The Dana Girls was a series of young adult mystery novels produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate . The title heroines, Jean and Louise Dana, are teenage sisters and amateur detectives who solve mysteries while at boarding school . The series was created in 1934 in an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of both the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories and the Hardy Boys series, but was less successful than either. The series was written by a number of ghostwriters and, despite going out-of-print twice, lasted from 1934 to 1979; the books have also been translated into a number of other languages. While subject to less critical attention than either Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys, a number of critics have written about the series, most arguing that the Dana Girls' relative lack of success was due to the more dated nature of the series.
49-519: The series' principal characters are Louise and Jean Dana, teenage orphans who solve mysteries while attending the fictional Starhurst School for Girls in Penfield, not far from their hometown of Oak Falls. When on vacation, the girls stay at the home of their guardians, their uncle, Captain Ned Dana, master of the S.S. Balaska , and his spinster sister, Harriet Dana. The household also includes
98-544: A "sporty car." Auto racing began with the first earnest contests in 1894 in Europe , and in 1895 in the United States . Some of the earliest race cars were purpose-built or stripped for the greatest speed, with minimal or no bodywork at all, leading to a body style aptly named 'speedster'. The cut-down speedster body-style really took form in the 1900s. After removing most of the body (and fenders), an empty platform on
147-471: A bungling maid, the "buxom, red-cheeked" Cora Appel, often teasingly referred to as "Applecore" by Jean and Louise. Louise is seventeen at the beginning of the first novel. She is described as dark-haired, while her sister Jean is fair-haired. Louise is the more serious of the two, while Jean is described as "gay-hearted." In the second book, Jean is described as being a year younger than Louise, with "blonde, boyish-cut hair" and with "laughter in her blue eyes and
196-461: A clue academically. He is sometimes referred to, without explanation, as Professor Crandall. The Starhurst School for Girls is sited on the former Starr family estate; avenues cross a broad lawn to the former Starr mansion, which now serves as the school dormitory. The last remaining Starrs have fallen into poverty ; elder brother Franklin Starr does what he can to ensure that younger sister Evelyn
245-534: A final time in 1979. The Dana Girls Mystery Stories began publication in 1934 and were discontinued in 1944. The series went back in print in 1949, although new titles were not published until 1952. At that time, the books' jacket art was updated, from stylized, art deco designs to pictures of the Dana Girls finding a clue or chasing a suspect. Although the art on many of these early volumes is less detailed than that of Nancy Drew and other Stratemeyer publications,
294-452: A humorous tilt to her nose." At school, the Dana girls are firmly under the control of the headmistress, Mrs. Crandall, who approves absences from class and other exceptions to the rules only when deemed absolutely necessary to the girls' detective work; however, as the series progresses and mysteries are solved to the benefit of the school, this becomes more and more frequent. One early example
343-568: A number of ghostwriters under the supervision of the Syndicate. The first four titles were written by Leslie McFarlane , who also wrote 19 of the first 25 volumes in the Hardy Boys series. McFarlane, however, disliked the job intensely, only writing the fourth volume after requesting and receiving a higher fee than usual. He declined to write any further titles, writing afterwards that "starvation seemed preferable." McFarlane's antipathy towards
392-399: A rented boat piloted by their Uncle Ned. Readers of NANCY DREW need no assurance that the adventures of resourceful Louise Dana and her irrepressible sister Jean are packed with thrills, excitement, and mystery. Every girl will love these fascinating stories which tell how the Dana girls, like Nancy Drew herself, meet and match the challenge of each strange new mystery. The Dana Girls series
441-507: A small body and large wooden wheels with thin spokes; they were nicknamed "spiders" because of their appearance; the nickname was transferred to sports cars, although they did not look similar. In 1962, Chevrolet introduced the Monza Spyder , a turbocharged version of its Corvair compact, available as a convertible or coupe. Although not a true 2 passenger vehicle, it featured upgraded suspension and other equipment to classify it as
490-410: A unique placement of the engine in a 'lay down' mounting so the cylinders were nearly horizontal instead of vertical as traditional design dictated. This gave a slightly lower center of mass and a lower profile. Roadsters continued to race until the late 1960s, although they became increasingly uncompetitive against the new rear-engined racing cars. The last roadster to complete the full race distance
539-505: Is Lettie's only friend. Lettie and Ina frequently attempt to solve the Dana girls' cases themselves while throwing their rivals off the scent; these attempts invariably fail and redound to Lettie and Ina's profound discredit. Lettie becomes angry in the first volume upon not receiving the room assignment of her choice, which is instead assigned to the Danas, and serves as a rival (unsuccessfully) and prankster. Most of her pranks are to discredit
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#1732802281977588-547: Is Mrs. Crandall granting permission to the girls to conduct a search for a missing teacher, Miss Tisdale, in The Secret at Lone Tree Cottage . Mrs. Crandall often volunteers herself or her husband to assist with investigations, either by driving them, chaperoning them, or at times, actively engaging in activity such as spying from horseback. Her husband, the bookish Mr. Crandall, is usually occupied in his study and generally takes no interest in administrative affairs, although he
637-461: Is a child whose parents have died, are unknown or have permanently abandoned them. It can also refer to a child who has lost only one parent, as the Hebrew translation, for example, is "fatherless". In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usually relevant (i.e., if the female parent has gone,
686-530: Is a fundamental and God-pleasing matter. The religious leaders Moses and Muhammad were orphaned as children. Several scriptural citations describe how orphans should be treated: Bible Qu'ran Roadster (automobile) A roadster (also spider , spyder ) is an open two-seat car with emphasis on sporting appearance or character. Initially an American term for a two-seat car with no weather protection, its usage has spread internationally and has evolved to include two-seat convertibles . The roadster
735-448: Is at least able to attend school in the family's former home. When Franklin is unable to fund his sister's full tuition, Evelyn is reduced to waiting tables in the school dining hall in order to continue in attendance; this makes her the target of school bully Lettie Briggs, below. The Dana girls' principal recurring antagonists are the school bully, Lettie Briggs, the wealthiest girl at Starhurst, and her lackey, or shadow, Ina Mason, who
784-429: Is considered an excellent teacher. It is rumored that Mr. Crandall is engaged in writing a monumental English-language history of Ancient Greece in five volumes and he is usually left alone by the student body, but the Dana girls discover he can be a useful source of obscure facts relating to the clues in a mystery. He generally takes a less active role in sleuthing than his wife, acting as a driver, escort, or researching
833-629: Is the Mazda MX-5 , which was introduced in 1989. The early style of roadster with minimal weather protection is still in production by several low-volume manufacturers and fabricators, including the windowless Morgan Roadster , the doorless Caterham 7 and the bodyless Ariel Atom . The term roadster was used to describe a style of racing cars competing in the AAA/USAC Championship Cars series (the IndyCar equivalents of
882-629: The Cadillac V-16 , the Duesenberg Model J and Bugatti Royale . By the 1970s "roadster" could be applied to any two-seater car of sporting appearance or character. In response to market demand they were manufactured as well-equipped as convertibles with side windows that retracted into the doors. Popular models through the 1960s and 1970s were the Alfa Romeo Spider , MGB and Triumph TR4 . The highest selling roadster
931-1020: The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Joint United Nations Programme on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS), and other groups label any child who has lost one parent as an orphan. In this approach, a maternal orphan is a child whose mother has died, a paternal orphan is a child whose father has died, and a double orphan is a child/teen/infant who has lost both parents. This contrasts with the older use of half-orphan to describe children who had lost only one parent. Orphans are relatively rare in developed countries because most children can expect both of their parents to survive their childhood. Much higher numbers of orphans exist in war-torn nations such as Afghanistan . Famous orphans include world leaders such as Aaron Burr , Andrew Jackson , and Pedro II of Brazil ; writers such as Edgar Allan Poe and Leo Tolstoy ; and athletes such as Aaron Hernandez . The American orphan Henry Darger portrayed
980-569: The Bamboo Bird , 1973 10. The Sierra Gold Mystery , 1973 11. The Secret of Lost Lake , 1973 12. The Winking Ruby Mystery , 1974 13. The Ghost in the Gallery , 1975 14. The Curious Coronation , 1976 15. The Hundred-Year Mystery , 1977 16. Mountain-Peak Mystery , 1978 17. The Witch's Omen , 1979 18. The Strange Identities , unpublished 19. The Thousand Islands Mystery , unpublished Orphan An orphan
1029-730: The Black Flower , 1956 19. The Winking Ruby Mystery , 1957 20. The Secret of the Swiss Chalet , 1958 21. The Haunted Lagoon , 1959 22. The Mystery of the Bamboo Bird , 1960 23. The Sierra Gold Mystery , 1961 24. The Secret of Lost Lake , 1962 25. The Mystery of the Stone Tiger , 1963 26. The Riddle of the Frozen Fountain , 1964 27. The Secret of the Silver Dolphin , 1965 28. Mystery of
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#17328022819771078-400: The Dana Girls have garnered little critical attention. Some find the series simply uninteresting and argue that the Dana Girls series was not as successful as Nancy Drew at least in part because early series authors Leslie McFarlane and Mildred Benson were uninterested in their creations. Others have called the characters "pallid followers in the dazzling train of Nancy Drew" and suggest that
1127-804: The Dana Girls' detective work was an outgrowth of the Depression in another way; many jobs and activities previously reserved for men were increasingly taken by women in 1930s due to economic necessity. 1. By the Light of the Study Lamp , 1934 2. The Secret at Lone Tree Cottage , 1934 3. In the Shadow of the Tower , 1934 4. A Three-Cornered Mystery , 1935 5. The Secret at the Hermitage , 1936 6. The Circle of Footprints , 1937 7. The Mystery of
1176-418: The Danas scholastically, athletically, morally, or slander their detective skill. Lettie alters or steals school assignments, plagiarizes their work, destroys academic research, puts acid on Jean's towel before an athletic competition (to injure her hand), jeers/cheers against the Danas, short-laces shoes, hires a thug to disrupt an ice skating competition and winter carnival, and spreads rumors of all kinds about
1225-454: The Danas, along with making other character slurs. Incredibly, based upon their academic performance and favored status, Mrs. Crandall remains neutral, or at times, becomes angry with the Danas, and requires the sisters to make an explanation. In most circumstances, she is immediately satisfied with her investigation. This usually serves to delay Dana sleuthing, or to provide sub-plots with schoolgirl pranks in retaliation, on Lettie. Lettie, on
1274-933: The Locked Room , 1938 8. The Clue in the Cobweb , 1939 9. The Secret at the Gatehouse , 1940 10. The Mysterious Fireplace , 1941 11. The Clue of the Rusty Key , 1942 12. The Portrait in the Sand , 1943 13. The Secret in the Old Well , 1944 14. The Clue in the Ivy , 1952 15. The Secret of the Jade Ring , 1953 16. Mystery at the Crossroads , 1954 17. The Ghost in the Gallery , 1955 18 . The Clue of
1323-929: The Netherlands 300,000 in Poland and 200,000 in Yugoslavia, plus many more in the Soviet Union, Germany, Italy, China and elsewhere. Orphaned characters are prevalent as literary protagonists, especially in children's and fantasy literature . The lack of parents leaves the characters to pursue more exciting and adventurous lives, by freeing them from familial obligations and controls, and depriving them of more prosaic lives. It creates characters that are self-contained and introspective and who strive for affection. Orphans can metaphorically search for self-understanding by attempting to know their roots. Parents can also be allies and sources of aid for children, and removing
1372-1303: The Obscure , Victor Hugo 's Les Misérables , Edgar Rice Burroughs 's Tarzan of the Apes , Rudyard Kipling 's The Jungle Book , and J. R. R. Tolkien 's The Lord of the Rings . More recent authors featuring orphan characters include A. J. Cronin , Lemony Snicket , A. F. Coniglio , Roald Dahl and J. K. Rowling . One recurring storyline has been the relationship that the orphan can have with an adult from outside their immediate family, as seen in Lyle Kessler's play Orphans . Orphans are especially common as characters in comic books. Many popular heroes are orphans, including Superman , Batman , Spider-Man , Robin , The Flash , Captain Marvel , Captain America , and Green Arrow . Orphans are also very common among villains: Bane, Catwoman , and Magneto are examples. Lex Luthor , Deadpool , and Carnage can also be included on this list, though they killed one or both of their parents. Supporting characters befriended by
1421-565: The United States Society of Automobile Engineers defined a roadster as: "an open car seating two or three. It may have additional seats on running boards or in rear deck." Since it has a single row of seats, the main seat for the driver and passenger was usually further back in the chassis than it would have been in a touring car . Roadsters usually had a hooded dashboard . In the United Kingdom, historically,
1470-571: The Wax Queen , 1966 29. The Secret of the Minstrel's Guitar , 1967 30. The Phantom Surfer , 1968 1. The Mystery of the Stone Tiger , 1972 2. The Riddle of the Frozen Fountain , 1972 3. The Secret of the Silver Dolphin , 1972 4. Mystery of the Wax Queen , 1972 5. The Secret of the Minstrel's Guitar , 1972 6. The Phantom Surfer , 1972 7. The Secret of the Swiss Chalet , 1973 8. The Haunted Lagoon , 1973 9. Mystery of
1519-651: The heroes are also often orphans, including the Newsboy Legion and Rick Jones . Other famous fictional orphans include Little Orphan Annie , Anakin Skywalker , Luke Skywalker and his sister, Leia Organa , and several main characters in children's shows like Diff'rent Strokes and Punky Brewster . Many religious texts, including the Bible and the Quran , contain the idea that helping and defending orphans
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1568-678: The horrible conditions of his orphanage in his artwork. Other notable orphans include entertainment greats such as Louis Armstrong , Marilyn Monroe , Babe Ruth , Ray Charles and Frances McDormand . Wars , epidemics (such as AIDS), pandemics , and poverty have led to many children becoming orphans. The Second World War (1939-1945), with its massive numbers of deaths and vast population movements, left large numbers of orphans in many countries—with estimates for Europe ranging from 1,000,000 to 13,000,000. Judt (2006) estimates there were 9,000 orphaned children in Czechoslovakia, 60,000 in
1617-488: The ladder-frame chassis was mounted with one or two seats, a gas tank, and spare tyres. American manufacturers Mercer and Stutz started offering ready-made racing speedsters, intentionally built to be driven to race(-track), raced, and driven back by their owner – essentially the first track day cars . The immediate predecessor to the roadster was the runabout , a body style with a single row of seats and no doors, windshield, or other weather protection. Another predecessor
1666-462: The offspring is an orphan, regardless of the father's condition). Various groups use different definitions to identify orphans. One legal definition used in the United States is a minor bereft through "death or disappearance of, abandonment or desertion by, or separation or loss from, both parents". In everyday use, an orphan does not have any surviving parent to care for them. However,
1715-425: The other hand, despite her disruptive, dishonest, and at times, actual criminal behavior, rarely receives due punishment. Lettie, despite receiving a large allowance, is miserly and invariably haggles; this costs her possession of the eponymous study lamp in the first volume in the series, By the Light of the Study Lamp . The girls drive a "family roadster " whose make is not specified in the early books. Typical for
1764-820: The parents makes the character's difficulties more severe. Parents, furthermore, can be irrelevant to the theme a writer is trying to develop, and orphaning the character frees the writer from depicting such an irrelevant relationship; if one parent-child relationship is important, removing the other parent prevents complicating the necessary relationship. All these characteristics make orphans attractive characters for authors. Orphans are common in fairy tales, such as most variants of Cinderella . Several well-known authors have written books featuring orphans. Examples from classic literature include Charlotte Brontë 's Jane Eyre , Charles Dickens 's Oliver Twist , Mark Twain 's Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn , L. M. Montgomery 's Anne of Green Gables , Thomas Hardy 's Jude
1813-528: The preferred terms were "open two-seater" and "two-seat tourer". Since the 1950s, the term "roadster" has also been increasingly used in the United Kingdom. It is noted that the optional 4-seat variant of the Morgan Roadster would not be technically considered a roadster. The term "spider" or "spyder," sometimes used in names for convertible models, is said to come from before the automobile era. Some 19th-century lightweight horse-drawn phaetons had
1862-428: The same car. Bob Sweikert won the 1955 500 in a Kurtis after Vukovich was killed while leading. A. J. Watson , George Salih and Quinn Epperly were other notable roadster constructors. Watson-built roadsters won in 1956 , 1959 – 1964 though the 1961 and 1963 winners were actually close copies built from Watson designs. The 1957 and 1958 winner was the same car built by Salih with help by Epperly built with
1911-464: The series in 1955 with The Ghost in the Gallery. Adams wrote all subsequent volumes in the series, although at least one other title, Strange Identities , was written by Harriet's daughter, Camilla McClave, but never published. The Thousand Islands Mystery is mentioned as the Danas next mystery, and "involves the sisters in a thrilling adventure in the nearby Thousand Islands Swamp". . The series went out of print twice before going out of print for
1960-484: The series stemmed largely from his discomfort from writing about two girls under a female pseudonym. Adams assigned the series next to Mildred Benson , who was also writing the Nancy Drew series. Benson also did not particularly enjoy writing the series, stating at one point that "I never felt the same kinship with the Danas that I did with Nancy." Benson nonetheless wrote volumes 5 through 16 before Adams began writing
2009-480: The series was less successful than the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories because of its melding of the mystery story with the boarding school story, a genre that was "fading in popularity" even in the 1930s. The combination of genres has also been called unsuccessful because "the school's presence weakens the mysteries, as the mysteries detract from the school story." Bobbie Ann Mason criticizes
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2058-487: The series, The Secret of the Swiss Chalet in particular, for "[realizing] the authorized, glamourized dreams of our culture" by having the Dana Girls live privileged lifestyles. Carolyn Carpan, in contrast, argues that series such as the Dana Girls that were begun around the time of the Great Depression portrayed heroines as unrealistically wealthy in order to fulfill readers' fantasies. Carpan also argues that
2107-569: The sisters are usually shown in a far more active role, rather than hiding and spying on the action. In 1962, the books were changed to picture cover format, but with the same artwork. The books have also been translated into Swedish , Norwegian , Danish , Finnish , German , and French . In Finland, girls have kept their original names. In Sweden, the Dana Girls are no longer Jean and Louise, but Mary and Lou. In France, they are known as Les Sœurs Parker ("The Parker Sisters"), Liz and Ann. In Germany, they are Barbie and Susan. Unlike Nancy Drew ,
2156-569: The time) from 1952 to 1969. The roadster engine and drive shaft are offset from the centerline of the car. This allows the driver to sit lower in the chassis and facilitates a weight offset which is beneficial on oval tracks. One story of why this type of racing car is referred to as a "roadster" is that a team was preparing a new car for the Indianapolis 500. They had it covered in a corner of their shop. If they were asked about their car they would try and obscure its importance by saying that it
2205-415: The time, it has a starter button on the floor. This roadster is kept at Uncle Ned's house, and the girls do not drive it to school; instead, they take the train to and from campus, or else Uncle Ned comes and picks them up when he is not at sea. The girls know how to ride horses , and have access to horses kept in the school barn, and keep riding breeches in their room. In one of their adventures, they ride in
2254-595: Was also a style of racing car driven in United States Auto Club (USAC) Championship Racing, including the Indianapolis 500 , in the 1950s and 1960s. This type of racing car was superseded by rear-mid-engine cars. The term "roadster" originates in the United States, where it was used in the 19th century to describe a horse suitable for travelling. By the end of the century, the definition had expanded to include bicycles and tricycles. In 1916,
2303-627: Was created by Harriet Adams , who sought to capitalize on the popularity of both the Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys series. The series was produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate , a book packager specializing in children's series books, and heavily marketed as similar to the Nancy Drew series; the same pseudonym, Carolyn Keene , was used for both. All books in the series were published by Grosset & Dunlap and written by
2352-425: Was just their (hot rod) "roadster". After the Indianapolis racer was made public, the "roadster" name was still attached to it. Frank Kurtis built the first roadster to race and entered it in the 1952 Indianapolis 500 . It was driven by Bill Vukovich who led for most of the race until a steering failure eliminated him. The Howard Keck owned team with Vukovich driving went on to win the 1953 and 1954 contests with
2401-521: Was the touring car , similar in body style to the modern roadster except for its multiple rows of seats. By the 1920s roadsters were appointed similarly to touring cars, with doors, windshields, simple folding tops, and side curtains. Roadster bodies were offered on automobiles of all sizes and classes, from mass-produced cars like the Ford Model T and the Austin 7 to extremely expensive cars like
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