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Original Bobbsey Twins #1
The Bobbsey Twins: or, Merry Days Indoors and Out
The book follows the adventures of the four Bobbsey children as they celebrate Christmas, rescue their cat, and attend a friend's birthday party.
197 pages, Hardcover
First published May 16, 1904
138 people are currently reading
2397 people want to read
About the author
Laura Lee Hope
561 books76 followersLaura Lee Hope is a pseudonym used by the Stratemeyer Syndicate for the Bobbsey Twins and several other series of children's novels. Actual writers taking up the pen of Laura Lee Hope include Edward Stratemeyer, Howard and Lilian Garis, Elizabeth Ward, Harriet (Stratemeyer) Adams, Andrew E. Svenson, June M. Dunn, Grace Grote and Nancy Axelrad.
Laura Lee Hope was first used in 1904 for the debut of the Bobbsey Twins, the principal characters of what was, for many years, the Stratemeyer Syndicate's longest-running series of children's novels. Other series written under this pseudonym include: The Outdoor Girls (23 vols. 1913-1933), The Moving Picture Girls (7 vols. 1914-1916), Bunny Brown (20 vols. 1916-1931), Six Little Bunkers (14 vols. 1918-1930), Make Believe Stories (12 vols. c. 1920-1923), and Blythe Girls (12 vols. 1925-1932).
The first of the 72 books of the Bobbsey Twins series was published in 1904, the last in 1979. The books related the adventures of the children of the middle-class Bobbsey family, which included two sets of mixed-gender fraternal twins: Bert and Nan, who were 12 years old, and Flossie and Freddie, who were six.
Edward Stratemeyer himself is believed to have written the first volume in its original form in 1904. When the original series was brought to its conclusion in 1979, it had reached a total of 72 volumes. At least two abortive attempts to restart the series were launched after this, but in neither effort was the popularity of the original series achieved.
Speculation that Stratemeyer also wrote the second and third volumes of the series is believed to be incorrect; these books are now attributed to Lilian Garis, wife of Howard Garis, who is credited with volumes 4–28 and 41. Elizabeth Ward is credited with volumes 29–35, while Harriet Stratemeyer Adams is credited with 36–38, 39 (with Camilla McClave), 40, 42, 43 (with Andrew Svenson), and 44–48. Volumes 49–52 are attributed to Andrew Svenson, while 53–59, and the 1960s rewrites of 1–4, 7, 11–13, and 17, are attributed to June Dunn. Grace Grote is regarded as the real author of 60–67 and the rewrites of 14 and 18–20, and Nancy Axelrad is credited with 68–72. Of the 1960s rewrites not already mentioned, volumes 5 and 16 are credited to Mary Donahoe, 6 and 25 to Patricia Doll, 8–10 and 15 to Bonnibel Weston, and 24 to Margery Howard.
--from Wikipedia
Laura Lee Hope was first used in 1904 for the debut of the Bobbsey Twins, the principal characters of what was, for many years, the Stratemeyer Syndicate's longest-running series of children's novels. Other series written under this pseudonym include: The Outdoor Girls (23 vols. 1913-1933), The Moving Picture Girls (7 vols. 1914-1916), Bunny Brown (20 vols. 1916-1931), Six Little Bunkers (14 vols. 1918-1930), Make Believe Stories (12 vols. c. 1920-1923), and Blythe Girls (12 vols. 1925-1932).
The first of the 72 books of the Bobbsey Twins series was published in 1904, the last in 1979. The books related the adventures of the children of the middle-class Bobbsey family, which included two sets of mixed-gender fraternal twins: Bert and Nan, who were 12 years old, and Flossie and Freddie, who were six.
Edward Stratemeyer himself is believed to have written the first volume in its original form in 1904. When the original series was brought to its conclusion in 1979, it had reached a total of 72 volumes. At least two abortive attempts to restart the series were launched after this, but in neither effort was the popularity of the original series achieved.
Speculation that Stratemeyer also wrote the second and third volumes of the series is believed to be incorrect; these books are now attributed to Lilian Garis, wife of Howard Garis, who is credited with volumes 4–28 and 41. Elizabeth Ward is credited with volumes 29–35, while Harriet Stratemeyer Adams is credited with 36–38, 39 (with Camilla McClave), 40, 42, 43 (with Andrew Svenson), and 44–48. Volumes 49–52 are attributed to Andrew Svenson, while 53–59, and the 1960s rewrites of 1–4, 7, 11–13, and 17, are attributed to June Dunn. Grace Grote is regarded as the real author of 60–67 and the rewrites of 14 and 18–20, and Nancy Axelrad is credited with 68–72. Of the 1960s rewrites not already mentioned, volumes 5 and 16 are credited to Mary Donahoe, 6 and 25 to Patricia Doll, 8–10 and 15 to Bonnibel Weston, and 24 to Margery Howard.
--from Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 213 reviews
September 6, 2011
While most books in the 1001
childrens books series are timeless, The Bobbsey Twins is definitly of a time. Unfortunately this time is one of segregation and racism.
For example: The twins sort their dolls- the best doll had blond hair and blue eyes, the worst doll is black and dirty and named jujubee and segregated from the other white dolls wth a piece of cardboard.
The bobbsey's also have live in black help, who are characterized as full of childlike wonder.
The children do have some good ole fashioned fun but there are other stories that manage to capture that old time simple wonder without the social baggage.
childrens books series are timeless, The Bobbsey Twins is definitly of a time. Unfortunately this time is one of segregation and racism.
For example: The twins sort their dolls- the best doll had blond hair and blue eyes, the worst doll is black and dirty and named jujubee and segregated from the other white dolls wth a piece of cardboard.
The bobbsey's also have live in black help, who are characterized as full of childlike wonder.
The children do have some good ole fashioned fun but there are other stories that manage to capture that old time simple wonder without the social baggage.
May 21, 2009
This was the first "novel" I ever read, when I was four, so of course I liked it. The problem was, I had never heard of a bookmark.
You know, when you read a picture-book, you start at the beginning, and read to the end. I didn't realize I didn't have to do that with this book as well, and one day in kindergarten I finally read the whole thing, and with a great sense of pride, I went up to my mom and told her of my accomplishment. That's when I learned about bookmarks!
You know, when you read a picture-book, you start at the beginning, and read to the end. I didn't realize I didn't have to do that with this book as well, and one day in kindergarten I finally read the whole thing, and with a great sense of pride, I went up to my mom and told her of my accomplishment. That's when I learned about bookmarks!
April 11, 2013
i never read these as a kid. i decided to read it because it's in the public domain and free for kindle, and for some reason i thought they were mysteries for kids. (i did devour and love nancy drew books.)
i wouldn't recommend this to any current children, or my possible future children, without also having a discussion about how race and gender roles are portrayed in the book. kids might find it interesting to see how kids used to play (i.e., outside), and probably wouldn't find the various "adventures" as boring as i did.
sections with "uneducated black servant" dialect aside, this was one of the more painfully racist passages (kindle pos. 490 / 29%):
i wouldn't recommend this to any current children, or my possible future children, without also having a discussion about how race and gender roles are portrayed in the book. kids might find it interesting to see how kids used to play (i.e., outside), and probably wouldn't find the various "adventures" as boring as i did.
sections with "uneducated black servant" dialect aside, this was one of the more painfully racist passages (kindle pos. 490 / 29%):
The fifth doll was Jujube, a colored boy, dressed in a fiery suit of red, with a blue cap and real rubber boots. This doll had come from Sam and Dinah and had been much admired at first, but was now taken out only when all the others went too.
"He doesn't really belong to the family, you know," Flossie would explain to her friends. "But I have to keep him, for mamma says there is no colored orphan asylum for dolls. Besides, I don't think Sam and Dinah would like to see their doll child in an asylum." The dolls were all kept in a row in a big bureau drawer at the top of the house, but Flossie always took pains to separate Jujube from the rest by placing the cover of a pasteboard box between them.
January 19, 2019
Reading this was like eating a marshmallow peep or Little Debbie cake.
February 2, 2023
As a child I loved these books, but as an adult while this was still fun, it’s hard to overlook the blatant racism.
April 26, 2018
LOVE IT!
I read these books when I was a young girl. I have original copies of some of the books. Old, old ones with the green covers. I am excited to have found a lot of them FREE on Kindle and have started reading them. I am thrilled.
These books are just good family reading. The characters are moral, the times are slower, the twins are cute, some of the problems they face are the same as ones our kids face today. "The party to be held that afternoon was at the home of Grace Lavine, the little girl who had fainted from so much rope jumping. Grace was over that attack, and was not quite certain that when her mamma told her to do a thing or to leave it alone, it was always for her own good. "Mamma knows best," she said to Nan. "I didn't think so then, but I do now." :-)
They go to church together and pray and read the Bible at the table. "Before they began the repast Mr. Bobbsey brought forth the family Bible and read the wonderful story of Christ's birth to them, and asked the blessing." They ride in a sleigh in the winter, such fun!! I would love to ride in a sleigh... it is on my bucket list.
They help their neighbors and their neighbors help them...
"It was nice to give him a ride," said Nan. "It didn't cost us anything and he liked it a great deal, I am sure."
We must never forget to do a kindness when we can, Nan," said her mamma."
Trouble with a bully, a 'ghost' in the house, the boys making an ice boat on their own, boys getting lost in the store, children respecting their parents. A great series with adventure and fun that I am happy to be reading again.
I read these books when I was a young girl. I have original copies of some of the books. Old, old ones with the green covers. I am excited to have found a lot of them FREE on Kindle and have started reading them. I am thrilled.
These books are just good family reading. The characters are moral, the times are slower, the twins are cute, some of the problems they face are the same as ones our kids face today. "The party to be held that afternoon was at the home of Grace Lavine, the little girl who had fainted from so much rope jumping. Grace was over that attack, and was not quite certain that when her mamma told her to do a thing or to leave it alone, it was always for her own good. "Mamma knows best," she said to Nan. "I didn't think so then, but I do now." :-)
They go to church together and pray and read the Bible at the table. "Before they began the repast Mr. Bobbsey brought forth the family Bible and read the wonderful story of Christ's birth to them, and asked the blessing." They ride in a sleigh in the winter, such fun!! I would love to ride in a sleigh... it is on my bucket list.
They help their neighbors and their neighbors help them...
"It was nice to give him a ride," said Nan. "It didn't cost us anything and he liked it a great deal, I am sure."
We must never forget to do a kindness when we can, Nan," said her mamma."
Trouble with a bully, a 'ghost' in the house, the boys making an ice boat on their own, boys getting lost in the store, children respecting their parents. A great series with adventure and fun that I am happy to be reading again.
January 16, 2021
The Bobbsey twins have fun around Christmas time, building snow forts, racing an ice boat, and skating with their friends. Freddie and Flossie go shopping for Christmas presents with their mother, and Nan and Bert have trouble with a bully at school. When spring arrives, the twins go flying a kite, help their neighbors, and encounter what appears to be a ghost.
I used to love these books when I was a girl. The writing is very simple and the plot is straight-forward. Not much really happens. They go to a party and have a good time. The kitten gets stuck up on the roof, and they borrow a ladder to get the kitten down. It's mostly peaceful and happy with little adventures that resolve quickly. Just right for little readers.
Of course, the setting reflects an older time when gender stereotypes and racism was the norm. But I think it's an important look at history to see how certain ideas were considered normal at one time, although they are offensive now. It might be a good conversation to have with a child about how the only true moral compass that can be trusted to stand the test of time is the Bible.
I used to love these books when I was a girl. The writing is very simple and the plot is straight-forward. Not much really happens. They go to a party and have a good time. The kitten gets stuck up on the roof, and they borrow a ladder to get the kitten down. It's mostly peaceful and happy with little adventures that resolve quickly. Just right for little readers.
Of course, the setting reflects an older time when gender stereotypes and racism was the norm. But I think it's an important look at history to see how certain ideas were considered normal at one time, although they are offensive now. It might be a good conversation to have with a child about how the only true moral compass that can be trusted to stand the test of time is the Bible.
March 9, 2018
I just finished reading this book with my eight-year-old. She found is absolutely delightful and I enjoyed it as well. It was fun to see an older book that doesn't have the fast pace nor complex plot of modern fiction still draw my daughter in to where she was begging me to read "just one more" chapter each night.
The book also gives an opportunity for readers to glimpse life in the early 1960s. It also reminds parents of how much children are capable of and the independence society gave children at that time (for example, two 12-year-olds and a six-year-old go camping together--on a school night, no less-- and two six-year-olds freely roam their neighborhood), as well as the way children can rise up to the responsibilities given.
The book also gives an opportunity for readers to glimpse life in the early 1960s. It also reminds parents of how much children are capable of and the independence society gave children at that time (for example, two 12-year-olds and a six-year-old go camping together--on a school night, no less-- and two six-year-olds freely roam their neighborhood), as well as the way children can rise up to the responsibilities given.
June 11, 2024
I have always loved The Bobbsey Twins series since I was very little.
May 15, 2010
I know if I re-read these I'd give them a one star rating. But I loved them so much as a child. Mother read them to me each night until I started reading them myself.
September 4, 2015
This was one of the first chapter books I read when I was in Grade One. Although I'm sure I might cringe if I read it now, (and neither of my boys will go near it), I know that it contributed to my lifelong love of reading. My parents went away on a trip and my brother and I took the train to my grandparents. For the trip, my mom had wrapped up little gifts for us to open every hour or so to keep us entertained, and one of my gifts was this book. I connected to the characters and loved the idea of kids solving a mystery. To this day, I still love a good mystery!
September 4, 2022
This was the very first mystery book I ever read; I was 8 years old. It’s the first of many Bobbsey Twin books. That year I then continued through the entire series and really enjoyed it. It’s about 2 sets of girl-boy sibling twins ages 12 & 6, and the allure of the books was more from the two sets of twins than the light mysteries in the plots.
July 2, 2012
Admittedly, the concept and the twins got tiresome very fast but there was something appealing about the very first Bobbsey Twins book if you were 7 or 8 years old when you first came across it. I imagine the books I inherited belong to my paternal grandmother because I cannot imagine my father reading them.
November 15, 2019
I didn't read any titles in this series until my younger sister brought them home from the library. Even though I was older than the target age, I enjoyed the stories.* By then, I had twin brothers of my own so found myself comparing my experiences with the Bobbsey kids.
*She preferred the Happy Hollisters.
*She preferred the Happy Hollisters.
September 7, 2019
I wasn't interested in most of the story.
October 24, 2020
If you're going to read the #1 Bobbsey Twins book, I'd recommend this one published in 1904 over the one published in 1961, the writing and story are much better.
Ok so this is a bit strange. I read The Bobbsey Twins of Lakeville, published in 1961 (which is listed as The Bobbsey Twins #1) last week (finished on 10/8/20). The cover of the 1961 book shows kids as they would have looked and dressed in the late 1950's and early 1960's. I then found out the original Bobbsey Twins books were published starting in 1904! So I took out The Bobbsey Twins or Merry Days Indoor and Out, originally published in 1904. The cover of this one from 1904 shows an idyllic pictures of 3 of the Bobbsey Twins dressed appropriately as children would have in 1904, the girls in long dressed with aprons. The boy in pants with a coat and hat with a brim, I think it's called a newsboy cap. The story is completely different. In the 1961 book, the children solve a haunted house mystery. The writing was a bit choppy and seemed simplistic and dated. In the 1904 book, the writing is rich and flows much better. Of course 2 books published almost 60 years apart were written by different authors, I'm sure. I find it interesting that books for children that were published in 1904 gave children more credit for being able to understand and enjoy excellent writing.
And that brings me to the picture INSIDE the 1904 book. It shows the Bobbsey Twins playing in the snow on a sled. The boys are dressed warmly in snow pants, hats and boots, the younger girl is also dressed in warm snow pants, hat and boots. So WHY IN THE WORLD is the older girl, Nan, wearing a skirt that shows her knees, with not pants (or even tights that I can see)???!?!?!? Not only is it sad that Nan has to freeze her literal butt off, but the picture DOESN'T MATCH THE 1904 PUBLISHING DATE! No girl in 1904 would be out in such a short skirt (well above the knee) in 1904 . The rest of the picture could, perhaps, be correct for the date, but Nan's clothes make the picture seem completely wrong. Almost as if someone stuck it in the book without thinking about how the picture must've been drawn much later than 1904!!
And then we come to Chapter 2, in which the girls are jumping rope. Apparently a VERY dangerous activity. As Grace jumps almost to 100 and PASSES OUT!! Ok, so maybe her mother warned her not to jump too much because she had some special medical condition...? But no, get this when Mr. Bobbsey comes home to see Grace on the ground, "Mr. Bobbsey was startled and for good reason, for he had heard of more than one little girls dying from too much jumping." (page 13) WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK????? I'm pretty sure no one's ever died from jumping rope!?!?!? And Danny notes that he has heard his father say that, "'Rope jumping brings on heart disease.'" page 14. All I can say to that is if you already have heart disease and decide to jump rope, maybe not a good idea....but jumping rope PREVENTS HEART DISEASE. Did people really believe these things in 1904?? At first I thought it was the idea of girls exercising (clearly dangerous with all of our girl parts!!...not), but this almost seems to be saying that NOONE should be jumping rope. So weird. Also, what is bootball? Mentioned on page 14 as well...
Excellent advice from Mrs. Bobbsey, "'You must not have anything to do with Danny Rugg,' said Mrs. Bobbsey to her son. 'He is very rough and ungentlemanly.'" page 45
Similarities: 1904/1961
Danny Rugg is a bully
Danny Rugg breaks a window and won't fess up to it
Department store shopping with Mrs. Bobbsey (Flossie and Freddie)
Freddie gets lost in the department store AND finds a kitten!
They name the kitten Snoop
Freddie falls asleep in the basement of the store.
Enormous gender stereotypes in toys
The kitten flies on the kite
Danny receives justice for breaking the window without Bert tattling on him.
Differences:
1904 1961
Setting: Winter Setting: Warm enough to barbeque
Window broken due to ice throwing Window broken due to baseball
Bert is injured by Danny on a sled No injury for Bert
Mr. Bobbsey's nicknames for Freddie and Flossie:
"My Fat Little Fairy" "My Fat Little Fireman" "My Little Fairy" "My Little Fireman"
____________________________________________________________________________
The expression you look like "the bobbsey twins" is a familiar one from my childhood. I am pleasantly surprised to see it refers to a book series, and I'm interested to read it.
I think I thought it was a type of twins...identical twins, conjoined twins, bobbsey twins. So cool to be reading it now! 10/20
I'd give it 3.5 stars
HMMM... I had thought this was the first book of the Bobbsey twins, but apparently the first book was published in 1904. Which makes sense that the expression "Bobbsey twins" was something I remember my family members saying quite often when 2 kids looked, dressed or acted alike. Or if they were just fast friends. From The Grammarist online, "The term Bobbsey twins refers to two people who are inseparable, who are often seen together and look alike and act alike."
This book is a nice snapshot of what the idealized American family looked like in 1961 when the book was originally published. Some of the gender role divisions were blatant, but that can be interesting too. I found it interesting when the principal referred to "runaways" when they found the secret door. At no point did they mention that the runaways would have been slaves.
I have always loved girls' fashions of the 1950's so the charming line drawings of the twins were fun to see.
Originally I would have said I enjoyed this book for what it is, a chapter book for young kids, and a snapshot of 1961....but I won't read another. However, now that I realize the first Bobbsey book was actually published in 1904, I think I'll give THAT original book a try.
Ok so this is a bit strange. I read The Bobbsey Twins of Lakeville, published in 1961 (which is listed as The Bobbsey Twins #1) last week (finished on 10/8/20). The cover of the 1961 book shows kids as they would have looked and dressed in the late 1950's and early 1960's. I then found out the original Bobbsey Twins books were published starting in 1904! So I took out The Bobbsey Twins or Merry Days Indoor and Out, originally published in 1904. The cover of this one from 1904 shows an idyllic pictures of 3 of the Bobbsey Twins dressed appropriately as children would have in 1904, the girls in long dressed with aprons. The boy in pants with a coat and hat with a brim, I think it's called a newsboy cap. The story is completely different. In the 1961 book, the children solve a haunted house mystery. The writing was a bit choppy and seemed simplistic and dated. In the 1904 book, the writing is rich and flows much better. Of course 2 books published almost 60 years apart were written by different authors, I'm sure. I find it interesting that books for children that were published in 1904 gave children more credit for being able to understand and enjoy excellent writing.
And that brings me to the picture INSIDE the 1904 book. It shows the Bobbsey Twins playing in the snow on a sled. The boys are dressed warmly in snow pants, hats and boots, the younger girl is also dressed in warm snow pants, hat and boots. So WHY IN THE WORLD is the older girl, Nan, wearing a skirt that shows her knees, with not pants (or even tights that I can see)???!?!?!? Not only is it sad that Nan has to freeze her literal butt off, but the picture DOESN'T MATCH THE 1904 PUBLISHING DATE! No girl in 1904 would be out in such a short skirt (well above the knee) in 1904 . The rest of the picture could, perhaps, be correct for the date, but Nan's clothes make the picture seem completely wrong. Almost as if someone stuck it in the book without thinking about how the picture must've been drawn much later than 1904!!
And then we come to Chapter 2, in which the girls are jumping rope. Apparently a VERY dangerous activity. As Grace jumps almost to 100 and PASSES OUT!! Ok, so maybe her mother warned her not to jump too much because she had some special medical condition...? But no, get this when Mr. Bobbsey comes home to see Grace on the ground, "Mr. Bobbsey was startled and for good reason, for he had heard of more than one little girls dying from too much jumping." (page 13) WHAT THE ACTUAL HECK????? I'm pretty sure no one's ever died from jumping rope!?!?!? And Danny notes that he has heard his father say that, "'Rope jumping brings on heart disease.'" page 14. All I can say to that is if you already have heart disease and decide to jump rope, maybe not a good idea....but jumping rope PREVENTS HEART DISEASE. Did people really believe these things in 1904?? At first I thought it was the idea of girls exercising (clearly dangerous with all of our girl parts!!...not), but this almost seems to be saying that NOONE should be jumping rope. So weird. Also, what is bootball? Mentioned on page 14 as well...
Excellent advice from Mrs. Bobbsey, "'You must not have anything to do with Danny Rugg,' said Mrs. Bobbsey to her son. 'He is very rough and ungentlemanly.'" page 45
Similarities: 1904/1961
Danny Rugg is a bully
Danny Rugg breaks a window and won't fess up to it
Department store shopping with Mrs. Bobbsey (Flossie and Freddie)
Freddie gets lost in the department store AND finds a kitten!
They name the kitten Snoop
Freddie falls asleep in the basement of the store.
Enormous gender stereotypes in toys
The kitten flies on the kite
Danny receives justice for breaking the window without Bert tattling on him.
Differences:
1904 1961
Setting: Winter Setting: Warm enough to barbeque
Window broken due to ice throwing Window broken due to baseball
Bert is injured by Danny on a sled No injury for Bert
Mr. Bobbsey's nicknames for Freddie and Flossie:
"My Fat Little Fairy" "My Fat Little Fireman" "My Little Fairy" "My Little Fireman"
____________________________________________________________________________
The expression you look like "the bobbsey twins" is a familiar one from my childhood. I am pleasantly surprised to see it refers to a book series, and I'm interested to read it.
I think I thought it was a type of twins...identical twins, conjoined twins, bobbsey twins. So cool to be reading it now! 10/20
I'd give it 3.5 stars
HMMM... I had thought this was the first book of the Bobbsey twins, but apparently the first book was published in 1904. Which makes sense that the expression "Bobbsey twins" was something I remember my family members saying quite often when 2 kids looked, dressed or acted alike. Or if they were just fast friends. From The Grammarist online, "The term Bobbsey twins refers to two people who are inseparable, who are often seen together and look alike and act alike."
This book is a nice snapshot of what the idealized American family looked like in 1961 when the book was originally published. Some of the gender role divisions were blatant, but that can be interesting too. I found it interesting when the principal referred to "runaways" when they found the secret door. At no point did they mention that the runaways would have been slaves.
I have always loved girls' fashions of the 1950's so the charming line drawings of the twins were fun to see.
Originally I would have said I enjoyed this book for what it is, a chapter book for young kids, and a snapshot of 1961....but I won't read another. However, now that I realize the first Bobbsey book was actually published in 1904, I think I'll give THAT original book a try.
May 2, 2023
I remember reading the Bobbsey Twins books when I was little. I felt compelled to buy this book when I ran across it a few years ago.
Not only do I remember reading the series, but I remember reading this very book. I remember the kids making "pasteboard" houses and wondering what pasteboard was and wanting to make some of these houses and asking my mom to help me do this and actually doing it. (Crazy, right?!)
It would be an interesting exercise to read this aloud to children and see what they find odd about the story. There are some elements---sexism, racism---that are sadly apparent to me in ways I didn't notice when I was little. But many parts of the story---bullying, kids getting lost---are still things that children deal with today.
Not only do I remember reading the series, but I remember reading this very book. I remember the kids making "pasteboard" houses and wondering what pasteboard was and wanting to make some of these houses and asking my mom to help me do this and actually doing it. (Crazy, right?!)
It would be an interesting exercise to read this aloud to children and see what they find odd about the story. There are some elements---sexism, racism---that are sadly apparent to me in ways I didn't notice when I was little. But many parts of the story---bullying, kids getting lost---are still things that children deal with today.
November 13, 2022
Jacket ill Ned Shaw color front piece b/w Martha E Miller
In 22 chapters this first of 80 plus books in this charming series introduces the Bobbsey family – mother, father, two sets of twins, their neighbors and pets, with Dinah the cook and Sam the groundskeeper. Lots of fun. Snow and ice, pets, school days a bully in the schoolyard, Valentines Day and a –ghost! Holds up well for modern readers. And for adults too.
In 22 chapters this first of 80 plus books in this charming series introduces the Bobbsey family – mother, father, two sets of twins, their neighbors and pets, with Dinah the cook and Sam the groundskeeper. Lots of fun. Snow and ice, pets, school days a bully in the schoolyard, Valentines Day and a –ghost! Holds up well for modern readers. And for adults too.
November 28, 2018
I really like the Bobbsey Twins of Lakeport. It was packed with action and the children had character. I think it's targeted at a younger audience then the Hardy Boys. Very similar to the boxcar children.
January 5, 2021
I had never read a Bobbsey Twins book before and I really loved this one!
December 25, 2022
Read as a kid
July 14, 2024
Sweet book but a bit slow and repetitive. Good chapter book for early readers
August 4, 2025
I read every book in the series when I was young & loved them. I thought it would be fun to re-read the first book in the series & loved it. You can’t beat the adventures of Nan, Bert, Flossie & Freddy!!
September 8, 2019
I liked the chapter "The Race and the Runway". I liked the words in the chapter that I think said when the horse didn't care about anything but winning.
March 5, 2022
this wasn't it, chief
September 15, 2019
Published in 1904 by Stratemeyer, the same company that gave us Honey Bunch, Nancy Drew, Poppy Ott and so many more. One of the first big series stories for kids, this volume presents the two pairs of twins and describes their daily fun and problems. I like the fact that they're not perfect, they do squabble with classmates and each other and get into messes without being cringe-makingly "cutesy" about it.
Very much of its time, this edition has Sam and Dinah, the coloured couple who live over the stable and do all the work, speak stereotypical music-hall dialect, but the family and the author don't make fun of them, and the kids treat them as members of the family. Not so the doll they give Flossie! Poor old Jujube, a black doll they give her for Christmas, is only taken out when she takes aaaallll her dolls out, and he is segregated, even on the shelf. "Flossie always took pains to separate Jujube from the rest by placing the cover of a pasteboard box between them." And you can bet poor old Jujube was on the bottom of the pile! "He doesn't really belong to the family, you know," Flossie would explain to her friends. "But I have to keep him, for mamma says there's no coloured orphan asylum for dolls. This tells us that a) Flossie doesn't really like or want Jujube, and b) she apologises to her little pals for even owning him. In the stories, Flossie is a flat character, seldom doing much, but the few lines she has in this book present her as a rather unpleasant, snooty little piece of work. Freddie and Bert are really the heroes of the first volume--Nan and Flossie are just the supporting chorus to their deeds. A neighbour's rebellious daughter jumps rope too long and faints. Serves her right for not listening to Mamma!--but it made me laugh that Mr Bobbsey worries because he has heard of more than one little girl who actually died of jumping too much!! Sounds to me like the author disliked girls jumping rope...or doing much of anything else. ETA: I websearched, and apparently "death by jump rope" has been an urban legend, upheld by doctors, since the 1890s. Check out http://www.museumonmain.org/blog/deat... !! What kills you, apparently, is 100 jumps in a row.
Another bit of nonsense was the "fat kitten" flying away on the tale of a kite...yeah, right. Must have been a very big, very strong structure!
Very much of its time, this edition has Sam and Dinah, the coloured couple who live over the stable and do all the work, speak stereotypical music-hall dialect, but the family and the author don't make fun of them, and the kids treat them as members of the family. Not so the doll they give Flossie! Poor old Jujube, a black doll they give her for Christmas, is only taken out when she takes aaaallll her dolls out, and he is segregated, even on the shelf. "Flossie always took pains to separate Jujube from the rest by placing the cover of a pasteboard box between them." And you can bet poor old Jujube was on the bottom of the pile! "He doesn't really belong to the family, you know," Flossie would explain to her friends. "But I have to keep him, for mamma says there's no coloured orphan asylum for dolls. This tells us that a) Flossie doesn't really like or want Jujube, and b) she apologises to her little pals for even owning him. In the stories, Flossie is a flat character, seldom doing much, but the few lines she has in this book present her as a rather unpleasant, snooty little piece of work. Freddie and Bert are really the heroes of the first volume--Nan and Flossie are just the supporting chorus to their deeds. A neighbour's rebellious daughter jumps rope too long and faints. Serves her right for not listening to Mamma!--but it made me laugh that Mr Bobbsey worries because he has heard of more than one little girl who actually died of jumping too much!! Sounds to me like the author disliked girls jumping rope...or doing much of anything else. ETA: I websearched, and apparently "death by jump rope" has been an urban legend, upheld by doctors, since the 1890s. Check out http://www.museumonmain.org/blog/deat... !! What kills you, apparently, is 100 jumps in a row.
Another bit of nonsense was the "fat kitten" flying away on the tale of a kite...yeah, right. Must have been a very big, very strong structure!
February 9, 2016
The Bobbsey Twins by Laura Lee Hope (Stratemeyer 1904)(Fiction - Children's). The books in the Bobbsey Twins series were the earliest novels I ever read as a child. Set in the town of Lakeport, The Bobbsey family children are two sets of fraternal twins, twelve year olds Nan and Bert, who have dark hair and dark eyes, and six year olds Flossie and Freddie, who have blond hair and blue eyes. The children live with their dad and mom, cook Dinah and gardener Sam (Dinah's husband) in an idealized upper-middle-class existence. There were seventy-two books in the Bobbsey Twin series; the last was written in the 1960's. The children do not age in the series and thus are perpetually twelve or six years old. The books usually featured gentle mysteries or dilemmas which the children were able to work together to solve, and they often involved the twelve-year-old school bully Danny Rugg. This first book in the series simply introduces the characters. I read many of these books and loved them dearly. My rating: 8/10, finished 1965.
February 19, 2017
3.5 Stars. I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. There was more conflict than I anticipated, and though it was written 100 years ago, there were aspects that reminded me of my own childhood. I started out reading the revised edition from the 1950s, but switched to the original 1904 text. The revised edition removed the racist elements, but it also updated the technology so that they drive cars instead of riding in sleighs. I wanted to get a sense of the period in 1904. The runaway sleigh pulled by the excitable racehorse was a much better episode than the modernized version where the car breaks down. One thing that didn't get updated in the 1950s edition was the gender attitudes. Early in the book, the boys play football with no issue. But when a little girl tries to jump rope to 100, she passes out and the doctor puts her on bed rest for several days to recover. Laura Lee Hope was a pen name used by multiple authors, and the first book is believed to have been written by a man, Edward Stratemeyer, which explains why much of the book focuses on the eldest boy, Bert.
January 20, 2015
This was such a cute book. Glad that I picked it back up and read it. This sweet little book was just what I needed to lift my spirits & make me smile! I kept having to remember when this book was written when some parts about race came up. . Other than that, there wasn't too much of an issue.
I wouldn't say this is a favorite and I'm not sure I will go on to any of the other books in this series but I'm glad I was able to read it because it did cheer me up quite a bit. :-)
I wouldn't say this is a favorite and I'm not sure I will go on to any of the other books in this series but I'm glad I was able to read it because it did cheer me up quite a bit. :-)
September 26, 2011
Honestly, I hardly remember this book. Here is what I do remember: I loved this book. I read it probably 35 years ago. The copy I read was old even then--a taped up copy from the 1950s that had belonged to my mother as a child. I was thoroughly enthralled, and read the next two copies my mother owned right away. For years I hunted down various editions of Bobbsey Twins titles, just to collect them. These are dated stories, with all kinds of stereotype issues, but nonetheless, as a child, I loved it!
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