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The Happy Hollisters #30
The Happy Hollisters and the Mystery of the Golden Witch
When the Hollister family set off in the station wagon to buy a Halloween pumpkin, the last thing they ever expected was a mysterious adventure. But then they stopped to help farmer Johnson, whose wagonful of pumpkins had tipped over, and from the old barn near the farm house came a frightening sound . . . "Ooga, ooga!" Everyone jumped. Then Pete and Pam ran to investigate, but Farmer Johnson stopped them. "That's only the horn from my old car. No need to get scared." But who had blown the horn? There was no one else around. Pete caught sight of a girl in a red jacket running through the woods. When he described her to Farmer Johnson and the family, no one could imagine who she was! This is just the beginning for Pete, Pam, Ricky and all the other members of the delightful Hollister family. The do find out who the girl is, but after they stumble onto an ancient gravestone behind the farmer's barn, they discover some large footprints in the mud, and meet a strange man who is searching desperately for a certain weathervane in the shape of a golden witch! THE MYSTERY OF THE GOLDEN WITCH is one of the most exciting adventures the Hollisters have had so far. And who would think that four-year-old Sue Hollister could be the one to solve this mystery? Well, she does solve it, and she earns a valuable reward that the whole family ends up sharing.
184 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1966
34 people are currently reading
103 people want to read
About the author
Jerry West
92 books51 followersThe Happy Hollisters by Jerry West was actually written by Andrew E. Svenson, a prolific yet somewhat anonymous, writer of books for children. Jerry West was the pen name assigned to Svenson when he started writing The Happy Hollisters for the Stratemeyer Syndicate. The Stratemeyer Syndicate was a book packager, well-known for its development of children’s book series including Tom Swift, The Bobbsey Twins, The Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew. Many of these series were intended to have long publishing lives, and were written by multiple authors using the same pseudonym. The Happy Hollisters, however, were all written by Andrew Svenson, whose identity as Jerry West was kept secret until several years after his death in 1975.
Andrew Svenson was born in Belleville, NJ, in 1910, and his interest in writing started early. He was editor of his high school newspaper and yearbook at Barringer High School in Newark, and then went on to study Creative Writing at the University of Pittsburgh. After his graduation in 1932, he worked as a reporter and editor for the Newark Star Eagle and the Newark Evening News. He also taught creative writing courses at Rutgers University and Upsala College.
Andrew Svenson was encouraged by his friend Howard Garis (author of Uncle Wiggily) to try his hand at juvenile fiction. He joined the Stratemeyer Syndicate as a writer in 1948, where he contributed to established series as Franklin W. Dixon (The Hardy Boys) and as Laura Lee Hope (The Bobbsey Twins). The first volume in his own original series, The Happy Hollisters, was published in 1953 by Doubleday & Company, and he was made a partner in the Stratemeyer Syndicate in 1961. As he wrote and developed 33 titles in The Happy Hollisters, he was also creating additional series for children under other pen names: Bret King by Dan Scott and The Tollivers by Alan Stone, one of the first series written about and for African-American children.
Under various pseudonyms, Andrew Svenson wrote more than 70 adventure and mystery novels for children, which were published in 17 languages and sold millions of copies. The Hollister family was modeled on his own family and he often used actual Svenson family events and travels as the foundation for The Happy Hollisters books. He also kept copious newspaper clippings for story ideas, and interviewed hundreds of school children and teachers for additional suggestions. These ideas were then worked into his storylines, adding an educational element that was appreciated by parents and educators alike. The children loved the stories for their elements of danger and excitement geared to their comprehension level.
After his death in 1975, the Stratemeyer Syndicate assigned all rights to The Happy Hollisters to his widow, Marian Svenson; they subsequently became the property of The Hollister Family Properties Trust. The current publication was initiated by Andrew E. Svenson III, grandson of the author, on behalf of The Hollister Family Properties Trust.
Andrew Svenson was born in Belleville, NJ, in 1910, and his interest in writing started early. He was editor of his high school newspaper and yearbook at Barringer High School in Newark, and then went on to study Creative Writing at the University of Pittsburgh. After his graduation in 1932, he worked as a reporter and editor for the Newark Star Eagle and the Newark Evening News. He also taught creative writing courses at Rutgers University and Upsala College.
Andrew Svenson was encouraged by his friend Howard Garis (author of Uncle Wiggily) to try his hand at juvenile fiction. He joined the Stratemeyer Syndicate as a writer in 1948, where he contributed to established series as Franklin W. Dixon (The Hardy Boys) and as Laura Lee Hope (The Bobbsey Twins). The first volume in his own original series, The Happy Hollisters, was published in 1953 by Doubleday & Company, and he was made a partner in the Stratemeyer Syndicate in 1961. As he wrote and developed 33 titles in The Happy Hollisters, he was also creating additional series for children under other pen names: Bret King by Dan Scott and The Tollivers by Alan Stone, one of the first series written about and for African-American children.
Under various pseudonyms, Andrew Svenson wrote more than 70 adventure and mystery novels for children, which were published in 17 languages and sold millions of copies. The Hollister family was modeled on his own family and he often used actual Svenson family events and travels as the foundation for The Happy Hollisters books. He also kept copious newspaper clippings for story ideas, and interviewed hundreds of school children and teachers for additional suggestions. These ideas were then worked into his storylines, adding an educational element that was appreciated by parents and educators alike. The children loved the stories for their elements of danger and excitement geared to their comprehension level.
After his death in 1975, the Stratemeyer Syndicate assigned all rights to The Happy Hollisters to his widow, Marian Svenson; they subsequently became the property of The Hollister Family Properties Trust. The current publication was initiated by Andrew E. Svenson III, grandson of the author, on behalf of The Hollister Family Properties Trust.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 14, 2021
The Happy Hollisters and the Mystery of the Golden Witch (Happy Hollisters, #30)
This book finds the children helping a neighbor at his farm. It's Halloween time and they will take the use of his barn for a party. They also discover a few other mysteries to solve.
Everybody gets into the act of helping. Love learning about the molds we had seen old ones ourselves of china dish patterns in Ohio one year. So cool.
Sketches are great along the way. Kids get away with doing a lot of things others their age in a different time will never get to experience.
Old Tin is a riot and love the history of the vane.
This book finds the children helping a neighbor at his farm. It's Halloween time and they will take the use of his barn for a party. They also discover a few other mysteries to solve.
Everybody gets into the act of helping. Love learning about the molds we had seen old ones ourselves of china dish patterns in Ohio one year. So cool.
Sketches are great along the way. Kids get away with doing a lot of things others their age in a different time will never get to experience.
Old Tin is a riot and love the history of the vane.
November 10, 2020
It is unusual for series like this to celebrate Halloween. The picture the writer presents is how I would imagine in a perfect world a big family would celebrate in the 1950s and 60s. The mystery isn't that complex but it is interesting.
January 20, 2020
Another cute installment, this time set around Halloween.
February 12, 2019
I enjoyed these books so much as a child. And while the mysteries are not much they are perfect for a child ages 8-10. I still enjoy these books about an earlier, simpler time in America. When families were more united and childhood was so much fun and innocent. I am not sure I read this story as a child, but if I did, I am sure I didn't understand the last line! As an adult I laughed when I read it!
November 17, 2022
👌
My children love these little books. They thoroughly enjoy each and every story, as if they are all unique and individual without any cause for similarity among them. Even though sometimes, they might seem tedious and repetitive to me as a parent, I do enjoy being able to read short-stories to my children that are clean and respective.
My children love these little books. They thoroughly enjoy each and every story, as if they are all unique and individual without any cause for similarity among them. Even though sometimes, they might seem tedious and repetitive to me as a parent, I do enjoy being able to read short-stories to my children that are clean and respective.
March 5, 2022
On the creepier side for the Hollisters, but in-the-woods-at-night creepy, not Halloween creepy.
March 5, 2025
This was very charming. I enjoy the structure of this series -- multiple episodic mysteries within a larger mystery.
November 18, 2025
Fun story published in the 60s ... didn't age well.
March 24, 2016
Los Hollister es la serie de libros que me inició definitivamente en la lectura. Recuerdo haber leído el primero y, con todo el dinero que había ahorrado por mi primera comunión y en todos los años anteriores, ir a por los 32 restantes, que costaban 600 pelas cada uno. Los compré todos en la feria del libro de Ceuta, lo recuerdo perfectamente, y volví a mi casa con dos bolsas y una mochila llenas de libros, que me duraron tres meses exactamente, para sorpresa/preocupación de mi madre.
Cada libro es el mismo, con aventuras algo diferentes, y con los mismo personajes, que no evolucionan nada en toda la serie. Pete, Pam, Holly, Ricky, Sue, puedo recitar sus nombres treinta años después sin consultarlo. Yo siempre fui de los Hollister, despreciando a quieres eran de los siete secretos, los Cinco o (puaj) Puck.
Junto a Mortadelo, los tres investigadores de Alfred Hitchcock y (a petición de mi padre) las aventuras de Guillermo, comenzaron a formar mi universo lector. Y por ello, aunque sean libros de lo más intrascendente, los considero fundamentales.
Cada libro es el mismo, con aventuras algo diferentes, y con los mismo personajes, que no evolucionan nada en toda la serie. Pete, Pam, Holly, Ricky, Sue, puedo recitar sus nombres treinta años después sin consultarlo. Yo siempre fui de los Hollister, despreciando a quieres eran de los siete secretos, los Cinco o (puaj) Puck.
Junto a Mortadelo, los tres investigadores de Alfred Hitchcock y (a petición de mi padre) las aventuras de Guillermo, comenzaron a formar mi universo lector. Y por ello, aunque sean libros de lo más intrascendente, los considero fundamentales.
March 14, 2016
Este libro llamado La Bruja Dorada de Jerry West está medio bien. Digo medio bien, porque tampoco lo puedes comparar con un "After" o por ejemplo "La Quinta Ola". Es un libro de misterio infantil muy divertido y "diferente". Porque hay un misterio que no es lo que parece (LA BRUJA DORADA) no es lo que parece...lo dejó aquí. Y el autor, Jerry West es muy listo porque en algunas partes, bastantes al menos a mi, se me ha echo una lectura muy pesada pero al final de cada capítulo pasa algo que hace que quieras leer más.
¡Adiós!
¡Adiós!
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April 29, 2015me gustaría saber como lo puedo leer completo...
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews