The Happy Hollisters at Sea Gull Beach (The Happy Hollisters, No. 3)

Although written for younger folks, it was written during a much more innocent and safer time. A window into how Americans USED enjoy life before all the negeative aspects of current life came into society.

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 third 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 children receive a ceramic lighthouse from their Uncle Russ. Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, their collie Zip accidentally knocks the lighthouse to the floor, breaking it. When the children examine the broken lighthouse, they discover a genuine emerald. Uncle Russ purchased the lighthouse at Sea Gull Beach, and soon the Hollister family is off to visit Uncle Russ. When the children get to Sea Gull Beach they learn that a pirate ship called the Mystery disappeared during a storm somewhere near Sea Gull Beach, and treasure hunters had been searching for the ship ever since. The children soon encounter Homer Ruffly and his father, who is mean and is leading a treasure hunting expedition for the Mystery. Though the children are not actually searching for the pirate ship, they seem to encounter items from the ship at every turn. Homer Ruffly follows them around and does mean things to the children constantly, accusing them of stealing things that rightfully belong to his father, when in fact they belong to the Hollisters. The Hollister children do have a lot of fun on their trip. They take boat rides on the ocean, enter a kite flying contest, and fly in a helicopter, along with hunting for the pirate ship Mystery. The pirate theme of this Hollister book is all in good fun and younger children should be amused by the story. The Happy Hollisters series remains a reasonably good, if somewhat outdated, read for younger children, perhaps from ages 4 to 9.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.