I can't be objective with these books, because I love them too much. They were my first "real" books, as opposed to picture books. I collected them and reread them very frequently in my childhood, living adventures with those children all over the world.

They are written for a younger audience than the Famous Five books by Enid Blyton. Unlike the Famous Five, the Hollisters did not go on holidays alone without adults, and they did not usually find themselves in such extreme dangers. They still managed to live adventures and solve mysteries, though.

The books were written in the 50s and 60s, and they depicts a clean-cut, wholesome family, where children get along with their siblings and respect their parents. The plot is simple, as befits the target audience, and the chapters usually end in a cliffhanger to keep readers interested. The target audience is a bit too young for the books to appeal to adult readers, except the nostalgia/comfort factor for those of us who read them as children, but then again they do not need to. Children between 6 and 11 are the target audience, and the books will work well for them.

In this first book, we are introduced to the characters, the Hollisters move to their new home in Shoreham and they solve a mystery involving their new house. ( )

Las aventuras de los Hollister comienzan tan pronto como se mudan a su nueva casa en la orilla de Pine Lake en Shoreham. Primero, desaparece el camión de mudanzas que transportaba sus juguetes y el nuevo e importante invento de su padre. Luego, descubren que su casa puede estar encantada, ¡con un tesoro escondido en algún lugar dentro!
De inmediato, todos se dispusieron a resolver estos misterios.

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3.5 stars. Quite upbeat and cheerful, even when the kids are following clues into potentially dangerous situations (Mom does agree that she was worried when her two oldest went following after a suspected thief all by themselves, but apparently not worried enough to do anything about it - after all, the police were going to get there eventually too).

I love an old book that has cheerful, well-behaved and industrious kids, but these guys were a bit too over-the-top, sickly sweet for me. I liked that the parents were involved, were sensible and obviously had taught their kids some responsibility (otherwise why would they be left to tend the shop on their own?), but I’m not so sure how I feel about trust that extends to aforementioned chasing down of suspicious men of unknown tendencies (yes I know, it was a different time. That doesn’t necessarily excuse it. There were violent men who didn’t have compunctions about hurting young children back then as well).

I enjoyed the story well enough but would actually prefer the Boxcar Children, even if it’s a little more sophisticated and advanced (plot-wise, at least) than that series. ( )