Aunt Jane’s Nieces on Vacation (Aunt Jane’s Nieces, Book 7)
by Edith Van Dyne (Pseudonym), L. Frank Baum
4 out of 5 stars

Patsy, Beth, and Louise are on vacation with their Uncle John at the farmhouse in Millville. When they hear someone complaining that there is no morning newspaper, they decide to start printing a paper of their own. Uncle John buys a printing press, and the girls do all the journalism and editing. They charge one penny for each paper, but are steadily losing money because of all the expenses. The local mill workers start riots, and local politicians try to bribe the editor. Is running a country newspaper more trouble than it’s worth?

I loved this funny story about the girls taking up journalism as their new hobby. You would think that the plot would be boring with such a peaceful and quiet country setting, but there is plenty of action and mystery.

There are two newspaper employees in particular who are the focus of this book, a mysterious man named Thursday Smith, and a lady artist who does sketches for the paper. The main characters don’t have much character growth at this point in the series. Their personalities are the same and their family dynamics stay the same. But the interest comes in their interactions with these secondary characters. That is where we see the character development!

I love the charming writing style, and the funny situations in the plot! I read this entire book in one sitting. It was so enjoyable that I couldn’t put it down!