Land of Uprightness--A fir grove behind Aunt Ruth Dutton's house in Shrewsbury.
"The Land of Uprightness is the fir grove behind the house. I call it that because the firs are all so exceedingly tall and slender and straight. There is a pool in it, veiled with ferns, with a big grey boulder beside it. It is reached by a little, winding capricious path so narrow that only one can walk in it. When I'm tired or lonely or angry or too ambitious I go there and sit for a few minutes. Nobody can keep an upset mind looking at those slender, crossed tips against the sky." (Emily Climbs, chapter 7)

Jimmy-Book--Blank books given to Emily by Cousin Jimmy Murray.
"The fat, black 'Jimmy-book' seemed to her like a personal friend and a safe confidant for certain matters which burned for expression and yet were too combustible to be trusted to the ears of any living being. Now blank books of any sort were not easy to come by at New Moon, and if it had not been for Cousin Jimmy, Emily might never have had one." (Emily Climbs, chapter 1)

The Alpine Path--From a verse from a poem entitled The Fringed Gentian, which Dean Priest sent to Emily:

Then whisper, blossom, in thy sleep
How I may upward climb
The Alpine Path, so hard, so steep,
That leads to heights sublime.
How I may reach that far-off goal
Of true and honored fame
And write upon its shining scroll
A woman's humble name.

"When I read that the flash came, and I took a sheet of paper--I forgot to tell you Cousin Jimmy gave me a little box of paper and envelopes--on the sly--and I wrote on it: I, Emily Byrd Starr, do solemnly vow this day that I will climb the Alpine Path and write my name on the scroll of fame." (Emily of New Moon, chapter 27)

Can the Emily books be purchased today?
Yes, they can! Most any bookstore will sell them, including Amazon.com. Click on the following titles to go right to their listing on Amazon: Emily of New Moon, Emily Climbs, and Emily's Quest. Inexpensive, used copies can also usually be found on half.com.

I have heard there are bad things in the Emily books. Is this true?

Whoever told you that was probably referring to the supernatural occurances in the series. In Emily of New Moon, when Emily is delirious with illness, she sees an event that happened years before. In the second book, Emily Climbs, she draws a map in her sleep of where a missing child is trapped. Also in that book, when Emily is being chased by "Mad Mr. Morrison," she calls out to Teddy Kent to save her. Though he is several miles away, asleep, he hears her and comes to her aid. And in Emily's Quest, she has an "out of body" experience--she prevents Teddy from sailing on a ship that later is sunk by an iceberg, though she is in Blair Water, and he is in England. Some people may be put off by these events, but they do not play a large part in the series--that is, the books are not saturated with paganism.

Were the Emily books ever made for film?
Yes, there was a television series made, loosely based on the books. Neither Bethany or Melinda has seen it, but the reports we heard about it were not very favourable. They apparently grossly twisted the plot and characters to make a dramatic, hollywood-style production. Watch it at your own risk! To see the series' site, go here: www.emilyofnewmoon.com