Josefina. 1824.
Meet Maryellen Larkin!
Growing up in Florida in the 1950s, Maryellen Larkin is a creative and curious girl with a big imagination. Whether she’s helping her family, standing up for a friend, or organizing a variety show, Maryellen’s optimism always shines through.
Stan and Kay Larkin
Maryellen’s supportive parents who encourage her creativity and curiosity. Her dad is an architect and shares her love of the beach, while her mom takes care of all six kids.
Joan and Jerry Larkin
Maryellen’s sister and her boyfriend. With a little help from Maryellen, Joan and Jerry get engaged, and their backyard wedding is a dream come true.
Carolyn and Beverly Larkin
Maryellen’s two sisters. Carolyn, fourteen, loves music, and her social life gives Maryellen a peek into her own teenage years. Six-year-old Beverly pretends to be a queen.
Tom and Mikey Larkin
Maryellen refers to her younger brothers as “bothers” because they keep her on her toes! Four-year-old Tom dreams of being a firefighter, while two-year-old Mikey is known for his messy antics.
Davy Fenstermacher
and Wayne Philpott
Maryellen’s best friend, “Good Old Davy,” always lends a hand, even repainting her fire-engine-red front door. Class clown “Wayne the Pain” gets on her nerves but joins her flying machine team.
Karen King, Karen Stohlman, and Angela
The “Karens” are Maryellen’s best friends until they disapprove of her friendship with Angela, a new girl from Italy. But after winning a Geography Bee together, they reconcile.
Author Valerie Tripp
Valerie Tripp says that she became a writer because of the kind of person she is. She says she’s curious, and writing requires you to be interested in everything. Talking is her favorite sport, and writing is a way of talking on paper. She’s a daydreamer, which helps her come up with her ideas. And she loves words. She even loves the struggle to come up with just the right words as she writes and rewrites. Ms. Tripp lives in Maryland with her husband.
Maryellen’s nickname is Ellie. Her sister Joan playfully calls her “Ellie-deli,” “Ellie-welly,” and “Ellie-nelly.”
The Larkin family’s Christmas traditions include singing carols around a big bonfire on the beach.
Maryellen’s vivid imagination is fueled by her favorite TV shows, especially Westerns like The Lone Ranger and Davy Crockett.
Maryellen and her friend Angela create their own Italian-English dictionary to help each other learn new words.
Because she’s left-handed, Maryellen struggles with cursive handwriting—until Mrs. Humphrey tells her that her “loopy style” is as unique as she is.
Inspired by fireworks, Maryellen suggests using booster rockets for her Science Club team’s entry in the flying machine contest.
Daytona’s Women’s Auxiliary Army Corps (WAACS) trained over 22,000 women as weather forecasters, radio operators, bombsite specialists, aerial photographers, and more!
J. Fred Muggs, a mischievous chimp, became a Today Show star in 1953, charming audiences and boosting the show’s popularity with his antics.
This decade saw a lot of conformity or being and acting like others. Maryellen struggled with this idea, which is why she painted her front door (and dog!) red.
Dr. Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine in 1955, saving thousands of children from the devastating effects of polio.
The original poodle skirt was designed by Juli Lynne Charlot. Needing a last-minute Christmas outfit, she cut a simple circle skirt from felt. The design quickly became a nationwide fashion trend.
Families in the 1950s were often big like Maryellen’s. The post-war era saw a surge in births, leading to larger families and a focus on having children soon after marriage.
