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The Happy Hollisters series remains a reasonably good, if somewhat outdated, read for younger children, perhaps from ages 4 to 9.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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The Happy Hollisters and the Monster Mystery #32 in series Books In Print, Audio Books.