Book Talk!

Recently I heard the news that Gidget had died. Immediately, I thought of Sandra Dee, the blonde who played the young "girl-midget" surfer in the movies, not the dog from the Taco Bell commercials.

The incident had me, as usual, heading for my bookselves for my copy of the book. That's right, the movie came after the book Gidget by Frederick Kohner.

There was a time when I was living far from the beach and feeling homesick for some salt air. Lucky for me I had great friends and one who was as much of a book lover as I was. During one of his trips into a used bookshop, he came across a copy of the 1963 Penguin Book edition for 75p [in today's exchange rate that would be $1.24]. It is in pristine condition but I still read it with care.

The story, as far as I'm concerned, is a must read for young girls - actually anyone. It may be a different era, the 50's, but it still handles the crush [Moondoggie], going after what you want - no matter what other people may say [surfing], and much more [parents and teenagers, being smart is okay, friends, etc] in such a way, it is still relevant. Okay, I may be prejudiced about Gidget, it reminds me of home, but I think it is still a good read.