francisco by automobile and arrive within a specific amount of time. The most important part is that the girls must accept no help from men! The girls are astonished and excited by the proposition. The girls secure Mrs. Remington as their escort and make the necessary preparations. They depart in high spirits, certain that their trip will be a success. The journey proves not to be as easy as the girls expect. Both cars end up with flat tires, caused by tacks that were spread in the road. The girls are forced to change the tires themselves, since they cannot accept help from men. Even worse, the girls are robbed on multiple occasions and seem to attract every kind of disaster that delays their journey. Marjorie and Ethel strongly suspect that outside interference is responsible for all of the girls’ bad luck. Ultimately, the pleasure trip becomes a race to the finish with no guarantee that the girls will arrive on time.

09: The Girl Scouts’ Captain – Daisy Gravers tells Marjorie about a group of high school girls who meet each week at the Community House for a dance. Daisy is to attend the next dance as a chaperone and asks Marjorie to help her out. Marjorie and Lily attend the dance in place of Daisy. At the dance, the girls are rude to Marjorie and Lily. In spite of her experience, Marjorie feels that the girls might somehow be reformed. Marjorie learns that even though the girls were rude, they were very impressed with Marjorie and hope to see her again, especially their leader, Queenie Brazier. Marjorie decides to see whether the girls would be willing to form a Girl Scout troop. The girls agree, and Marjorie makes plans. To the amazement of her friends, Marjorie resigns the senior class presidency so that she will have time for her troop. The girls prove to be less interested in scouting than Marjorie had hoped, and Marjorie wonders whether they are worth it. Marjorie finally finds something to interest the girls – the basketball league, but disaster threatens when Queenie disappears.

10: The Girl Scouts’ Director – Marjorie and Lily graduate from college, and Lily gets married. John Hadley fruitlessly tries to convince Marjorie to marry him, but Marjorie has other plans. Marjorie wants to become a Girl Scout Director and will attend training camp that summer. John is forced to be content to wait. He does make Marjorie promise not to accept a position that is far away. Marjorie completes her training and accepts a position as Assistant Director not too far from home. She learns very quickly that her superior officers are social climbers who are lazy and not very interested in Scout affairs. The Director is away on an extended leave of absence, so Marjorie does the work of both a Director and an Assistant, and for only the pay of a secretary. Despite all of the problems, Marjorie enjoys working with the captains and the girls, so she continues even after she reaches the point of total exhaustion. Marjorie’s superiors are petty, vindictive people who are jealous of her popularity with the captains and the Scouts. The women refuse to give Marjorie a vacation and make rude comments that tear away at Marjorie’s spirit. Marjorie must finally make a decision about her future – a decision that will guide the rest of her life.