# Children's Mystery Series (Pre-1970), Who read them? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 16, 2005, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618 "2005-04-16T10:13:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/81 "2005-04-17T22:35:28Z")
Alright, who read the _Harriet the Spy_ series? Not really mysteries as such (although Harriet was usually trying to figure out stuff that was important to her) but the main character DID fancy herself a spy. Is it just my recollection or were most of the adult characters in that series portrayed as raving eccentrics? ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/82 "2005-04-17T23:06:52Z")
> [@Laughing Lagomorph](#): > > Alright, who read the _Harriet the Spy_ series? Not really mysteries as such (although Harriet was usually trying to figure out stuff that was important to her) but the main character DID fancy herself a spy. I read _Harriet_ and _The Long Secret_; both rock. I think Beth Ellen summed it up best, though, when she thought, “Oh, Harriet…For all your spying, how little you know!” Couldn’t get into _Sport_, though. > [@](#): > > Is it just my recollection or were most of the adult characters in that series portrayed as raving eccentrics? Yes! Beth Ellen’s mother and stepfather-du-jour in particular, were a trip. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2005, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/83 "2005-04-17T23:37:12Z")
Somebody mentioned **Freddy the detective** up there somewhere; just FYI, they’re being reprinted now. They’re considered classics, but I’ve never read them. I read the _Harriet the Spy_ and _Bunnicula_ books, and I’m a big fan of Ellen Raskin. I have all of her books except, oddly, _The Westing Game_. I gotta get that one too. ---
**Author:** ![fessie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c37758/32.png) [@fessie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fessie)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/84 "2005-04-18T03:15:23Z")
I adore _Harriet the Spy_! And _The Long Secret_! I’m trying to think of something clever to add, but instead am just caught in a reverie of Ole Golly’s quotes, Mama Jenkins watermelon toe remedy, and long summer afternoons spent riding a bike. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/85 "2005-04-18T04:00:26Z")
I also loved the Scott Cameron _Trick_ series, but my favorite juvenile series was the [_The Mushroom Planet_ books](http://www.mcpl.lib.mo.us/readers/series/juv/title.cfm?id=1660) by Eleanor Cameron. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/86 "2005-04-18T07:41:43Z")
> [@racinchikki](#): > > THAT’S IT!!! For the past several weeks I’ve been trying to recall the name of a series of children’s mystery books that had originally belonged to my mother and which were given to me to read when I was younger. I loved those books but couldn’t remember more than “a family who went places and solved mysteries, and my favorite book of the series was set in the Black Forest.” THE HAPPY HOLLISTERS! THAT’S IT! If your realllly want a suprise, go on eBay and see what some of those HH mysteries are selling for. I have 16 of them in great shape with the dust jackets. If the prices for some of them stay like this, a good chunk of my retirement is taken care of. ---
**Author:** ![Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kolak_of_twilo/32/73_2.png) [@Kolak\_of\_Twilo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kolak_of_Twilo)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/87 "2005-04-18T07:44:18Z")
> [@Laughing Lagomorph](#): > > Alright, who read the _Harriet the Spy_ series? Not really mysteries as such (although Harriet was usually trying to figure out stuff that was important to her) but the main character DID fancy herself a spy. > Is it just my recollection or were most of the adult characters in that series portrayed as raving eccentrics? Yes, they were raving eccentrics. I never read more than the orginal book and Harriet is the first female protagonist I could identify with. That book is so 70’s and oh so wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![Atrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/88 "2005-04-18T19:57:12Z")
Whenever these threads come up, I like to put a little germ of truth out there, and point out that many of the childhood books mentioned here were all created by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Authors like Frank W. Dixon, and Victor Appleton were pen-names used by variouse authors. A listing of all such “make believe” authors can be found [here](http://m1.aol.com/biblioholc/syndicate.html). As for myself, I enjoyed the Hardy Boys, 3 investigators, Tom Swift Jr. , Encyclopedia Brown, and I remember the one with the homework machine. I don’t know if I ever read any others in that series, but I remember that one. I’ve actually started buying books in those older series both for my own nostalga, and to let my daughter read when she’s older. I have 9 or 10 Three Investigators books, and 27 out of 33 Tom Swift Jr. books. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/89 "2005-04-18T20:12:40Z")
Inspired by this thread, I have checked out of the library _The three investigators and the mystery of the stuttering parrot_ and one of the Alvin Fernald books. The stuttering parrot one isn’t too bad; it seems to be one of the very first ones, taking place less than a month after the limousine becomes available to them, thus enabling the start of their business venture. Pretty fun stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/90 "2005-04-18T20:41:16Z")
Does anyone remember Cherry Ames? It wasn’t really a mystery series, IIRC, but it was a series of books about a nurse who has all these different nursing jobs…she goes from being a candy-striper as a teenager to nursing school to an army nurse in WWII and then on to being such things as a camp nurse, school nurse, etc. I found a website about [Cherry here](http://www.cherryamespage.com/). Our school library had all those books, and I think I was the only one checking them out that I knew of. I know I didn’t get through all of them, but they were enjoyable books. I was thinking about Cherry the other day…hadn’t thought about those books in years. ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/91 "2005-04-18T20:47:12Z")
Just last week, while on a quest for Choose Your Own Adventure books (which apparently are no longer carried by Barnes and Noble), I discovered at least the first ten or so Trixie Beldens, all new-printed and spiffy. I don’t remember reading past number six when I was little, and I’m really looking forward to going back to the store and picking them up. Every few months, there’s some rainy weekend day that is just made for hibernating and reading, and I usually sit down with a stack of my Nancy Drews. I almost hope it rains this weekend so I can read the Trixies. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/92 "2005-04-18T20:55:23Z")
> [@Tamex](#): > > Does anyone remember Cherry Ames? It wasn’t really a mystery series, IIRC, but it was a series of books about a nurse who has all these different nursing jobs…she goes from being a candy-striper as a teenager to nursing school to an army nurse in WWII and then on to being such things as a camp nurse, school nurse, etc. > > I found a website about [Cherry here](http://www.cherryamespage.com/). > > Our school library had all those books, and I think I was the only one checking them out that I knew of. I know I didn’t get through all of them, but they were enjoyable books. I was thinking about Cherry the other day…hadn’t thought about those books in years. Heh! I was just going to bring her up. When I was about 12 or so, I inherited a big box of these kind of books from my aunt (who had just graduated high school and was too “grown-up” to enjoy them anymore). Three Investigators, Brains Benton, Trixie Belden, Cherry Ames, Danny Dunn, Tom Swift, Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys. That box kept me in reading for a year! I still remember the Brains Benton one about the drachmas, and the Danny Dunn one with the shrinking ray, and the Cherry Ames one when she was in nursing school (“Cherry Ames, Student Nurse”). There was also a Brains Benton with circus performers living in a suspicious house, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/93 "2005-04-18T21:41:36Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > And a few books about a kid who hoarded a big junk pile in his basement, stuff he’d salvage off the streets. One thing I remember in particular he had was a collapsible top hat. And he had a next-door neighbor girl who had bridgework, ad he was always trying to convince her to trade something for her partial, which hooked into her mouth with tiny gold hooks. Anyone got an idea on this series? Seems to be the only one that’s stumped the band. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/94 "2005-04-18T22:47:45Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > Anyone got an idea on this series? Seems to be the only one that’s stumped the band. It sounds suspiciously like [Alvin’s Swap Shop](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0030898056/qid=1113864422/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-5083798-8508730?v=glance&s=books), of the above mentioned Alvin Fernald novels. In it, he starts trading a little bit of junk in the basement and ends up with a massive inventory of swap stuff. I forget the exact plot–I think they end up using some of the stuff to foil the plans of some burglers or something like that, though I might be conflating it with [Alvin Fernald Mayor For A Day](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0030898951/ref=pd_sim_b_2/104-5083798-8508730?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance). How come my childhood never had such cool things happening? I always wanted to start a Mad Scientists Club, but lacked the barn, the friends, and the terrain to do so. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Tamex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Tamex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamex)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2005, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/95 "2005-04-18T23:17:52Z")
> [@Draelin](#): > > Just last week, while on a quest for Choose Your Own Adventure books (which apparently are no longer carried by Barnes and Noble) IIRC, Choose Your Own Adventure books are out of print. Need to go to a used bookstore (garage sale, eBay, Goodwill, etc.) to find 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/96 "2005-04-19T00:05:51Z")
> [@Stranger On A Train](#): > > It sounds suspiciously like [Alvin’s Swap Shop](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0030898056/qid=1113864422/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-5083798-8508730?v=glance&s=books), of the above mentioned Alvin Fernald novels. Hmm. Maybe. Doesn’t sound quite right but I can’t dredge enough out of the recesses to be sure. I figured the detail of the bridge with the little gold hooks would be a snap clue. ---
**Author:** ![indydot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c89c15/32.png) [@indydot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/indydot)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/97 "2005-04-19T00:42:28Z")
I definitely remember Trixie Belden, Encyclopedia Brown, 3 investigators… and several others mentioned that i’d forgotten about til now… But my big question is if anyone remembers a series that i believe was set in Britain, with some siblings, and they go to this island on holiday, and meet a girl named George (short for Georgina, i think). Then they all have adventures and solve mysteries. I remember liking these when i was a kid, and for the life of me can’t place the name of the series. I remember that being my first exposure to british phrases reading it, like “torch” for flashlight… ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/98 "2005-04-19T04:15:44Z")
I loved the Mad Scientist’s club so much I recently bought all three books in hardcover, even though I still have the old Scholastic edition that I got in Grade 4. I’ve been hauling it around with me for 30 years. Did anyone mention **Tom Swift**? I still have an old copy of _Tom Swift and his Dyna-4 Capsule_ around here somewhere. Oh, how I wanted a Dyna-4 capsule! ---
**Author:** ![Siege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Siege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siege)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/99 "2005-04-19T10:28:26Z")
Oh, man does this bring back memories! 🆒 I’ve already laid in some vintage Nancy Drew mysteries to give to my neice who’s getting to be about the right age for them. I think I’m also going to have to see if The Three Investigators are still in print. I think they may have been my favorites and I used to fantasize about hanging out with a group of neat people like that. I swear I went through a phase when anything with “Alfred Hitchcock” in the title was automatically good and automatically going to be read. I’ll also have you know I am doing what I can to corrupt the younger generation. One of the first encounters I had with a former priest’s 10 year old son was while he was reading a Goosebumps novel during one of his father’s sermons. Now I firmly believe young people should be exposed to the classics and I became friends with his family. That’s why I gave him a copy of “Alfred Hitchcock’s” something-or-other. I figure he may as well be scared by the good stuff! CJ ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2005, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618/100 "2005-04-19T14:41:20Z")
> [@Siege](#): > > I’ll also have you know I am doing what I can to corrupt the younger generation. One of the first encounters I had with a former priest’s 10 year old son was while he was reading a Goosebumps novel during one of his father’s sermons. Now I firmly believe young people should be exposed to the classics and I became friends with his family. That’s why I gave him a copy of “Alfred Hitchcock’s” something-or-other. I figure he may as well be scared by the good stuff! Ah, the Hitchcock anthologies! I used to run through these things like candy. A few years ago Barnes & Noble published some best-of anthologies (_Alfred Hitchcock’s Tales of Suspense_, _Tales of Terror_, et cetera) and it was like a reunion with old friends. There’s some seriously good writing in there (Robert Bloch, Patricia Highsmith, Donald Westlake) that you just don’t see much of any more. Yeah, you’re going to send that kid down the dark path. Good on ya! Stranger [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/childrens-mystery-series-pre-1970-who-read-them/299618.md?page=6)