Speed, Nell, 1878-1913

Nell Speed (1878–1913) was an American author of children's literature. Public information about her is limited, and few details of her life are known today. In her short life she produced sixteen works, mostly about young people's school and holiday experiences and commonly classified as inspirational coming-of-age stories. Her representative works include the Tucker Twins series—A House Party with the Tucker Twins, Tripping with the Tucker Twins, Vacation with the Tucker Twins and Back at School with the Tucker Twins—as well as the Molly Brown series: Molly Brown's Freshman Days, Molly Brown's Orchard Home, Molly Brown of Kentucky and Molly Brown's Senior Days. These stories follow girls and the twin siblings through school, friendship and family life, written in a light, humorous style close to young readers' own experiences. They are representative of early twentieth-century American girls' fiction and remain of interest to students of children's literature from that period.