"One of the major professional responsibilities of a school librarian is that of book selection. From the great volume of publications issuing from every publishing company the librarian must choose, within the limitations of his budget, books that meet the needs of his clientele. To select wisely from this wealth of material is not an easy task for it requires a wide knowledge of authors who are acceptable to both adults and young people. To gain this knowledge the librarian must not only read widely but evaluate what he reads as well. He must learn to separate the good from the worthless, always striving to raise the reading levels of the students under his supervision. As a step in the direction of this acquaintance with authors the writer has chosen to study the life and works of one of today's most popular authors of books for girls. Phyllis Whitney is a prolific writer of juvenile books and her contribution to good writing is such as to merit recognition from adults as well as young people"--Introduction. / "August, 1958." / At head of title: Florida State University. / Typescript. / "Submitted to the Graduate Council of Florida State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts." / Advisor: Agnes Gregory, Professor Directing Paper. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 39-43).