Ginnie and Geneva are best friends, although they are very different people.  Ginnie is shy, and before she moved to Geneva’s town, she was home-schooled, so she had some trouble adjusting to public school.  Geneva is more outgoing and helps Ginnie to make new friends.

Many of the books in this series are general fiction, just stories about growing up and making friends.  Although the characters have their problems, the books are gentle, up-beat stories that always end well, which makes for a nice change from a lot of modern children’s books.  Some of the books are mystery stories, although the mysteries tend to be less important than the development of the characters in the books.

Although the books were written over a period of decades, the time period for the stories still seems to be basically the 1950s.  Aspects of life were different in the 1950s, but human nature is still the same, and some of the issues of growing up would still be relatable for modern children.

The author, Catherine Woolley, also wrote other series of children’s books under the pen name Jane Thayer, including the Gus the Ghost Series.

Books in the Series:

#1 Ginnie and Geneva (1948)

Ginnie is a new girl in school and is rather shy, but she becomes friends with the more outgoing and lively Geneva.

#2 Ginnie Joins In (1951)

Ginnie is going to the lake for the summer, but she’s worried because she doesn’t know how to swim.  Ginnie’s swimming improves through practice, and her friendships with other girls improve when she learns to stop worrying about how she measures up to others and just have fun!

#3 Ginnie and the New Girl (1954)

Ginnie feels neglected by her best friend when a new girl moves in and Geneva seems to be spending all of her time with her.  Ginnie’s mother encourages her to keep busy and become more independent, which helps her to not only be happier without her friend but for her friend to find her more interesting to spend time with when they’re together.

#4 Ginnie and the Mystery House (1957)

Ginnie and her friends think that a house where an elderly woman lives might be haunted.

#5 Ginnie’s Baby-Sitting Business (1963)

Ginnie decides to start a baby-sitting business over the summer.  Meanwhile, she worries about whether she has a special talent like some of the other girls do.

#6 Ginnie and the Cooking Contest (1966)

Ginnie enters a cooking contest in the hope of winning a trip to Washington, D.C..  When things go wrong with her planned menu, does she still have a chance?

#7 Ginnie and the Wedding Bells (1967)

Ginnie is invited to a wedding and even asked to be a junior bridesmaid, but with one disaster after another, is she even going to make it to the wedding?

#8 Ginnie and the Mystery Doll (1960)

A beautiful doll that disappeared years ago turns up unexpectedly at a church auction, but when Ginnie and Geneva try to buy her, she suddenly vanishes again.  Can the girls find her and learn her secret?

#9 Ginnie and the Mystery Cat (1969)

Ginnie’s parents take her and her friend Genevra on a trip to Europe.  The girls are excited, but strange things keep happening, and it seems like someone is following them.

#10 Ginnie and the Mystery Light (1973)

Ginnie is spending Christmas in South Carolina with a friend, but she keeps seeing strange lights at night.  Who, or what, is causing them?