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The Happy Hollisters #21
The Happy Hollisters and the Haunted House Mystery
GHOST HUNTER WANTED TO RID A HAUNTED HOUSE OF SPOOKS! APPLY MRS. NEELY. THE ANTIQUE HOUSE. Their curiosity aroused over this unusual advertisement, Pete and Pam Hollister visit Mrs. Neeley to apply for the job. At first, they think the elderly lady is imagining things when she tells them that the spinning wheel sings and the grandfather clock strikes thirteen. However, they quickly change their minds when they see a light flickering in one of the windows and hear frightening cries coming from the old mansion. Running from the house that night, Pam loses her shoe in a tangled shrub. When she returns with the other members of the Shoreham Detective Club, they cannot find the shoe nor any clue to its whereabouts. Instead, they spot a stranger watching the Antique House. Pete later catches the same man watching the Hollister home and suddenly the family finds itself involved in another mystery almost as baffling as the one surrounding the Antique House. How the Hollisters cleverly hunt down the "ghosts" hidden in the haunted house provides a thrilling climax to an adventure filled with danger, fun, and excitement. Paperback; 182 pages with 19 illustrations
182 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1962
88 people are currently reading
219 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 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 21, 2023
The Happy Hollisters books are wonderful; and there's 33 of them!
The Hollisters are such a nice and close-knit family, and they have so much fun together, whether it's playing, working at the family store, ... or solving a mystery together! Each one of the Hollister children - Pete (12), Pam (10), Ricky (7), Holly (6) and Sue (4) - plays an important role in finding clues, along with their parents who are always ready to join in on the excitement. These books remind me a lot of the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy books, but with a whole family!
They're wholesome, reinforce family unity and have that ol' fashion charm. There's some good life lessons tucked away in here.
Cleanliness: Swell, Jeepers, by George, Cricket, Goodness, Gee, Golly, Gracious, and the like are all used throughout book. There is a mean bully in the story (that is cast negatively) and the children learn not to be like him and how to handle his meanness. A boy thumps another boy for playing a mean trick where his serious was almost seriously injured. A house is thought to be haunted with ghosts.
Parent Takeaway
The Hollisters are a nice and close-knit family that have so much fun together, whether it's playing, working at the family store, or solving a mystery together. The bully in the story is not portrayed positively, but is there for a lesson of not only what type of child not to be, but how to respond and behave around someone that is mean. Some good life lessons tucked away in here.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
The Hollisters are such a nice and close-knit family, and they have so much fun together, whether it's playing, working at the family store, ... or solving a mystery together! Each one of the Hollister children - Pete (12), Pam (10), Ricky (7), Holly (6) and Sue (4) - plays an important role in finding clues, along with their parents who are always ready to join in on the excitement. These books remind me a lot of the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy books, but with a whole family!
They're wholesome, reinforce family unity and have that ol' fashion charm. There's some good life lessons tucked away in here.
Cleanliness: Swell, Jeepers, by George, Cricket, Goodness, Gee, Golly, Gracious, and the like are all used throughout book. There is a mean bully in the story (that is cast negatively) and the children learn not to be like him and how to handle his meanness. A boy thumps another boy for playing a mean trick where his serious was almost seriously injured. A house is thought to be haunted with ghosts.
Parent Takeaway
The Hollisters are a nice and close-knit family that have so much fun together, whether it's playing, working at the family store, or solving a mystery together. The bully in the story is not portrayed positively, but is there for a lesson of not only what type of child not to be, but how to respond and behave around someone that is mean. Some good life lessons tucked away in here.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! And be sure to check out my bio page to learn a little about me and the Picture Book/Chapter Book Calendars I sell on Etsy!
March 16, 2013
The jolly quintet returns in “The Happy Hollisters and the Haunted House Mystery,” the twenty-first book in the series. This time the children have formed the Shoreham Detective Club with some of their friends, and they soon have two concurrent mysteries to solve. The first involves the Antique House, which is owned by a woman named Mrs. Neeley, who insists that the place is haunted as strange occurrences plague it and disrupt her business. The second is concerned with helping a circus performer discover a key piece of his past. Mild danger threatens the Hollisters as they work toward solving both cases, and they also have to deal with occasional interference by the neighborhood bully, Joey Brill.
As is characteristic of this series, readers will find this book, illustrated with red-outlined pictures, to be quaint and dated. The family is always polite and kind, and in this story, old-fashioned photography techniques are employed. An interesting addition is Charles Belden, a deaf boy who befriends the Hollisters; this character was proposed by a reader, as the author acknowledges on the verso. All of these aspects contribute to making this story unique and interesting, a fun and engaging read for the young and the young-at-heart.
As is characteristic of this series, readers will find this book, illustrated with red-outlined pictures, to be quaint and dated. The family is always polite and kind, and in this story, old-fashioned photography techniques are employed. An interesting addition is Charles Belden, a deaf boy who befriends the Hollisters; this character was proposed by a reader, as the author acknowledges on the verso. All of these aspects contribute to making this story unique and interesting, a fun and engaging read for the young and the young-at-heart.
July 7, 2020
These books are some of my most treasured possessions from my childhood. Many of my collected books from the series were from each of my parents when THEY were little, and I continue to collect the books when I come across them at antique stores.
to-read-own
November 18, 201711/18/17 Free for Kindle.
November 18, 2017
Does anyone else remember this series? I loved it! My mother subscribed to it for me, and I got 2 books a month, which I devoured as soon as I got them. I know I don't have all of them, but I've got most. I should dig them out of my mother's attic and read them again.
March 31, 2008
These Happy Hollister books were my favorites over Nancy Drew and the Hardy boys. I hated the Bobsy twins. My friend read them while I read Happy HOllister Mysteries.
January 3, 2015
I gave this book a 5 star due to my love for it as a child. My son asked me what had been instrumental in my love for reading and I told him the Happy Hollister books. My town did not have a library, so my mom enrolled me in the Happy Holister book club. I LOVED their books and the end of each chapter was so exciting I had to read the next chapter and the next and the next until the book was finished. MY son gave me two of the books. I reread this book and enjoyed the story, the way of handling bullies back in the day, and the children's active adventures as they solved the mystery of the Antique House.
April 12, 2021
The Happy Hollisters and the Haunted House Mystery (Happy Hollisters, #21)
This story starts out with the new detective club meeting and discussing plans.
They have the ghost mystery, then a picture of a door with a good story behind that.
So many obstacles because of Joey and Will but the kids keep on track to find the solutions.
They are on the track also of the jewelry thieves without even knowing it. So adventurous and smart. Love how they include the deaf boy he has so many talents.
Such a fun good read. So scary at times but also so smart about how things work with electronics.
This story starts out with the new detective club meeting and discussing plans.
They have the ghost mystery, then a picture of a door with a good story behind that.
So many obstacles because of Joey and Will but the kids keep on track to find the solutions.
They are on the track also of the jewelry thieves without even knowing it. So adventurous and smart. Love how they include the deaf boy he has so many talents.
Such a fun good read. So scary at times but also so smart about how things work with electronics.
December 2, 2009
My mom bought me this book, and being
curious and liking mysteries I picked it up
and started reading. I liked it a whole lot
and I read it a few times after.In the book
there is a group of children who all belong
to a mystery club. They now have a new
mystery: To help an old lady rid her house
of haunts. This is a great book.
curious and liking mysteries I picked it up
and started reading. I liked it a whole lot
and I read it a few times after.In the book
there is a group of children who all belong
to a mystery club. They now have a new
mystery: To help an old lady rid her house
of haunts. This is a great book.
November 15, 2018
Great easy read for youngsters
I read this book when I was in third grade...great to read it again. I learned the ASL alphabet from this book, with help from a friend who had deaf parents. Nice read...I highly recommend it.
I read this book when I was in third grade...great to read it again. I learned the ASL alphabet from this book, with help from a friend who had deaf parents. Nice read...I highly recommend it.
December 18, 2015
Loved it when I read it in 1968.
June 9, 2021
The Happy Hollisters and the Mystery of the Haunted House by Andrew.E.Svenson Genre: Mystery Rating: 5/5
The Shoreham Mystery Club, a club that solves mysteries, has got to solve the mystery of a haunted house and a hereditary case when a lady reports a spinning wheel spinning without anybody working at it and a circus acrobat arrives in Shoreham looking for a house with a specific door design because it is important to him. Do you think they will get to the bottom of this mystery?
I recommend this book to Mystery enthusiasts!
The Shoreham Mystery Club, a club that solves mysteries, has got to solve the mystery of a haunted house and a hereditary case when a lady reports a spinning wheel spinning without anybody working at it and a circus acrobat arrives in Shoreham looking for a house with a specific door design because it is important to him. Do you think they will get to the bottom of this mystery?
I recommend this book to Mystery enthusiasts!
November 24, 2017
Mysteries galore
The Happy Hollister children are at it again in thus wonderful story. This time they are hunting ghosts, and mysterious doors. Will they solve the mysteries or will the ghost get them?
The Happy Hollister children are at it again in thus wonderful story. This time they are hunting ghosts, and mysterious doors. Will they solve the mysteries or will the ghost get them?
January 16, 2018
I purchased this Kindle Book for free and was pleasantly surprised! The book reminded me of a cross between the Scooby Doo Gang and the Boxcar Children. Although I hadn’t heard of this series before I enjoyed it and will be checking out some of the other titles.
March 4, 2025
Another Stratemeyer book for me, and another delight! I actually was not expecting to enjoy this nearly as much as I did. The mystery was very fun and the "filler scenes" (for lack of a better term) were charming.
November 25, 2017
Great book worth a rereads
I liked the kids i n this book and the descriptive setting.
The parents were a little hard to believe though.
I liked the kids i n this book and the descriptive setting.
The parents were a little hard to believe though.
December 31, 2017
Great book
I’ve read this before many years ago but thought it might rekindle old memories of my mother reading to us as children....it did!
I’ve read this before many years ago but thought it might rekindle old memories of my mother reading to us as children....it did!
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.
December 3, 2023
I have decided to reread some of my favorite books from childhood. The happy Hollisters was one of my favorite series when I was about 8 to ten. I find I still enjoy them, though they are very dated. The mysteries are simple but enjoyable. But What I appreciate most is how the author relates the characters relationships with each other and all the new and different characters this family meets. They are so warm and friendly to others. No matter what their difference might be.
March 20, 2009
Ok I read this when I was thirteen and it was probably influential in what I read as an adult.
November 15, 2012
Ahhh, a trip down memory lane!
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November 22, 2017The Happy Hollisters and the Haunted House Mystery
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December 22, 2017Happy Hollisters stores are always fun reads. Good focus on family, friends and mystery. And who doesn't love a haunted house? I thoroughly recommend this one.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews