Most Popular Books by Jerry West

The Shoreham Detective Club investigate strange sightings at an old mansion.

A letter arrives for the Happy Hollisters from Gram Hollister, but it''s written in braille, a special code used by blind people. When they decipher the message, they learn that Gram needs their help with some "midnight trolls" in Iceland.

The five Hollisters pursue a valuable statue through Denmark.

The arrival of a crate of pineapples and an odd pet at the Hollister home leads the family on a Puerto Rican vacation. A stone found on a sightseeing tour then proves to be a clue to a pirate''s treasure. The children have fun learning new customs and a new language as they comb the island for clues.

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.

When Pete Hollister volunteers to run the merry-go-round at the Shoreham''s Lincoln School Fair, he discovers the fair is competing with a professional carnival. Despite the local competition, Pete is able to locate two merry-go-rounds that can be used by the fair. Once the merry-go-rounds are set up at the fairgrounds, a missing gear and a mysterious fire threaten the fair.

Not long after the Hollisters, Indy, and Emmy Roades arrive on Wicket-ee-nock Island, they discover that something is very much amiss. The Franklins, who live on the island, seem to be hiding something in their barn. The Franklins warn them not to go near the barn! A prowler is seen near the abandoned inn where the Hollisters are staying.Later, their belongings are ransacked, and they receive a fake telegram, supposedly from Mrs. Hollister, ordering them to return home. Then, one night, the ghost horse looks eerily out of the fog.When the Hollisters realize that someone is trying to scare them off the island, they are determined to find out why.A man with a beard and a foreign accent saves them from drowning but then disappears into the night. A pair of Lipizzan horses, a scrap of paper bearing a coat of arms, and a secret tunnel provide several clues, and after experiencing some harrowing moments, the Hollisters set out to find the valuable diamond-encrusted coat of arms that is the heart of the mystery of the ghost horse!In the process, they learn a great deal about the work of the Audubon Society and about the training of the world-famous Lipizzaners.The author thanks The National Audubon Society for its courteous assistance in the preparation of this story.

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.

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.

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.

An overview of the extent to which resident and nonresident fathers are involved in their children''s schools and examines their influence on children''s school performance. Addresses: how fathers compare with mothers in their level of involvement; the increase or decrease of involvement as children grow older; the association between involvement in school and other parental behaviors at home in enhancing school success; whether fathers'' involvement is linked to measures of children''s school outcomes; the involvement of two parents as opposed to only one; and the extent of and factors that influence nonresident fathers'' involvement. Charts and graphs. Also includes a 37-page vol., " A Call to Commitment: Fathers'' Involvement in Children''s Learning."