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Topic: How Many Happy Hollister Fans Are There on PBS?

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SunnyOK avatar
Subject: How Many Happy Hollister Fans Are There on PBS?
Date Posted: 11/25/2008 1:47 AM ET
Member Since: 5/25/2007
Posts: 237
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I think there must be quite a few of us that grew up loving these mystery books! Quite a few people have each title in the system WL'ed.

I had them all as a child, and started collecting them again last year. 

Do you remember exploring all kinds of wonderful places with them? Which place was your favorite?

Which book was your favorite and why?

Have any of these books affected your life, even if only in choosing a vacation destination?

They have impacted my life. I first learned the American Sign Language (ASL) alphabet from The Haunted House Mystery. During my teens I had a chance to take ASL classes, and went on in college to train as an interpreter for the Deaf.

I'm glad that my children are having a chance to enjoy these adventures too!

booklover33 avatar
Friend of PBS-Gold medal
Date Posted: 11/26/2008 9:24 PM ET
Member Since: 6/17/2006
Posts: 563
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I loved the Happy Hollisters as a child.  I have all 33 of the books on my keeper shelves.  It took a while to get them on eBay 10 years ago.  I would have to read them again to remember them but I do remember they went to Switzerland and a huge round of cheese rolled down a hill.  I was very surprised (as a child) that cheese came in such large quantities.  I read the first 5 or 6 books to my son when he was in first grade and he loved them.  He even read a few on his own.  He's "too old" for them now, but I'm not.  LOL!

MichiganderHolly avatar
Date Posted: 12/27/2008 3:04 PM ET
Member Since: 6/1/2007
Posts: 1,900
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I was born in the 80's but my Aunt had the entire series and I read them all and loved them.  I am now in the process of collecting the series for my son.  He just turned 4 and can't read yet but when he does learn he'll have one massive book collection waiting on him :)

Generic Profile avatar
Date Posted: 1/3/2009 10:59 AM ET
Member Since: 7/31/2006
Posts: 14,634
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somehow I managed to miss these as a kid! and I read a LOT! I was big on boxcar children and trixie belden and also read some bobbsey twins and nancy drew...very few hardy boys since those were 'for boys' and had too many gadgets!

MichiganderHolly avatar
Date Posted: 2/5/2009 7:49 PM ET
Member Since: 6/1/2007
Posts: 1,900
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Chandra,

Have you had any luck hunting down the Mystery of the Midnight Trolls?  This was the one that had the least copies printed and the price I have seen this book go for is astronomical!

sunnybrookgal avatar
Subject: count me in....
Date Posted: 2/7/2009 3:26 PM ET
Member Since: 8/24/2008
Posts: 357
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Count me in, I had a few of my mom's as a kid and loved them.  At Circus Island was my favorite, I loved the idea of seashell birds, even tried to make some. Over the years, I have picked up another few titles here and there to share with my kids (not even a twinkle in my eye yet when I got them:) Now I have a daughter, only 8 months old, and I am looking forward to introducing her to them when she is old enough.

They are such cute books, and so "safe" compared to a lot of kids stuff today, I have to laugh now when I reread them, though, to think of little 10 year old Pete tackling a full grown man and bringing him down. LOL

SunnyOK avatar
Date Posted: 2/10/2009 4:48 PM ET
Member Since: 5/25/2007
Posts: 237
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I did get lucky with the Midnight Trolls. I had posted on my wanted page on homeschoolclassifieds.com that I was looking for these books. A lady contacted me that she had about 20 of these and was willing to sell them, since her child was nearly grown and did not want them. Midnight Trolls was one of them. Almost all were in the cute colorful dustjackets, and in great shape. I've posted some of the extras here before.

The Cuckoo Clock mystery was one of my favorites, as was the Old Clipper Ship. I recently re-read the Swiss Echo, and the rolling cheese epiode was not in it... I just checked, and it is in the Little Mermaid mystery, when they go to Denmark. This also has the windmills. I had been trying to remember which one they were in.

I got such a love for different places and cultures through reading these books!

Thank you  to everyone for sharing your memories of these childhood friends!!

Generic Profile avatar
Standard Member medal
Date Posted: 2/12/2009 3:01 PM ET
Member Since: 10/6/2005
Posts: 11,084
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I have most but not all of the original hardcover books - I have picked them up at garage sales over the years and I got a whole box full at an estate sale a couple of years ago. I think my favorite is Sea Gull Beach but I also really love The Haunted House Mystery and the very first book.

MichiganderHolly avatar
Date Posted: 2/13/2009 4:00 PM ET
Member Since: 6/1/2007
Posts: 1,900
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I never find anything good like that at garage sales and I go to A LOT of them in the spring/summer.  My son is the garage sale king.  He's only 4 and its his favorite activity in the summer.  He asks me to take him to garage sales every saturday.  Maybe I'll get lucky this summer and run across Midnight Trolls or Golden Witch.  I only need three more besides those to have the entire set but those ones are relatively easy to find.

Generic Profile avatar
Date Posted: 4/2/2009 2:32 PM ET
Member Since: 1/22/2008
Posts: 720
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I was in a local used bookstore today and saw about 20 Happy Hollisters with DJ. They were $5 each. If anyone is looking to collect these I wanted to let you know. If someone wanted to buy them I would be willing to ship them to you for the cost of postage. I hope this is okay to post. I'm not trying to make annything, just let someone collecting them know. PM if you want to know more.

Nancy

Madikiks avatar
Limited Member medalFriend of PBS-Silver medal
Date Posted: 4/2/2009 9:19 PM ET
Member Since: 7/25/2007
Posts: 764
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Never read these, but I just put a few on hold at the library.  I'm pretty sure my girls will love them.

Generic Profile avatar
Date Posted: 4/2/2009 9:28 PM ET
Member Since: 7/15/2008
Posts: 798
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I read my mom's when I was growing up. I loved these!

Generic Profile avatar
Subject: sign language alphabet
Date Posted: 9/15/2012 12:02 PM ET
Member Since: 9/15/2012
Posts: 1
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i learned the sign language letters from a book of theirs, and taught it to friends in my 6th grade class in 1968 -  we still remember it today!  my mom signed me up for a happy hollisters book club, but i didn't read that many.  i was in to nancy drew at the time - but today i like trixie belden the best!