Judy Bolton

The Judy Bolton detective series, created by Margaret Sutton, is notable because it was ahead of its time in creating a realistic young woman who is able to solve mysteries. Although the series was not quite as popular as Nancy Drew, Judy Bolton is in many ways a much stronger role model for young women. Judy was also unique in that halfway through the series, she got married (something series book heroines rarely, if ever, did).

The mainstays of the series were Judy Bolton, auburn-haired girl detective; her brother, news reporter Horace Bolton; her parents, Doctor and Mrs. Bolton; her loyal black cat, Blackberry. She was torn for most of the early volumes between suitors, the wealthy Arthur Farringdon-Pett and the upstanding lawyer Peter Dobbs before finally choosing Peter in volume 10. Her best friend was Peter's sister, Grace Dobbs, also known as Honey; her rival for Arthur's affections was Lorraine Lee; she was friends with Arthur's sister, Lois Farringdon-Pett, and one of her archenemies in High School was the snobbish Kay Vincent. She also befriended a mill worker, Irene Lang, who later became Irene Meredith.

There were 38 titles in the original Judy Bolton series, all copyrighted between 1932 and 1967. The final 12, particularly the last one, had limited printings and as a result are hard to find. Collectors often find themselves paying upwards of $200 for a volume in good condition. Each story was based on an actual event from the author Margaret Sutton's life.

From: Wikipedia