A Girl In Ten Thousand

I wasn't yet 16 when I wrote this in my diary 61 years ago (1959) today: "I read A Girl In Ten Thousand  this afternoon. It's an old dime novel Grandma gave me.

I don't know why I thought it was a dime novel - "a cheap, popular novel, typically a melodramitic romance or adventure story". And although I didn't say so, I'm pretty sure it was Grandma Lynam because, as I've mentioned before, she gave me some of her old books.

I don't remember what the cover was like on the book she gave me, though I do remember some of them looking like this design.

Girl In Ten Thousand was first published in 1890, a year before Grandma Bessie was born.

A Girl in Ten Thousand was described in some editions as "Children's Fiction". L. T Meade was the pen name of Elizabeth Thomasina Meade an Irish lass from County Cork who began writing at 17 and went on to produce over 300 books in her lifetime - according to Wikipedia, where there is also a list of her many titles.

This book also show up in Amazon and Goodreads searches, where it is rated at 3.8 stars.
Reviewers described the heroine, Effie, as a very strong girl for her age, demure, honest, selfless, virtuous and brave.
She was the daughter of a doctor who wanted to be a nurse before it was an acceptable profession for girls.
I wonder what I thought of that at the time when our high school guidance teacher told me the only reason for me to go to college was if I wanted to be a nurse or teacher and I didn't want to be either.

Also on this date 61 years ago, in my "Tonight's Song" remembrance was "Ooh! Look-a There, Ain't She Pretty". Frankie Avalon as well as Little Anthony and the Imperials had versions of the song in 1958, but I'm guessing my reference was to the 1959 single by Bill Haley and The Comets.

Twenty-seven years after that diary entry, this date became more significant as the birth date of my first granddaughter.

She is A Girl in Ten Thousand for certain!

Happy 34th Birthday Katrina Marie.