1: Hollisters Befriend Native Americans
It is increasingly difficult to find the Happy Hollisters series of books. There were 33 books in this series, written between approximately 1953 and 1970. This particular edition is the fourth book 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 has five kittens in this book. Mr. Hollister runs a store called The Trading Post, which sounds similar to general stores in days gone by.
Throughout the series the children solve mysteries, usually as a family. In this book the Hollisters encounter a group of Native Americans that call themselves the Yumatan. As far as I can tell, there are no Native American tribes that call themselves the Yumatan. In any case, Mr. Hollister wants to journey to the homeland of the Yumatan to purchase items handcrafted by Native Americans for The Trading Post. Unfortunately, when the Hollisters arrive they learn that all the goods were stolen. The mystery deepens when the Yumatan give the Hollister girls silver bracelets and the bracelets are stolen.
Prior to leaving Shoreham, their home town, the Hollisters learned that the Yumatan once had a turquoise mine. However, the turquoise mine was covered by a landslide and now the Yumatan do not know the location. The Hollisters wonder whether the thefts are related to the turquoise mine.
The Hollisters face many adventures as they discover the unique hiding place for the stolen goods. One of the Hollisters encounters a snake, and the Hollisters are trapped in Native American ruins. How will the Happy Hollisters overcome the odds and bring the bad guys to justice?
The Happy Hollisters series remains a reasonably good, if somewhat outdated, read for younger children, perhaps from ages 4 to 9.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 are entranced by 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.
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