Reviews (27)

Perfect Childhood Escape
I read all of the Happy Hollisters books as a child and loved every one of them! They helped me "escape" from an abusive home and "become" a Hollister for a little while. I always dreamed I was Sue or Holly. I would love to have some of the books to share with my precious daughter now... she has inherited my love of reading; and although, thankfully, our family is much different from what I grew up in, I know she would enjoy "living" with the Hollisters for a few hours each week and sharing their adventures!

The Happy Hollister Series
I remember as a child in the 70's reading the Happy Hollister series and I only wish I still had the books to share with my 3 children now. If anyone knows how to get these books, please e-mail me at luv4him2@gte.net I want to order these books to read to my children. Here I am 39 yrs. old and I still remember the impact they made on me. Wonderful, wonderful books.!

Happy-Hollisters.com Book Synopsis
The Happy Hollisters by Jerry West (a.k.a. Andrew Svenson)

As the Hollisters move to Shoreham, many mysteries follow them on their way. On the way to their new home, they meet a boy named Joey Brill who tells them, "We don't need any more kids in Shoreham. You'll be sorry if you move there." Thus, the Happy Hollisters are presented with their first mystery. Who is this boy, and why is he so mean? Next, they find out that the moving van that contained their toys is missing! The missing van also contains one of their father's inventions. Not only that, but something strange and mysterious is going on at their new house. Not only do neighbors say that their new house is haunted, but they also say that there's a treasure!

Pete, Pam, Ricky, Holly and Sue must solve these mysteries, and many more. They have the help of their parents and their faithful Collie dog named Zip. In the midst of meeting new friends and exploring their new home, the Happy Hollisters find themselves in the middle of one adventure after another. In the process of solving these mysteries, they explore their town, meet neighbors, find new friends and discover clues that help them solve the many mysteries. The brave Hollisters must also face many new dangers in their new home. The family's adventures will keep you turning the page and it will be difficult to put the book down.

If your children are not yet acquainted with the books, The Happy Hollisters is a good book to introduce the series. While the series can be picked up with nearly any of the books, the first one introduces the characters and gives a lot of details that will make reading the other books more enjoyable. It's also a hard book to put down and will help to pique your children's interest in the other books in the series.

Wonderful children's book
I had a similar experience with the Happy Hollisters, but I had only 2 H.H. books as a child. I thought that was all there were. Imagine my surprise and delight at discovering there are 33 total! I've done some research, and have found out that Jerry West was a pen name only. Most of the books were written by the same person, a couple of them were not. The books came from the same publisher as Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and other children's series books. Quite a bit of information about the Happy Hollisters is available on the internet, including a full list of all H.H. books published. I'm determined to have the whole collection eventually!!

What Memories...
When I was in grade school, I brought a report card home that showed a "D" in one of my classes (I forget which one). This was unacceptable (does anyone remember those days?)and my father restricted me to my room for the entire next marking period - 9 weeks! I couldn't come out of my room except to go to school, eat and go to the bathroom. There was no TV, stereo, computer or other electronic toys in my room because this was when color TV was still a big deal. I read the entire sets of Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys and Happy Hollister mysteries twice through. And I loved slipping away to Shoreham, VT to explore the world with the Hollister family. I have even visited Shoreham, VT (a real place on Route 7 on the western side of Vermont) and wished I could've had a copy of one of their mysteries to see if I could identify actual road names and locations. It's a beautiful little town and the books really reflect the sleepy town feel. I love these mysteries and wish I could purchase the entire set. If Mr. West is reading this, please let me know how I can obtain the whole set! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

The Happy Hollisters at Sea Gull Beach
The Happy Hollister children were looking forward to a visit at Sea Gull Beach but they never thought it would be this exciting and Adventurous. Join the Hollisters as they search for the owner of a real emerald, as they join a kite contest,and search for clues that eventually lead to a Hundred year old treasure in a wrecked ship. throughout the book the Hollisters eagerly welcome new experiences and new friends. I think this story was well writen and well composed by Jerry West. With unstopping adventure and thrilling mystery on every page, i would recomend you to read this book as soon as you can. If you end up enjoying this book as much as I did, I would recomend you to read other books writen by Jerry West about other adventures that the Hollisters have. A few of their adventures include: The Happy Hollisters on a River Trip, The Happy Hollisters and the Indian Tresure, The Happy Hollisters at Mystery Mountain,and The Happy Hollisters at Snowflake Camp. All of these in my opinion are just as good, if not better then the book The Happy Hollisters at Sea Gull Beach. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Children's Series - Appeared from the 50s to the 70s
It is increasingly difficult to find The Happy Hollisters series of books.There were 33 books in the series, written between approximately 1953 and 1970.This particular edition is book #32 in the series.

The Happy Hollisters are somewhat of a relic of an era gone by.The family consists of five children, Pete, Pam (Pamela), Ricky, Holly, and Sue, and their parents Mr. and Mrs. Hollister.There are also Zip, a collie, and White Nose, a cat, who also had five kittens in the first book.Mr. Hollister owns a store called The Trading Post, that sounds similar to general stores in days gone by.

Throughout the series the children solve mysteries, usually as a family, including mom and dad.In this book the children find a mysterious looking little man looking in their basement window, and soon discover a host of other mysterious individuals in their home town of Shoreham.Mixed into this stew of mysterious individuals is the appearance of a flying saucer, and rumors of a monster at a nearby lake.

As the story unfolds constant nemesis Joey Brill is implicated in at least one portion of the mystery, while misbehaving as he normally does.

Ultimately the children discover a mystery that begins in a foreign land, only to end up practically in their back yard.The children are able to not only help solve the mystery, but show a sort of ecologicaly awareness.Note, however, that their awareness is slightly skewed as they discuss ownership of an endangered species.

The Happy Hollisters series remains a reasonably good, if somewhat outdated, read for younger children, perhaps from ages 4 to 9.I suspect that by age 9 most children will be more entranced by relatively more modern pursuits.Also, many children may consider families of five children to be somewhat unusual and that may take some explaining.These books may be an excellent way to introduce children to the changes that have taken place in our society over the past half century.

One last word of caution.These books are becoming very difficult to find, and thus their price varies substantially.If you are interested in reading this series you may find editions without covers that sell for less than editions with covers.

I hope you enjoy The Happy Hollisters.They are a reminder of a simpler age, even with all its flaws.
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