New Twins Books
The following are descriptions of the newer Twins books published in the 1950's and 1960's. They are not by Lucy Fitch Perkins, and while they try to immitate her style, they aren't quite the origionals. The main differences are that the pictures are not as memorable, "twins" is never capitolized, and they lack the layering of Perkins's books. They are, however, interesting reads, and fulfill the longings of Twins fans for more novels than Lucy Fitch Perkins left us with.
The South African Twins
*Published: 1953
*By: Daphne Brooke
*Pictures: Biro
*The Twins: Karol and Tiensie (Ernestine)
*Age: 12
*The Story:
Not the most politically correct of stories, as the title may imply, this is the tale of Karol and Tiensie, the children of Dutch farmers in 1950's South Africa. The story itself is free of the layers of intellectual observation that Perkins has in her stories, which came as a disapointment to me. It is the Donna Reed of Twins books. Karol is a strapping young lad, dark and handsome. There is no sport at which he does not excell. Tiensie is small, blonde, and spunky, almost like Hailey Mills in her earlier movies. They spend very little time together, and do not appear to be at all close, a drastic change from the origional series. The main plot of the story is the finding of a lost treasure that will save their father's farm, and Tiensie manages to save the day with her "girlish games". Of the two, it is obviously Tiensie with the brains. Karol is the classic 1950's jock - all brawn and no brain. I think that the main problem I had with this book is that it was very much a contemporary story, which disapointed me as an avid reader of Perkins's origionals.
The Canadian Twins
*Published: 1956
*By: Eva-Lis Wuorid
*Pictures: Biro
*The Twins: Diana and David
*Age: 11
*The Story:
While the title may lead one to believe that the story is a study in boredom, by the second chapter you can see differently. The premise of the book is that the Twins must leave their home province of British Colombia for the summer and travel across country to Quebec. The book is mainly an overview of the varied cultural history of Canada, and all its scenic glory. As for the Twins, they are once again not nessicarily identical, there being a large gap in their hights, and their father jokes that he was tricked. They are very close, as in Perkins's books, with David feeling he must look out for the imaginative Diana. Diana herself is wildly whimsical, hearing a song in every sound and creating imaginary friends. She is, in fact, a great deal like Nancy of The Puritan Twins. However where Nancy was punished and chided for her play, Diana is not only smiled at, she is encouraged. I like to think that Ms. Wuorid felt the same way about Nancy's lot in life as I did, and wanted to give her a second chance.
The Twins of Ceylon
*Published: 1957
*By: Harry Williams
*Pictures: Jane Paton
*The Twins: Singha and Nona
*Age: 9
*The Story:
Far more true to the origional series than The South African Twins, this story of life in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) is fun and interesting. The Twins are very much children of the jungle in which they live, and can move like the creatures - silently and invisibly. They spend very little time at home, and live in the jungle using their skills. They play off one another - Nona trusts Singha to lead them safely and he trusts her instincts and plant craft. While the society is male-oriented, Singha stands up for Nona, insisting that she be allowed to do everything he does, even though more oft than not she surpasses him in skill. While Nona and her brother are both reserved children, they manage to make the acquaintance of many different groups of people living near them, all of which provide a different lifestyle than that of the Twins. The plot of the book is that ever-popular theme of overcomming the poverty that threatens them, and in this case getting their father out of debter's prison. The Twins attack this venture with gusto and wit, and, as always, each other.
The Twins of India
*Published: 1959
*By: Denis Shaw
*Pictures: Geraldine Spence
*The Twins: Gokul and Leela
*Age: 10
*The Story:
Of the two books written by Denis Shaw in the Twins series, this is by far the better. Not only is the story interesting, this time it is accurate too. Gokul and Leela live in a village in rural Bengal, India with their large family. Their father is recently impoverished, resulting in Gokul's return from school and a far less elaborate lifestyle than the Twins are used to. Seeing that their parents are upset, the Twins set out to clear a field only to discover the sight of an ancient city. Once they realize the magnitude of their discovery, the Twins set off for Calcutta to inform Museum officials of their find and raise some money for their family. The story is interesting and full of adventure, and the Twins themselves are likeable characters. While it is not as complex as Perkins's stories, The Twins of India captures the spirit of the series and proves itself to be an enjoyable read.
The Pakistani Twins
*Published: 1960
*By: Denis Shaw
*Pictures: Geraldine Spence
*The Twins: Rahim and Shaheen
*Age: 11
*The Story:
At first this appears to be a tale about Rahim, and I feared that Shaheen would go the way of poor Nancy Pepperell, but gladly I was mistaken. Shaheen and Rahim do most everything together, except school. As Pakistan is a Muslim country, Shaheen is not allowed to go to school. She does not seem upset about the fact, which surprised me at first. However, upon closer reading, I found the whole book to be a very inacurate picture of Islamic life. The story itself is enjoyable if not moralistic - when Shaheen is saved by Yusuf, a boy from across the river (the equivalent of the wrong side of the tracks), their family honors him for his help. The result is that the village is thrown into turmoil over the "questionable character" of a person from Yusuf's village. Then a mysterious theif claiming to be Yusuf appears, and it is up to the Twins to prove to the village that a person is a person, regardless of his heritage. A well-written, if not acuratly depicted, addition to the series.
The Twins of Lapland
*Published: 1960
*By: Alan C. Jenkins
*Pictures: Christopher Brooker
*The Twins: Armas-Andero and Sofi-Marit
*Age: not mentioned
*The Story:
More an overview of Lapp (Finnish) culture than a story about the Twins, this installment in the Twins series is extremely similar to its earlier counterpart, The Norwiegian Twins. Like Perkins's book, Jenkins deals mainly with the superstitions that are indiginous to the Lapp culture. Interestingly enough, most of these deal with bears. In fact, the main storyline is the Twins's adopting of an abandonned bear cub, and their inability to truly tame it. However, the Twins themselves are not the central feature of the story - their entire family is. This book really loses the feel of the older Twins books with its attempts to be more informative than interesting, but is still an interesting addition.
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