This is the first book in the Betty Baird Series of boarding school books, a genre which was popular among young girls in the early 1900s. Our heroine, Betty Baird, who is herself obsessed with reading boarding school books, is sent away to The Pines, a boarding school where at first she is ridiculed by some of the wealthier and more popular students. As time goes on, Betty silences her foes with her unique and captivating personality, and she and her new friends have many lighthearted adventures during their days at The Pines. Anna Hamlin Wikel (pen name Weikel) was herself raised by a learned clergyman, Benjamin Baird Hamlin, upon whom the character of Betty Baird's father is based. The reader is the great grand niece of the author. (Holly Jenson)
Betty has graduated from the Pines and is now with her parents at their new home on Long Island. When Betty finds out that her father is having trouble paying the mortgage, she decides to spread her entrepreneurial wings and help with the family finances. But can a young girl in 1907 earn enough money to make a difference? Does Betty have the spirit and determination to stick with her plans, even when others try to discourage her? The reader is the great grand niece of the author. (Holly Jenson)
