Ruth Fielding at Briarwood Hall

At twelve years old, Ruth Fielding is heading to Briarwood Hall, a proper boarding school where she's determined to make her mark. With her best friend Helen by her side, Ruth does something bold: she founds the SweetBriars, a sorority for the new girls who don't fit into the established cliques. But the school social hierarchy isn't without its fractures. The Upedes and the Fussy Curls view the SweetBriars with suspicion, and Ruth quickly learns that navigating girlhood politics can be as treacherous as any classroom. Between recitations and roommate drama, something strange haunts Briarwood's corridors after dark. A legend of a marble harp that plays ominously at night spreads through the dormitories, and when the French teacher is found trembling in fear, Ruth finds herself drawn into a genuine mystery. What starts as schoolgirl drama becomes a puzzle that demands a clear head and brave heart. This 1913 gem predates Nancy Drew by nearly a decade and helped establish the formula that would define generations of mystery series.