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April, 2017 The Antique Shoppe Page 17
Remembering Mysteries for Kids

By: Carol J. Perry

Many of us who love reading mysteries started our habit young. Which childhood 1932 and 1967, making it the longest lasting juvenile mystery series permed by an
books started your lifelong love of a good whodunit? Chances are for girls it may individual author. Judy is unique among girl sleuths too. Midway through the series
have been the Nancy Drew or Judy Bolton series. Boys might have chosen to read she marries lawyer Peter Dobbs and they solve the later mysteries as a team.
about the adventures of the Hardy Boys or Tom Swift or Biff Brewster. The Famous Five, a series by English author Enid Blyton follows the of a group
Many of the characters we remember of young children and their dog. The stories
fondly were the “brain children” of one Edward feature a range of adventures involving secret
Stratemeyer. Back at the turn of the twentieth passages, lost treasure, smugglers’ tunnels and
century most of the books intended for children the like. The first one, Five on a Treasure Island
were of the dry-as-dust moral instruction was published in 1942. Blyton had proposed
variety. Stratemeyer figured out that kids a series of six books to publisher Hoddeer &
would prefer to be entertained. He founded Stoughton, but high sales prompted her to
the Stratemeyer Syndicate, the first “book write 21 Famous Five titles. By 1953 over six
packager” to produce books aimed at children million copies had been sold, making them one
rather than adults. It was a brilliant move. of the top selling series for kids ever written.
He started with the Rover Boys, a series Betty Cavarma penned a series of 12 mystery
which he wrote himself and published under novels for girls under the pseudonym Betsy
the pseudonym of Arthur M. Winfield. The Allen. The Connie Blair series was published by
Rover Boys books were wildly successful Grosset & Dunlap between 1948 and 1958, and
from the start and between 1899 and 1926, follows the rather glamorous career of a teen
Stratemeyer released a total of 30 volumes and model who solves mysteries she encounters as
sold a stunning five million copies. Although she advances in the business world.
Tom, Sam and Dick Rover often encountered The Bluebird Books is a series of mystery
mysteries in their adventures, sleuthing wasn’t novels for girl produced during the 1910s and
always the primary element in those early the 1920s. The series was begun by Oz-author
books. The latest in new technologies of the L. Frank Baum using the pseudonym Edith Van
times, like the automobile, airplanes and even Dyne. The books starred a fifteen year old girl
news events like World War I found their way detective Mary Louise Burrows and involved
into his stories. such then-timely subjects as the struggle for
Stratemeyer had learned to produce books Irish independence. Baum wrote the first
in an efficient, almost assembly line fashion four books in the series, then turned the
and after starting a couple of new series—The project over to ghostwriters like Emma Speed
Bobbsey Twins in 1904 under the pseudonym of Sampson.
Laura Lee Hope and Tom Swift which he wrote Collectors of vintage juvenile mysteries
as Victor Appleton, he realized that it would be find that the nostalgia rush generated by
impossible to continue writing multiple books the good old volumes can get pricey. A copy
in multiple series all by himself He began to hire of Mary Louise Solves a Mystery (1917) was
ghostwriters and at about the same time began tagged $650 at an Antiquarian Book Fair. A
to specialize in children’s mystery series. The historic Coliseum in St. Petersburg is the scene of the annual Antiquarian Book Fair. 1938 edition of Nancy Drew book The Sign of
In 1911 Stratemeyer the Twisted Candle was
wrote The Mansion just $45 while a 1932 copy
of Mystery under the of the Hardy Boys What
pseudonym Chester K. Happened at Midnight had
Steele. The book stared a $450 price tag.
investigator Adam A Biff Brewster mystery,
Adams, and was followed by Andy Adams—Mystery
by five more, the last of the Alpine Pass was
one in 1928. The Hardy $125 at the same show,
Boys appeared on the and a 1946 Florida mystery
juvenile book scene story, The Lion’s Paw by
in 1927, ghostwritten Robby White was $150.
by Leslie McFarlane, A Hardy Boys first edition
writing as Franklin W. of the 1928 Hunting for
Dixon. Nancy Drew’s long Hidden Gold was $900, and
career solving mysteries a very rare 1930 edition of
began in 1930. The name Edward Stratemeyer wrote A 1938 edition of the Nancy Nancy Drew book Secret
Carolyn Keene appeared the Tom Swift series under the Drew Mystery, The Sign of the The Red Trailer Mystery was #2 of the Old Clock with blank
on the cover, but they name of Victor Appleton. This Twisted Candles was $45 of 39 Trixie Belden mysteries for end papers was $600.
were ghosted by Mildred edition was tagged $125 girls by Julie Campbell For plenty of vintage
Wirt Benson, Walter kids’ mysteries along with
Karig and several others. books of every age and
Both of these series were subject matter, check out
joyfully embraced by young readers and were immediately financially successful for the 36th Annual Florida Antiquarian Book fair at St. Petersburg’s Historic Coliseum
the syndicate. on April 21-23, 2017. It’s the largest fair of its kind in the Southeastern United States.
By this time, other authors, other publishers had caught onto the juvenile mystery
series phenomenon, and in 1932, the Judy Bolton series debuted. Author Margaret Author Carol J. Perry is both a reader and a writer of mystery books. The latest in
Sutton wrote these books about the auburn-haired girl detective, her family and her Witch City Mystery series from Kensington Publishers is Murder Go Round and
her wise black cat, Blackberry. There were 38 titles in the original series between is available online and in bookstores everywhere.