Nancy Brandon's Mystery

“Nancy Brandon's Mystery” by Lilian Garis is a fictional novel written in the early 20th century. It centers around a young girl named Nancy Brandon, who finds herself navigating the complexities of family bonds and personal identity during a summer visit to her cousin Rosalind's home in New Hampshire. Themes of friendship, adjustment, and self-discovery appear to be significant as Nancy faces the challenges of her cousin's insecurities and eccentricities. At the start of the novel, we see Nancy preparing for her mother's departure to Europe, feeling a mix of excitement and apprehension about her summer stay with Rosalind, who she has never met. As Nancy embarks on her journey by train, she reflects on her new life ahead while hinting at tensions within Rosalind's household, including issues with her stepmother and the enigmatic figure of Orilla. The opening establishes a sense of fun, potential adventure, and mystery while introducing the characters and circumstances that will shape Nancy's summer experience. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Lilian C. Garis, born Lilian C. McNamara, was an American author who wrote hundreds of books of juvenile fiction between around 1915 and the early 1940s. Prior to this, she was the first female reporter for the Newark Evening News in New Jersey. Garis and her husband, Howard R. Garis, were possibly the most prolific children's authors of the early 20th century.