[Robb_K]

Yes, I was hit by the same question, wondering why the narrative and dialogue referred to the children as "boys", when the little one was clearly a girl. There are no artist credits listed, but clearly, the artist was a female. Despite being all alone when reading this, I had to laugh out loud when reading the little boy's dialogue, with his strong lisp, that kept reminding me of hearing Mel Blanc's superb "Elmer Fudd"!!! That cartoon image kept taking me out of "Living inside" this story.

Link to the comment: Schoolgirls' Picture Library 12 - Vera's Christmas Adventure

[Robb_K]

Girls' Crystal 740 - The Secret of The Christmas Cake
WOW!!!  What a bargain!  Only Truppence for a story paper!  The pamphlet's front cover, showing the girl on a beach, digging a deep hole in the sand, with a large professional-style cake, sitting out of its box, is intriguing.  Why would anyone bury a cake in the sand on a beach???   And starting of a story with an unseen person tossing a boxed Christmas cake over an overhanging cliff, is an interesting opening.  We also find out that the protagonists' uncle (presumably the person who invited the kids to spend Christmas at a seaside Inn in Cornwall) is a successful professional detective.  I wonder if a mystery that needs solving is afoot.  This all points at a rather tame "mystery" that may not even involve a crime, but rather a weird coincidence that might appear to involve danger, but is just a misunderstanding, in which everyone involved gets a good laugh, and have a wonderful Christmas celebrating together.  I hope I'll be at least mildly surprised and the story will have more teeth than the "pablum" I'm expecting.