Posted on by TracyC

The Mystery at Fire Island

mysteryfireislandThe Mystery at Fire Island by Hope Campbell, 1978.

Darcy Littlewood, called “Dash,” is appalled when her art teacher tells her not to draw anything over the summer.  Drawing comes almost as naturally as breathing to Dash, who wants to be a cartoonist when she grows up.  She’s always doing sketches and caricatures of people she sees, especially her younger brother, JC (James Colson Littlewood, also known as “Coleslaw”).  But, her art teacher thinks that her style has grown too strong and inflexible too early in her life.  He thinks that if she takes a break from drawing for the summer, she’ll be able to come back to it with a fresh approach that will allow her to try different styles as she grows older.

To Dash, the idea of not drawing at all is intolerable, especially since she broke her leg shortly before the start of summer vacation.  She can’t go much of anywhere or do much of anything while her family is staying at their beach house on Fire Island.  Without much to do, she doesn’t know how she’d entertain herself if she couldn’t draw.

Her older sister, Candace, isn’t happy about spending the summer on Fire Island, either.  She says that there’s never anything to do there, although their mother attributes part of her boredom to the fact that she’s the only one in the family who doesn’t have an outstanding talent or a particular goal in her life.  Everyone else in the family is artistically-inclined in some way.  Mrs. Littlewood is a writer, Mr. Littlewood teaches drama, JC has acting skills and a special talent for imitating people, and Dash has her art.  Mrs. Littlewood thinks that Candy’s attitude would improve if she found something that she was especially good at and truly cared about.

While Dash is brooding about her inability to stop drawing in spite of her art teacher’s request, she makes the acquaintance of Mrs. Guizot, an eccentric older woman who spots her drawing caricatures.  It turns out that Mrs. Guizot is an art lover, and she quickly becomes a fan of Dash’s work.  But, there is something mysterious about Mrs. Guizot, or at least the man they see her talking to.

Both Dash and JC notice that the man has a peculiar way of standing and walking.  Dash draws it, and JC imitates it.  So, when they see the same man on the beach later that night, looking different without his beard and wig, but still walking and standing the same way, they wonder why the man was in disguise.  Also, he seems to be going out surfing when there aren’t any waves for surfing.  Then, they discover that he’s bringing scuba tanks with him, and they aren’t real scuba tanks.  What is the man doing?

The kids try to investigate the mysterious man with JC doing much of the leg work at first because Dash can’t get around very well.  JC is worried about what they might learn because the man might turn out to be truly sinister and violent.  He even has suspicions about Mrs. Guizot.  Later, Dash’s leg improves and she’s able to take a more active role in the investigation, but the kids pretend like she’s still laid up as a cover for their activities.  The kids’ investigation doesn’t go as planned, but they do uncover a crime and also inadvertently help their sister to find her life’s vocation.

Part of the story has to do with seeing with depth.  Part of the reason why Dash’s art teacher wants her to observe more and draw less is so that her art will contain more depth.  Dash also learns to see the depths of people, the things they keep hidden behind their facades.  Her sister, Candy, also has hidden depths which even she doesn’t appreciate yet.

The story was later made into a tv movie by the same name, and the picture on the front cover of this edition of the book is from the movie.

Posted on by TracyC

My Crazy Cousin Courtney

CousinCourtneyMy Crazy Cousin Courtney by Judi Miller, 1993.

Cathy Bushwick usually spends the summer at camp, but this summer, her mother is having her stay in the city because her cousin Courtney is coming to visit them in New York.  Cathy and Courtney are actually second cousins because their mothers are first cousins.  They’re the same age (thirteen) and met once when they were five, but neither of them remembers it.  All that Cathy really knows about Courtney before she arrives is that she’s somewhat neurotic (Courtney is troubled by anxiety and panic attacks) and that the reason she’s coming to visit is that her parents are thinking of getting a divorce and need time alone to discuss it.

Cathy understands what it’s like to live with a single parent.  Her parents are divorced, and her father went to California years ago to become an actor.  She hasn’t heard from him since.  Her mother used to be an actress, but with Cathy to take care of, she became a theatrical agent for animals instead (she finds animals for people to use in commercials).  So, when Cathy hears that Courtney will be visiting from Beverly Hills, she’s very excited.  At first, she hopes that she and Courtney will be like sisters and that Courtney might have even heard of her father in California.

Cathy’s illusions are shattered almost immediately.  Courtney not only hasn’t heard of her father but she’s nothing like Cathy imagined.  When she and her mother go to meet her at the airport, she’s wearing heart-shaped sunglasses and a hot pink shirt that says, “KISS ME QUICK,” and she has a pile of luggage.  She’s used to having money and getting the best of everything, and she’s immediately disappointed with the modest apartment where Cathy and her mother live.  When she learns that they don’t even have a pool, she gets upset and wants to go home.  But, it’s no use.  She’s stuck there for the summer.  And, they’re stuck with her.

But, things don’t turn out to be as bad as Cathy fears they’re going to be.  In some ways, they’re worse.  Once Courtney reconciles herself to spending the summer in New York, she has some very specific ideas about things that she’d like to do, and a lot of them end up getting the girls in trouble.  Shy, sensible Cathy finds herself getting locked in Tiffany’s after closing time because Courtney thought she saw a spy stealing their designs, rescuing Courtney from the dolphin pool at the aquarium, and lots of other things that she never thought she’d find herself doing.  Then, one day, the girls think they’ve witnessed a murder.  What are they going to do?  Is Cathy going to survive the summer with her crazy cousin Courtney?

This book is the first in a series about Cathy and Courtney.  Courtney may be a bit wild, but she’s not as crazy as Cathy thinks.  Over the course of the summer, the two become friends, and they learn quite a few things about each other and about themselves.  By the time Courtney has to go home, a little of each of them has rubbed off on the other, and neither will be quite the same again.

The book is available online through Internet Archive.

Posted on by TracyC

Eleven Kids, One Summer

ElevenKids

Eleven Kids, One Summer by Ann M. Martin, 1991.

People who recognize the name Ann M. Martin probably know it from the Baby-sitters Club series, although she has written more than just that.  This book is the sequel to Ten Kids, No Pets, which introduces the Rosso family.  I’ve read the book, although I don’t currently own a copy.  Mrs. Rosso has a system for everything (which is important in a family with so many kids, especially since Mr. Rosso is absent-minded), and one of the first systems she invented was the system for naming her children.  She chose their names from a book of baby names in alphabetical order, giving the first A name under the girls’ section to her first child (Abigail), the second name under B in the boys’ section to her second child (Bainbridge) and so on.  It was an efficient system, but many of the children have strange names now, which fits their eccentric family life.  Fortunately, the children assert their own personalities and give themselves nicknames, which also is part of their family life.  In the first book, the Rosso children decide that they really want a pet, something they’re forbidden to have because their parents think it will be too much to handle with their big, busy family.  By the end of the book, they do succeed in getting a pet, and their mother gives birth to her eleventh child.

In Eleven Kids, One Summer, the entire Rosso family (including the cat Zsa-Zsa) is spending the summer in a rented house on Fire Island.  Like the first book, the second is series of short stories, one about each child in the family and how they spend the summer.  Because the children are all part of the same family, the stories all connect, but splitting them up gives some focus to each of the children and allows readers to see events from different perspectives (which is important to really get the full story of some of the things that happen over the summer).  The special things about summer vacation are the possibilities for adventure and the experiences that may change you by summer’s end.

Abigail and the Train-Trip Disaster — Abigail, the oldest child in the family and the most responsible, introduces her family for the benefit of new readers and talks about their chaotic trip to the island where they will be spending the summer.  Even though traveling with such a large family can be a hassle, it gives her the chance to meet a movie star and make some new friends.

Calandra and the Mystery Next Door — Calandra (called Candy) is the dreamy, imaginative child in the family.  She becomes convinced that the old house next to her family’s beach house is haunted.  There’s just something odd about the place, and it’s starting to give her nightmares.

Faustine and the Great Fish Protest — Faustine has always loved animals.  When she watches some fishermen on the island and sees the way fish flop around before they die, she gets angry and decides to become an animal rights activist.  From this point on, she refuses to eat meat or wear anything made of animal products.  But, the hardest part of having a cause that you care deeply about is accepting that not everyone else will feel the same way.

Hannah and the Ghosts — Hannah feels like the odd child out in her family.  None of the other children really share her interests, and she doesn’t have a close, special friend.  That’s why she plays practical jokes on the others.  She’s bored, and feels the need to liven things up and get attention.  Some of her jokes are mean, though.  Hannah knows that Candy thinks the house next door is haunted, so she’s decided to convince her that it’s true.  At least, until Hannah finds the friend she really needs.

Ira and the Hospital Adventure — Ira catches Lyme disease when he is bitten by ticks and has to go to the hospital.  At first, he’s very scared, but everyone does their best to cheer him up.

Janthina and the Beauty Treatment — Jan feels bad sometimes because she used to be the baby of the family, and since Keegan was born, she doesn’t get as much attention.  When her grandparents come to visit, she hopes for some extra attention and maybe that special pink Puffin’ Pal doll that she wants. Instead, her grandparents bring along her aunt and uncle and younger cousins.  What can Jan do to get some attention?

Dagwood and the Million-Dollar Idea — Dagwood (called Woody) is looking for ways to earn extra money.  There are just so many things he wants to buy!  One of his brothers, Eberhard (called Hardy), gives him the idea of going into business, and when he spots some young children getting money for drawing things on seashells, he realizes that he can do the same thing.  In fact, he can do better by making animals out of seashells.  If only some of the other boys on the island would just leave him alone.

Gardenia and the Movie on the Beach — Ever since Abbie met the teenage movie star and learned about the movie that they’re making on the island, various members of the Rosso family have spent time talking with the movie people and their friends and watching the filming.  Now, all the Rosso kids get a chance to be extras in a crowd scene on the beach.  But, that’s not enough for Gardenia.  She wants to be a star!

Bainbridge and the Case of the Curious Kidnapping — Bainbridge (he’s never found a good short form for his name) is fourteen years old and interested in girls.  Things are going well with the girl he’s just made friends with, but their time is cut short when she has to leave the island suddenly due to do a family emergency.  With nothing better to do than do help Woody sell his seashell creations, Bainbridge thinks his last days on the island are going to be dull.  Then, he meets Blaire, a pretty girl with a name almost as strange as his own (so she says).  But, while he’s talking to her, his baby brother Keegan disappears!

Eberhard and the House of the Cursed — Hardy wants to be a detective and loves opportunities to practice his skills.  His sleuthing senses are on high alert after Hannah runs off with Keegan while Bainbridge is talking to a pretty girl and is found following Keegan’s stroller as it seems to roll by itself down the boardwalk.  Hardy knows Hannah’s tricks and figures that she’s up to something.  Then, Candy asks him to help her clear up something that’s been bothering her all summer: the mystery of the haunted house next door.  Although everyone has told Candy that it’s not really haunted, that it’s just her imagination and some mean tricks of Hannah’s, Candy is still convinced that there’s something mysterious about the place.  She thinks that the ghosts there might have even influenced Hannah to do the things she’s done. Detective Hardy is on the case!

Keegan and the End of Summer — As a baby, Keegan doesn’t understand a lot, but he loves his family, and he listens as Abigail explains to him that summer is over, and it’s time for them to go home.

This book is currently available online through Internet Archive.

Posted on by TracyC

Double Trouble on Vacation

DoubleTroubleVacation

Double Trouble on Vacation by Michael J. Pellowski, 1989.

The Daniels twins are at it again! Sandi and Randi are looking forward to spending their vacation at the lake with their family. Sandi is trying to work on her wilderness merit badge, and Randi just wants to go fishing. But, when Bobbi Joy, a bully they know from school, turns up at the lake, visiting her cousin, the girls make the mistake of accepting a bet from her. Randi bets Bobbi Joy that she can beat her in the fishing derby, not knowing that Bobbi Joy’s cousin, who is her fishing partner, is a fishing champion. Although the stakes are fairly harmless, just taking a jump in the lake with all her clothes on, Randi still can’t stand the idea of losing to Bobbi Joy.

Things get complicated when Randi is sprayed by the skunk that their little brother Teddy tried to befriend. Randi doesn’t want her team to be disqualified from the fishing derby, but she can’t go smelling like skunk! Instead, she talks Sandi into taking her place once again. But, Sandi has to give a speech later that day in order to get her merit badge. Can she help her sister and still make it in time to make her speech?

This book is currently available through Internet Archive.

DoubleTroubleVacationPicThis is the last of the four books I have in this series, but there are two other books in the series that I don’t have and haven’t read: A Double Trouble Dream Date and Double Trouble Mystery Mansion.  In A Double Trouble Dream Date, the twins conspire to get roles in a new music video with a teen star, when only Sandi is actually able to sing.  In Double Trouble Mystery Mansion, the girls are investigating a haunted house which holds a hidden treasure.  There is a real ghost in the story, but only Sandi has been able to see it.  At first, Randi doesn’t believe her that there even is a ghost, and the girls attempt another switch to see if they can convince the ghost to show himself to Randi, too.

Posted on by TracyC

The Secret Summer

SecretSummerThe Secret Summer by Ruth Chew, 1970.

This was one of my favorite books when I was a kid. Its original title was Baked Beans for Breakfast, but I think the paperback copies are mostly under this title.

Joe and Kathleen, who are brother and sister, are disappointed because their parents are taking a trip to Europe without them instead of taking the whole family to the lake like they usually do in the summer. Worse still, their babysitter favors their younger siblings and is very hard on them.  The babysitter is even cruel and neglectful by making the older siblings sit outside in the heat all day while she played with the younger siblings inside, not even allowing Joe and Kathleen to come inside for water.  Finally, Joe comes up with a plan for himself and Kathleen to escape their babysitter by going to the lake by themselves.

SecretSummerPic
They leave a note for the babysitter saying that they are going to visit their grandmother and take a bus to the lake. Thus begins the adventure! The children camp out in the woods, trying to avoid people who know them and might tell their parents or babysitter where they are.  They do make some new friends, including a nice older lady who hires them to help her with chores in her big, old house. However, as well as Joe and Kathleen take care of themselves, they can’t plan for everything.  What will happen to the children when an emergency rescue means that their secret will be discovered?

Ruth Chew may be better known for her fantasy stories, but this was the first book of hers that I encountered.  It would especially appeal to fans of The Boxcar Children, another story about resourceful children who are trying to survive without help from adults.

The book is currently available through Internet Archive.

Posted on by TracyC

The Ghost that Came Alive

GhostCameAlive The Ghost that Came Alive by Vic Crume, 1975.

Jenny Blair is a gloomy gus who often gets premonitions of impending doom, much to the annoyance of her siblings.  They poke fun at her pessimism, but some of those premonitions start to come true when her youngest brother falls ill on a family vacation to the beach and needs to be taken to the hospital.

Jenny and her twin brother, Chris, accompany their older teenage brother and sister as they start the long drive home while their parents tend to their younger brother at the hospital. On the way home, the kids accidentally become stranded during a storm and seek out help from a large old house that they had mistaken for a hotel. With a fallen tree blocking the road, the inhabitants of the house reluctantly agree to take them in until they can continue their trip home, but all of the kids can tell that there is something sinister about their hosts.  Miss Cliff makes it obvious that she resents the children’s presence, and Dr. Cliff is a peculiar kind of scientist working on . . .  something . . . in the basement.

GhostCameAlivePicThey tell the kids that the house is supposed to be haunted and people can often hear the ghost of Andrea Cliff calling out in the night.  The kids soon hear this spooky voice themselves, calling for help.  Trapped in the house with the ghost and unfriendly people, the Blairs decide that they have to figure out what’s really going on, but the danger is worse than they know, and Jenny’s premonition of doom is getting stronger all the time . .

The book is available to borrow and read for free online through Internet Archive, but the version there does not have pictures.

My Reaction:

This creepy little book has been a favorite of mine for years!

Young people trapped in a spooky old house with a ghost story during a storm is a common trope of spooky stories, but this one is a particular favorite because of the way it’s done. I like the implication that Dr. Cliff might be some kind of mad scientist. Mad scientists appear in other books in children’s literature, but it’s an element that provides a nice twist on the ghost story and allows readers to wonder whether Dr. Cliff or the ghost might be the bigger threat.

The ghost story and the mysterious voice the kids hear is also well done, and they confront the problem very practically. For those who like the Scooby-Doo style of mystery, where the “ghosts” turn out to be people, and there’s an explanation for everything . . . you’ll love this story.  Not all copies of the book have pictures, but my book contains a few black and white illustrations.  The one I used in my review is the scene where the kids hear the ghost’s voice for the first time.

There is one final twist at the end of the story that readers might see coming if they pay close attention to the story. There’s even a clue to this twist that is shown in pictures if you have a copy with pictures, but I’m not going to spoil it here.

Posted on by TracyC

The Mystery in Dracula’s Castle

MysteryDraculasCastleThe Mystery in Dracula’s Castle by Vic Crume, 1973.

This is a novelization of a live action Disney movie of the same name and contains photographs of scenes from the movie. The title of the book and the movie is a little misleading because, although the main characters are unaware of what is going on for most of the story, the audience finds out pretty quickly who the bad guys are and what they’re doing. In a way, it’s kind of like a Columbo story where the suspense is in watching the hero figure it all out. Also, there is no real castle or Dracula. Sorry. 😦 In spite of these short-comings, it’s still a fun story, and although the movie has not been released on dvd, it is possible to see it on YouTube (as of this writing).

Alfie and Leonard are spending yet another summer at their family’s beach house in a small town while their mother works on the new book she’s writing. They think this summer is going to be dull, but with jewel thieves in town, it soon becomes apparent that it’s anything but!

MysteryDraculasCastlePicAlfie is an aspiring film maker. Specifically, he wants to make horror movies, and he talks his younger brother into playing the part of Dracula in his latest Super 8 film. Leonard is only a reluctant vampire because he doesn’t like horror movies. He really wants to be a detective, like Sherlock Holmes. Back home, he and his brother saw police investigating the scene of a robbery at a jewelry store, and he’s decided that he wants to investigate crimes like that. Soon after they arrive at the beach house, Leonard adopts a stray dog and names him Watson so that he can be his sidekick.

Alfie laughs at his brother’s detective fantasies, but Leonard gets his chance to prove himself when they become involved with the thieves who robbed the jewelry store. The location that Alfie has picked for his movie is an old lighthouse, which he thinks looks like Dracula’s castle, and that is where the thieves are staying.  With the sheriff’s daughter acting as their baby-sitter and the heroine of their film and the necklace ending up in Leonard’s hands by accident, the thieves struggle to get it back before Leonard realizes what it is and where it came from.

This book is currently available through Internet Archive.  When the movie first aired on tv, it was shown in two parts.  Internet Archive also has the second part of the movie, but not the first (at least, not right now).  Sometimes, you can find part or all of the movie on YouTube.