de Grummond Collection

Restrictions
Noncirculating; available for research.

Copyright
The collection is protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U. S. Code). Reproductions can be made only if they are to be used for "private study, scholarship, or research." It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials, other than that noted above.

Biographical Sketch
Mary Rodgers was born in 1931 in New York, the daughter of composer Richard Rodgers. She studied music at Mannes College of Music in New York and at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. She was married in 1951 and had three children before divorcing in 1957. In 1961 she married a motion picture executive, Henry Guettel, and had two sons. She has written for both the stage and the movies, including the 1977 screenplay for her book Freaky Friday. She has also written lyrics, music scores, and playscripts.

Ms. Rodgers' books for children frequently center on humorous and fantastic plots. Both Freaky Friday and Billions for Boris involve adolescents and their relationships with adults. Often in Rodgers' writing, the young people assume more responsibility than the adults. The children often have to cope with a parent's benign neglect.

Sources:

• Something About the Author, vol. 8, pp. 167-168.

Scope and Content
The collection holds two complete edited galley proofs for the book Billions for Boris. The book is the continued adventure of the children introduced in Freaky Friday, fourteen-year-old Amanda, her brother Ben, and their neighbor Boris. Ben repairs a television for Boris, but adjusts it so that it plays the news one day ahead of time. A series of misadventures leads to instant wealth for Boris and his mother, but also creates unanticipated problems in their relationship.

Series and Subseries

A. Book (1974)

• BILLIONS FOR BORIS (1974)

Box Inventory

Box/Folder

A.  Book

     BILLIONS FOR BORIS by Mary Rodgers (New York: Harper & Row, 
     1974).

     1/1-1/2  Edited galley, 1 May 1974,

     1/1	   pp. 1-39. 

     1/2	   pp. 40-89. 

     1/3-1/4  Edited galley, 24 June 1974,

     1/3	   pp. 1-107.

     1/4	   pp.108-214.

Biographical Sketch | Scope & Content | Related Collections | Series & Subseries | Box Inventory
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Contact:
The de Grummond Children's Literature Collection
The University of Southern Mississippi
118 College Drive, #5148
Hattiesburg, MS 39406-0001
(601) 266-4349
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