Best Selling Books by Jerry West

The arrival of a crate of pineapples and an odd pet at the Hollister home in Shoreham is the first of many unusual events in this new and exciting adventure. The sender of the pineapples-Mrs. Villamil-is a girlhood friend of Mrs. Hollister''s and now lives in Puerto Rico with her Spanish husband, their son Carlos, and daughter Maya. The Villamils invite the Hollisters to their home at Lizard Cove for the children''s winter vacation. The trip turns out to be more than just a sight-seeing tour when Carlos shows the Hollister youngsters an old tower on the Villamil property where they discover a stone that proves to be one of the clues to a pirate''s treasure. Along with the search for the location of the treasure, and the sinister threat of two strange men who try to stop the Hollisters, there is the fun of learning new customs and a different language. Last, but not least, suspense runs high when the girls enter the contest for the choice of Pineapple Queen of Puerto Rico. Here is an exciting Hollister story, in this popular and fast-selling series, of interesting new places and thrilling mystery. First published in 1957, this charming mystery-adventure story, faithfully reproduced, is now available in paperback and eBook for the first time! Written for boys and girls between the ages of six and twelve, The Happy Hollisters are wholesome books, with an accent on humor and good, clean fun. Integrity always pays off and right wins over wrong. Parents, grandparents, and teachers love these books for their healthy celebration of life in simpler times. Kids are thrilled with the fast-paced action and will not want to put them down. The action-packed illustrations make the story - and the Hollister family - so vivid that the reader has a feeling of really sharing in on the adventures of this lovable and interesting family.

This story finds the Hollister family off to Alaska for another exciting Happy Hollisters mystery.

The Happy Hollisters head to Canada to visit their grandparents for the yearly Trappers'' Carnival and end up joining the search for a missing dog trainer and some valuable Eskimo puppies. In addition to solving the mystery, they have great fun learning to ski and drive a dog sled.

The Hollisters have a vacation in Florida. There were many adventures, including Ricky''s capture by a gang of thieves who were illegally killing giant sea turtles and stealing their eggs!

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

Pete Hollister volunteers to locate a merry-go-round for the Lincoln School fair. Disappointments abound when a gear for the apparatus is apparently lost and a vandal sets fire to the booths and decorations in attempt to ruin the event.

The Happy Hollisters and the Secret of the Lucky Coins (#22 in the Happy Hollisters series) Once Sue Hollister receives a "lucky penny" as a reward, the entire family takes up the fascinating hobby of coin collecting. Their interest in coins quickly mounts when, on a visit to their cousins, Teddy and Jean, the family car is buffeted by a small tornado. In the roots of a tree blown down by the twister, Pete finds an old metal box. In it is a rare Oak Tree shilling and on the coin-the figure of a bird and the letters, t-r-e-a-s-u-r-e! Is there a real treasure, and if so, where is it hidden? As the Hollisters eagerly try to answer these puzzling questions, a famous coin collection is stolen from the Crestwood museum. The thief has left just one small clue that is overlooked by the police, but not by Pam. With two exciting mysteries to solve, the children turn to their new friend, the forester, whose extensive knowledge of trees helps them to decipher the message and locate both the stolen coins and the hidden treasure. Join the Happy Hollisters and share in the adventure and fun they have discovering the secret of the lucky coins. First published in 1962, this charming mystery-adventure story, faithfully reproduced, is now available in paperback and eBook for the first time! Written for boys and girls between the ages of six and twelve, The Happy Hollisters are wholesome books, with an accent on humor and good, clean fun. Integrity always pays off and right wins over wrong. Parents, grandparents, and teachers love these books for their healthy celebration of life in simpler times. Kids are thrilled with the fast-paced action and will not want to put them down. The action-packed illustrations make the story - and the Hollister family - so vivid that the reader has a feeling of really sharing in on the adventures of this lovable and interesting family.

The Hollisters travel to Italy to help their new friend find her Uncle Giovanni, a famous toymaker and puppeteer who has disappeared in Rome. The Happy Hollisters have adventures touring many famous places in Italy.

It was a small note--written in German. Pete Hollister found it hidden in the door of a broken cuckoo clock. When the note was translated, the Hollister children were jubilant. The message was a riddle that made little sense to them--but it was the first clue in a brand-new mystery. Imagine their surprise when Mr. Hollister announced that the whole family--Pete, Pam, Holly, Ricky, and little Sue--were going to Germany to buy toys for their shop, The Trading Post. Now the children could find the wood carver who had made the cuckoo clock and ask him what the puzzling message meant. Just as the family prepared to board the jet for Europe, someone snatched the damaged clock from Ricky! When the children visited the famous old wood carver in the Black Forest town of Triberg, they began to untangle the riddle in the message. Then it became a race against a band of desperate thieves to find a valuable golden cuckoo clock which had been stolen from a German museum. It involved them in a wild chase and a thrilling boat ride down the Rhine. The Hollisters do their special sleuthing in a new setting and enjoy another fascinating mystery-adventure. Paperback; 179 pages with 20 illustrations.

The Happy Hollisters at Pony Hill Farm (#11 in the Happy Hollisters series)This story introduces a mystery on almost the first page, when the Hollisters attend an auction sale at Stone Farm near Shoreham.When Mr. Stone died he had only one relative, his grandson, Graham. Graham had been informed that he was to have the one thing of value on the farm, known only as “mystery boy.” Unfortunately no one knew who or what “mystery boy” was. The Hollisters, therefore, were quite surprised to find that the hobbyhorse they purchased at the sale held the key to the identity of this strange bequest.This, however, is a minor mystery, for when the Hollisters visit Pony Hill Farm, a horse farm owned by cousins of Mrs. Hollister, Ruth and Charles Thomas, they all become concerned with a beautiful appaloosa pony that appears at the farm as if out of nowhere.The solution of this puzzle and that of the elusive Graham Stone, along with learning trick riding and entering the County Fair Horse Show, makes a new Hollister story of interesting and unusual adventure.First published in 1956, this charming mystery-adventure story, faithfully reproduced, is now available in paperback and eBook for the first time! Written for boys and girls between the ages of six and twelve, The Happy Hollisters are wholesome books, with an accent on humor and good, clean fun. Integrity always pays off and right wins over wrong. Parents, grandparents, and teachers love these books for their healthy celebration of life in simpler times. Kids are thrilled with the fast-paced action and will not want to put them down. The action-packed illustrations make the story – and the Hollister family – so vivid that the reader has a feeling of really sharing in on the adventures of this lovable and interesting family.

Travel to Switzerland with the Happy Hollisters as they help locate an international jewel thief. Clue piles on clue as the irrepressible Hollisters track down each new lead, learn about Swiss life and customs, and help recover a valuable diamond.

Uncle Russ is headed to Mexico to gather research material for his cartoon strip, and invites the Hollisters to join him when his map showing the location of the long-lost Temple of the Laughing Idol is stolen. Deep in the jungles of Yucatan, they stumble upon the ancient monument and discover a ring of smugglers who are looting valuable artifacts.

When Mr. Hollister''s sport and toy store, The Trading Post, is robbed, he is surprised to discover that a Geiger counter and a couple of pickaxes are the only missing items.

The Happy Hollisters and the Ice Carnival Mystery (#16 in the Happy Hollisters series) A visit from Gram and Gramp Hollister in the Hollister home at Shoreham opens up the opportunity for the five children to go to Canada with their grandparents to see the Mardi Gras and Winter Carnival in Quebec. That, however, is not the only purpose of their trip. Mr. Hollister tells the children that a Christmas gift he had ordered for them has taken overlong in reaching Shoreham and, although he had wanted to keep it a secret, he is now worried about the delay. The gift was a cariole, a French Canadian sleigh, and was to be made by a master sleigh maker in Quebec. He commissions the children to try and solve the mystery of the missing sleigh. The children meet many interesting people and are introduced to the customs and ways of the French Canadians as well as encountering adventure and excitement in their efforts to find the sleigh . . . maker and the sleigh. The crowning glory for the children is their participation in the parade at the Winter Carnival. Again a Hollister story of mystery and adventure, with a setting that will introduce young readers to a different way of life in a most interesting and historic location. First published in 1958, this charming mystery-adventure story, faithfully reproduced, is now available in paperback and eBook for the first time! Written for boys and girls between the ages of six and twelve, The Happy Hollisters are wholesome books, with an accent on humor and good, clean fun. Integrity always pays off and right wins over wrong. Parents, grandparents, and teachers love these books for their healthy celebration of life in simpler times. Kids are thrilled with the fast-paced action and will not want to put them down. The action-packed illustrations make the story - and the Hollister family - so vivid that the reader has a feeling of really sharing in on the adventures of this lovable and interesting family.

Here is a Happy Hollister book with not one, but two exciting mysteries along with the fun and companionship that unite this lively family during Christmas.

A Statistical Analysis Report by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). The report provides data on education related to the fact that due to the prevalence of divorce and non-marital childbearing in the U.S., many students enrolled in grades 1 through 12 do not live with both their biological parents. Data from the 1966 Nat. Household Education Survey reveal that the school involvement of biological parents is not the same across family types and that the involvement of step-parents is generally lower than that of biological parents. Chapters: findings; summary and discussion; methodology, and data reliability. Charts and tables.