5 h 50 minAudiobook14 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 5 h 50 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A summer on the water brings freedom, motor boats, and a mystery for girls who dare to take charge.
In The Motor Girls on Crystal Bay, Margaret Penrose brings a circle of young women to the water for a summer of outdoor adventure. Motor boats give the friends room to explore, while a puzzle gives their holiday a purpose beyond the pleasures of speed and open air.
These girls belong to a world where driving your own car or boat still seems daring for young women. Their independence is part of the adventure. As the friends rely on one another, this gentle mystery invites you to notice who takes charge and what they can do together.
What you’ll discover
- Girls at the controls Meet young women whose place behind the wheel sets them apart from many heroines of their day.
- A bay in summer Enjoy a waterside setting where motor boats, open air, and holiday freedom shape the adventure.
- Friendship at the center Spend time with a close circle of friends who depend on one another.
- A gentle mystery Follow a summer puzzle that gives the girls something more to pursue than outdoor fun.
- Independence worth noticing See how an early twentieth century story makes room for girls to act on their own.
Who will love it
You will love this if you enjoy cheerful girls' adventure, summer by the sea, motorboats, loyal friends, and a mystery where clever young people outwit schemers.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Packing chaos brings a worried friend
- A summer colony and a brand new boat
- An old fisherman and his red oar
- Strangers under the Lonely Willow
- A chaperone, a camp and a squall
- Trouble at the shack and a false message
- A friendly race that proves a trick
- The night of waiting and watching
- Brave girls and a promise kept
- Luck, loyalty and a lively way of telling
Who’s who
- Cora KimballThe tall, dark and commanding leader of the motor girls, who skillfully steers boats and wants to help a friend save her family's land.
- Freda LewisCora's worried school friend, whose grandfather's land is challenged and who wants to protect her frail mother and prove their claim.
- Bess RobinsonA plump, jolly twin who jokes about her weight and nerves but is willing to help whenever her friends need her.
- Belle RobinsonBess's slender twin, quick with a teasing remark and steady when real trouble comes to the group.
- Marita OsborneThe shy newcomer to the group, who is frightened of many things but wants to be as brave as her new friends.
- Denny ShaneAn old Irish fisherman and sailor, devoted to Freda's family and the red oar, who refuses to testify falsely for money.
- Jack KimballCora's teasing, good-hearted brother, who leads the boys' camp and is eager to protect Denny and the girls.
- BruceA smooth stranger with a fast boat called the Pickerel, who works for the land company and wants Denny to testify its way.
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- Read by Lucas Linden, complete. It opens once the recording is online.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 14 minutes, to read today.
- Paperback
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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Le ragazze motorizzate a Baia di Cristallo
by Margaret Penrose · 1914
Five girls, a new motorboat and a worried friend take on land sharks at a quiet seaside bay.
Easy read5–10 hours to readItaliano
Excellent
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In short
Four girls sit in the four corners of a room because trunks and suitcases fill the middle. One of them eats chocolates on purpose, so she will weigh enough to close her trunk lid.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Packing chaos brings a worried friend
The story opens in Chelton, a New England town. Cora Kimball, Bess and Belle Robinson and the shy newcomer Marita Osborne are packing for their summer trip. Their trunks will not close, and they have one hour. Bess solves it her own way, by sitting on a heap of petticoats and eating bonbons.
Cora's brother Jack and his friend Walter tease the girls, and Jack whispers with Marita, who blushes. The scene shows the rules of the book. Cora leads, Bess jokes, Belle answers back and Marita learns to stand among them.
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Which edition is right for me
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas of the whole book in about 14 minutes. A good first look, or a refresher.
Details
- First published
- 1914
- Language
- Italiano
- Reading time
- 3 h 50 min
- Level
- Easy read
Cite this edition
Penrose, Margaret. The Motor Girls on Crystal Bay. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-motor-girls-on-crystal-bay.
Penrose, M. (2026). The motor girls on Crystal Bay. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-motor-girls-on-crystal-bay (Original work published 1914)
Penrose, Margaret. The Motor Girls on Crystal Bay. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-motor-girls-on-crystal-bay.
@book{penrose2026motor,
author = {Penrose, Margaret},
title = {The Motor Girls on Crystal Bay},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-motor-girls-on-crystal-bay},
note = {First published 1914}
}
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What is The Motor Girls on Crystal Bay about?
Cora Kimball and her friends spend a summer at a seaside resort, where a friend's family is in danger of losing its land. The girls use boats, brains and brave friends to uncover the schemers and look for missing papers.
Who are the motor girls?
They are Cora Kimball, the twins Bess and Belle Robinson, and in this book the newcomer Marita Osborne and Lottie Weaver. They love motoring, and in this story they bought a motorboat called the Chelton.
Do I need to read the earlier Motor Girls books first?
No. The narrator briefly explains the earlier volumes, including the Whirlwind car and Cedar Lake, so this story stands on its own. New readers can meet the characters here and follow the plot without trouble.
The author
Margaret Penrose
American children's fiction house pseudonym
Margaret Penrose was a pen name used by writers working for the Stratemeyer Syndicate in the United States. Books under this name appeared in the early twentieth century, including the Dorothy Dale and Motor Girls series. The Motor Girls on Crystal Bay was published in 1914.
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