The Girls of Central High Aiding the Red Cross

Gertrude W. MorrisonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.5

Word count: 223K words
Chapters: 23

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Girls of Central High Aiding the Red Cross by Gertrude W. MorrisonAuthor: Morrison, Gertrude W.,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: May 1, 2005

Editor's review

The Girls of Central High Aiding the Red Cross is a young adult novel by Gertrude W. Morrison, one volume in the Central High series, presented here in its original English through Project Gutenberg. The story follows the girls of Central High as they take part in Red Cross relief efforts, with a clear focus on adolescent growth and community service; it offers a useful window into the themes and narrative style of early twentieth-century American writing for young readers. As a public-domain English original, the book uses relatively plain language and short chapters, making it a friendly entry point for readers who want to try a full-length work in English. Readers can follow the girls' organization and cooperation as well as their sense of responsibility, or treat the book as a historical text for observing American school life and public-service mobilization of the period. Because it was written long ago, its characterizations and social views reflect the limitations of their time and are best read with historical perspective.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Learners who want to start with a young adult novel in the original English
Young readers interested in school-life growth and community service themes
Researchers studying early American young adult fiction and series novels
Parents and teachers looking for public-domain English extracurricular reading for children

Not a good fit for

Readers who read only in Chinese and are not used to English originals
Mature readers who prefer complex plots and adult themes
Readers sensitive to the period views of early works who may find them uncomfortable

Reading tips

Read in chapter order and summarize the plot in one sentence after each chapter to keep a steady pace.
When you meet unfamiliar words, first guess from context and look them up after finishing the chapter, so you are not constantly interrupted.
Read alongside background material on Red Cross history and American school life of the period.
Read in comparison with other volumes in the series to observe character growth and the basic patterns of series narration.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What English level is this book suitable for?

The book is written for young adults, with shorter chapters and relatively plain language, so readers with high school or equivalent English reading ability should find it easy to start. If your vocabulary is limited, you can first read through with a dictionary and gradually move away from that support.

Is this one book in a series?

Yes. It belongs to the Central High series, which centers on the girls of Central High. The main plot can be understood by reading this book alone; to appreciate the character relationships fully, you can read the other volumes in series order.

Is the Red Cross content factual or fictional?

This is a young adult novel; the Red Cross relief activities are the fictional background of the plot, not factual reporting. Readers can treat it as a literary text reflecting the public-service mobilization atmosphere of the time rather than as a historical record.

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About the author

Gertrude W. Morrison Author

Gertrude W. Morrison was not a real author but one of the collective pen names used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Published under this name, the Girls of Central High series comprises seven titles, including The Girls of Central High Or, Rivals for All Honors, The Girls of Central High in Camp Or, the Old Professor's Secret, and several others centering on inter-school sports competitions and stage performances. The series was actually written by W. Bert Foster (Walter Bertram Foster, 1869–1929). Because public information about the author's birth and death dates and nationality is limited, biographical details are difficult to verify. Judging from the works themselves, however, the series follows the typical style of Syndicate-style juvenile school stories, focusing on friendship, rivalry, and collective honor among girls at a secondary school, with brisk plots suitable for young readers.