The Happy Hollisters series

The Happy Hollisters (#1): The adventures of the Hollisters begin as soon as they move into their new house on the shore of Pine Lake in Shoreham. First, the moving van carrying their toys and their father’s important new invention disappears. Next, they learn that their house may be haunted, with a treasure hidden somewhere inside! Right away they all set out to solve these mysteries. Each one of the Hollister children—Pete (age 12), Pam (10), Ricky (7), Holly (6) and Sue (4)—plays an important role in finding clues, along with their parents, who are always ready to join in on the excitement. Even Zip, the collie, and White Nose, the cat, are part of the family and find thrilling adventures of their own. As the Hollisters explore their new town and make friends, they discover what happened to the moving van and learn more about the mystery surrounding their new home. Excitement abounds when a secret stairway is discovered. Then, on the trail of a mysterious intruder, their chase leads them to a deserted hut on nearby Blackberry Island.

The Happy Hollisters and the Swiss Echo Mystery (#25): Business had originally brought the Hollister family to Europe. Then a new and exciting mystery led Pete, Pam, Holly, Ricky, Sue, and Mrs. Hollister on a thrilling chase while Mr. Hollister returned to America. High in the Swiss Alps, a suspicious stranger in a cable car dropped a large black key which the Hollisters found. An insurance investigator named Johann Meyer was following the stranger, an international jewel thief. Mr. Meyer told the Hollisters about his dangerous case—to find a large diamond that had been stolen from Holland. When Mr. Meyer’s small plane was reported missing over the mountains, the Hollisters decided to help. The trail took them to a small village high in the mountains where Holly thought she saw the stranger again. But the man escaped before they could catch him. Then Pete and Pam discovered a ruined chalet which yielded another clue—a round metal disc that they later identified as a diamond saw. But who, they wondered, was blowing the long Alpine horn which echoed off the mountain peaks and where did the medallion necklace that Pam had found fit into the case? Clue piles on clue as the irrepressible Hollisters track down each new lead, learn about Swiss life and customs, rescue Mr. Meyer, and recover a valuable diamond.

The Happy Hollisters and the Whistle-Pig Mystery (#28):While watching TV, Pete Hollister hears about a train robbery in New England. Masked bandits have stolen almost a million dollars in cash from a mail car! At the same time, the Hollisters receive a request from their friend, Fritz, the old wood carver in Germany. Can the Hollisters go to a museum in nearby Foxboro and get him the dimensions of a wooden Indian called the “Settlers’ Friend”? “Foxboro!” Pete exclaims. “That’s where the train robbery happened today!” Naturally, the Hollisters’ instinct for detective work is instantly aroused. Indy Roades, the Pueblo Indian who works for Mr. Hollister, and his sister, Snow Flower, volunteer to take the children to the New England town. In no time at all, the Hollisters are deeply involved in tracking down the train robbers and the robbers of the Settlers’ Friend which has disappeared from the museum. Ricky is accidentally kidnapped…Pam falls through a hole in an old covered bridge…a terrible hurricane engulfs them all…and Sue makes friends with a family of groundhogs, or “whistle-pigs,” never suspecting that these little creatures will play a big part in helping the Hollisters solve both mysteries. All kinds of escapades involve the Happy Hollisters in this new suspense thriller which takes them only a short distance from home and introduces them to a lot of fascinating Americana.

The Happy Hollisters and the Ghost Horse Mystery (#29): Not long after the Hollisters, Indy, and Emmy Roades arrive on Wicket-ee-nock Island, they discover that something is very much amiss. The Franklins, who live on the island, seem to be hiding something in their barn. The Franklins warn them not to go near the barn! A prowler is seen near the abandoned inn where the Hollisters are staying. Later, their belongings are ransacked, and they receive a fake telegram, supposedly from Mrs. Hollister, ordering them to return home. Then, one night, the ghost horse looks eerily out of the fog. When the Hollisters realize that someone is trying to scare them off the island, they are determined to find out why. A man with a beard and a foreign accent saves them from drowning but then disappears into the night. A pair of Lipizzan horses, a scrap of paper bearing a coat of arms, and a secret tunnel provide several clues, and after experiencing some harrowing moments, the Hollisters set out to find the valuable diamond-encrusted coat of arms that is the heart of the mystery of the ghost horse! In the process, they learn a great deal about the work of the Audubon Society and about the training of the world-famous Lipizzaners.