ABSTRACT
This chapter investigates the effect of the Second World War on girls' reading habits both in schooling and in the provision of libraries. It explores the concerns of adults towards girls' reading habits and discusses the supposed effect on girls of the increasing volume of American popular culture. As access to books for girls became increasingly curtailed, libraries became more and more important to girl readers. After the war, both Bruce and Handford's books remained popular, with the New South Wales committee of International Children's Book Week in 1946 recommending both Karalta and Three Came from Britain to girl-readers aged between 12 and 16. The Second World War affected girls' lives on a day-to-day level: in their schooling, reading habits, recreational activities and, of course, their family structures. In schools, the teaching of Australian citizenship to girls was complicated by the forming and reforming of Australia's wartime ties.
