Tag Archives: YA novels

Tying Her Wraparound What??

Clean Teen Reads 2

Hey Book Lover ~~

Clean Teen ReadsI’m sure it’s no secret to you that fashions change almost at the drop of a hat. (No pun intended!)

I can remember when Fridays were jeans/Levis day at our school. We wouldn’t have dreamed of wearing jeans any other day except on jeans day.  Wow! Did that fashion ever change.

In Flower in the Hills, our main character, Latina, is spending her summer in an old farmhouse in the Ozark hills in Missouri. If that were you, what would you be wearing every day? Probably shorts, right? It’s summer; it’s hot. But look at this.

 

A Wraparound What?Clean Teen Reads

As Latina is walking through the house to answer a knock at the door, she is “retying her wraparound skirt as she went.”

A skirt? She’s wearing a skirt? And a wraparound skirt at that.

A wraparound skit is one large piece of fabric with long ties. Usually there’s a hole in the waistband to pull the right tie through. The left tie is pulled around to the back and the two are then tied together. Some tie in the back, some on the side, some in the front.(As in the photo of this old Simplicity pattern.)

[As an interesting side note – these skirts are now actually coming back into style. You just never know do you!]

Skirts and Dresses Every Day

But back to the point. In Latina’s day, skirts and blouses, or simple cotton dresses were worn on a daily basis. Shorts? Once in a while.

How would that fit with your present wardrobe?

Other Drastic Changes

And speaking of changes. Omigoodness – have children’s car seats ever changed through the years. In Flower in the Hills, Althea’s car seat plays an important role in the story. I can tell you that that car seat in the story looked nothing like what you see today.

That’s coming up in the next blog!

Meanwhile, keep on reading,

Norma Jean

PS: What did your mom wear when she was in high school that you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing to school today?

PPS: Are you fashion-conscious? Or do clothes take second place in your life?

Leave your comments below. I love hearing from you.

Clean Teen Reads

 

 

 

 

What in Heaven’s Name is a Transistor Radio?

Clean Teen Reads 3

Hi Book Lover ~~

In my novel, Flower in the Hills, Latina has brought along her transistor radio, hoping to be connected with some “life on the planet,” as she spends the summer tucked away in an old farmhouse in the Ozark Hills in Missouri.

In all actuality, the transistor radio was the craze a few years before Latina’s time, but it fits well with this story so the author (that would be me) took poetic license.

But hey, what in heaven’s name IS a transistor radio?

Clean Teen ReadsYour Grandparents’ iPod

It was the teens’ iPod of its time – a pocket-sized radio that teens carried with them everywhere. This meant they could listen to their favorite rock n’ roll music no matter where they went.  (Some of the die-hard baseball fans listened to the World Series!)

And yes, they even came with earplugs. And many a student had the wires hidden beneath their clothing while sitting in class. (Hoping not to get caught and have the radio taken away.)

Before the transistor radio, families listened to the radio together – as a family. Now the kids could listen to all that wild rock n’ roll music alone (and with their friends), because most parents didn’t approve.

A Lot of Little Radios

At the peak of this radio’s popularity – owners in the U.S. numbered over ten million! (10,000,000,000) That’s a LOT of little radios!

Isn’t it interesting how things change – but don’t really change?

So what were fashions like in Latina’s day. We’ll take a look at that in the next post!

Meanwhile, keep on reading

Norma Jean

PS: Ask your grandparents if any of them remember owning their own transistor radio! (Did they sneak them into the classroom?) Tell your answer in the comments below.

Clean Teen Reads