Book 'em Sunday - The Happy Hollisters

Today for Book 'em Sunday, we are going to do something a little different. We are doing a set of children's books called The Happy Hollisters.
These were written by Andrew E. Svenson, under the pseudonym of Jerry West. They were illustrated by Helen S. Hamilton. The series was published between 1953 - 1970 and it included 33 titles.
The family, which includes Mrs. Hollister, Mr. Hollister, 12 year-old Pete, 10 year-old Pam, 7 year-old Ricky, 6 year-old Holly and 4 year-old Sue. They also have Zip, the adopted collie dog and White Nose and her five kittens.

This adventurous family goes around solving mysteries and having all sorts of family fun. Mrs. Hollister is always ready to lend a helping hand or prepare a surprise picnic. Mr. Hollister owns the Trading Post, a combination hardware, sports and toy shop. He is never too busy to play ball.

I could not make this description up if I tried. It is actually listed on the back of each book.
I read these when I was little, along with the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames and my personal favorite, Trixie Belden. Though I was older for some of these series.

These are a very enjoyable read even for adults. The times were so different then and it is fun to see what was popular. Considering what is out there today, though, these are very tame.

I own 23 out of the original 33 that were published. These are not the ones I had as a kid. With the exception of my Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books, none of my childhood books came with me when I left home. As a side note of stupid things we did and wish we hadn't, I owned all the original Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books. I sold them one month when I was eighteen to pay my trailer rent. Oh, I needed the money but I really miss those books.

Anyway, these were purchased for me as a gift about 8 years ago. I really need to find the ones I am missing so I can have a complete set. These reside on the library mantle and look adorable.
These have not been reprinted, so you will need to find them at a used bookstore, Ebay, or a antique store. I waffled about including them for Book 'em Sunday because they are not easily found. I don't know why that is, unless it is just because they were generally sold through a subscription and they are kids books, which are handled less carefully. But I ended up doing a blog about them due to the fact that they are from a different time and really are just cute.

So if during your travels you see one, pick it up and prepare to giggle your way through a mystery.
P.S. - Congratulations Huskies on winning the Pac 10 Championship. Go Dawgs!