Rosamond du Jardin (1902–1963) was a writer, best known for 17 books for teen girls published in the 1950s and 1960s. Before then, she wrote short stories and serialized novels for numerous magazines. Her work is of enduring interest in

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because it provides a useful view of 1950s norms and rites of passage.

Personal life

Rosamond Maud Neal was born July 22, 1902, in Fairland, Illinois, and grew up in

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. She graduated from Morgan Park High School and married Victor du Jardin; they had three children and operated a book store in Glen Ellyn, IL. An elementary school in

Bloomingdale, Illinois Bloomingdale is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States, settled in 1833, and 25 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. The population was 22,382 at the 2020 census. History Bloomingdale is one of the earliest villages settled in what ...

, is named for her. Du Jardin died March 27, 1963.

Writing career

Du Jardin's teen series fiction was praised for showing "understanding of the young viewpoint,"''Chicago Sunday Tribune'', quoted on the back cover of ''Double Feature'' (1963). but like many novels for teen girls of the era (notably

Betty Cavanna Betty Cavanna (June 24, 1909 – August 13, 2001) was the author of popular teen romance novels, mysteries, and children's books for 45 years. She also wrote under the names Elizabeth Headley and Betsy Allen. She was nominated for the Edgar Awar ...

's and Anne Emery's, which are often discussed with du Jardin's), her plots favored romance and conformity. The choice of the right dress and the right boyfriend were often the key to happiness. Perhaps her most popular series was her four-book set about Pam and Penny Howard,

twins Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...

who need to learn to establish themselves as individuals. The series begins with the twins' senior year of high school and continues through the end of their college years. Other series were about Marcy Rhodes and Tobey and Midge Heydon. She also wrote a historical novel, ''Young and Fair'', and co-wrote a work of nonfiction about her daughter's college junior year abroad. In the 2010s, her books were reissued in facsimile editions by Image Cascade Publishing. Her papers are preserved at the

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Books

*''Boy Trouble'' *''Class Ring'' *''Double Date'' (Pam & Penny Howard book #1) *''Double Feature'' (Pam & Penny Howard book #2) *''Double Wedding'' (Pam & Penny Howard book #4) *''A Man for Marcy'' (Marcy Rhodes book #3) *''Marcy Catches Up'' (Marcy Rhodes book #2) *''One of the Crowd'' *''Practically Seventeen'' *''Senior Prom'' (Marcy Rhodes book #4) *''Showboat Summer'' (Pam & Penny Howard book #3) *''Someone to Count On'' *''The Real Thing'' *''Wait for Marcy'' (Marcy Rhodes book #1) *''Wedding in the Family'' *''Young and Fair'' *''Junior Year Abroad'' (nonfiction, with Judith du Jardin)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:du Jardin, Rosamond 20th-century American novelists American women novelists American writers of young adult literature American romantic fiction novelists 1902 births 1963 deaths 20th-century American women writers