Review: Miss Pickerell and the Geiger Counter, by Ellen MacGregor
by Rich Horton
Ellen MacGregor was a librarian. born in Washington state in 1906. She got her Bachelor's degree from the University of Washington in 1926, and got her Masters from the University of California at Berkeley. She had librarian and research positions in multiple places -- Hawaii, Key West, and the Chicago area, which seems to have been her primary residence. She didn't start writing fiction until 1946. Her first book, Tommy and the Telephone, appeared in 1947. The first Miss Pickerell book, Miss Pickerell Goes to Mars, began as a short story, "Swept Her Into Space", published in Liberty in 1950, but appeared in book form in 1951. Two more Miss Pickerell books came out in 1953, but MacGregor died, only 47, in 1954. She had finished Miss Pickerell Goes to the Arctic and it appeared later in 1954. Three more non-Pickerell novels, presumably found in her papers, appeared in the next three years. A decade or so after her death, her publisher engaged Dora Pantell to write more books about Miss Pickerell, beginning with Miss Pickerell on the Moon in 1965. Pantell wrote a total of 13 Miss Pickerell books, the last appearing in 1986. The first 11 of these were published as by "Ellen MacGregor and Dora Pantell", and the last two by Dora Pantell "in the spirit of Ellen MacGregor", but it seems likely to me that all of these books were entirely written by Pantell, except just possibly for the first one or two.
Miss Pickerell and the Geiger Counter is a very short book, around 13,000 words. It is illustrated nicely by Paul Galdone. In this book, Miss Pickerell and her nephews, and of course her cow, are headed to the state capitol for the state fair, and for the boys to see an Atomic Energy exhibit. Miss Pickerell will take her cow to a veterinarian for a routine checkup. Alas, however, the steamboat captain kicks her off the boat because of the cow, but not before mentioning that people are prospecting for uranium in the area.
Miss Pickerell lets the boys continue to the exhibit, while she hopes to catch the train with her cow. But stuff intervenes -- her cow is kidnapped, the local sheriff gets the measles and insists on deputizing Miss Pickerell and assigning her the job of looking for the uranium, and Miss Pickerell misses her train. But she does recover her cow, and find out the truth behind the uranium search, and also learns what the sheriff really wants to do with his life. And the boys are fine, too!
It's not bad, but not special. Still, I think I'd have enjoyed it if I found it when I was 10 or so. Also very notable is the didactic side -- MacGregor definitely seemed to think her job was to educate young reader in science, and there are a lot of mini-lectures, about geology and radioactivity and such. I can't really recommend these books for adult readers, but they are amusing enough, and Miss Pickerell is a nice character.
Now in my eighth decade, I am fortunate not be an one of those "adult readers" you mention I'm a big Miss Pickerell fan.
ReplyDeleteIt is my understanding that Dora Pantell used fairly detailed notes from MacGregor's papers to write the books co-signed by the two. The books are didactic, but as a librarian and educator, MacGregor's purpose was to impart an interest in science to her readers. She made an effort to keep the science up to date. The books also contain a strong vein of feminist thinking, something unusual for juveniles of that time.
One major theme of the books was the relationship between humanity and nature, exemplified by Miss Pickerell's respectful relationship with her beloved cow. I found it interesting that it was only until the middle of the series, and after owning her cow for some eleven years, did Miss Pickerell decide that the cow should have a name.
I am glad you -- and anyone -- enjoy the books. And as I said, it was a pleasant enough read. And had I read the books when I was 10 or so -- and it's surprising I didn't, I'm sure they were available -- I'm sure I'd have very fond memories of them.
DeleteTo me, the didactic passages come off as slightly awkward little mini-lectures. I certainly honor her intent to impart an interest in science, and I am certain she kept up on the science.
My skepticism about the authorship of the later books is founded on two things: 1) the 10 or so years that passed before any were written; and 2) the subject matter of some of them: the energy crisis, weather satellites, a supertanker. I'm perfectly willing to believe MacGregor left behind notes for possible future subjects -- a trip to the Moon, sure; and an archaeological dig; and maybe a list of scientific themes she thought should be addressed. (And, sure, detailed notes about the science as of 1954.) I'm very skeptical that she had plot ideas beyond two or three books, and I doubt she even had a name for the cow! (I admit I was surprised to realize the cow didn't have a name in the two books I did read.)
I am not for one second disputing Dora Pantell's decision to co-credit MacGregor, mind you. (Similar to how the Danny Dunn books were always credited to Jay Williams and Raymond Abrashkin, though Abrashkin died in 1960 and the series ran to 1975.) MacGregor deserves credit for creating the idea for the books and especially Miss Pickerell; and her heirs deserve a share of whatever money they make.
I read the MacGregor sequence when I was 8-9yo, and enjoyed them...the three cited items, and GOES UNDERSEA, were widely available in Scholastic Book Services editions when I was in elementary school. I would call them, without distorting the term at all, Gernsbackian, only MacGregor felt no need to footnote. I also found them charming.
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