What do you think?
Rate this book
The Happy Hollisters #19
The Happy Hollisters and the Mystery at Missile Town
A slender missile, fire streaming from its tail, rose majestically into the blue sky over the waters of Cape Kennedy. Suddenly it exploded into a thousand pieces, showering the ocean and beaches with debris. This was the first sight to greet the Hollisters on their arrival in Florida for a visit with their cousins, Sharon and Randy Davis. Anxious to help Uncle Walt, a rocket expert at Patrick Air Force Base, they join in the search for the rocket's nose cone, which is lost among the debris. The payload lodged in the nose cone is a very special "treasure," for on it depends the success of future launchings. The holiday becomes an adventure when their new friend, Lady Rhesus, the space monkey, is stolen and they discover that her tracks lead to a fisherman's beach shack. The secretive manner of the fisherman, plus a strange encounter with his friend, leads Pete to suspect that they are engaged in something more villainous than stealing a monkey. When he finds that their boat is equipped with a powerful radar device for deep-sea exploration, he is certain! From then on the Hollisters race against time to find the three-million-dollar payload first. This new story should be an excellent addition to the series, since it brings the Hollisters into the headline-making news of Cape Kennedy.
186 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1961
46 people are currently reading
115 people want to read
About the author
Jerry West
92 books51 followersThe Happy Hollisters by Jerry West was actually written by Andrew E. Svenson, a prolific yet somewhat anonymous, writer of books for children. Jerry West was the pen name assigned to Svenson when he started writing The Happy Hollisters for the Stratemeyer Syndicate. The Stratemeyer Syndicate was a book packager, well-known for its development of children’s book series including Tom Swift, The Bobbsey Twins, The Hardy Boys, and Nancy Drew. Many of these series were intended to have long publishing lives, and were written by multiple authors using the same pseudonym. The Happy Hollisters, however, were all written by Andrew Svenson, whose identity as Jerry West was kept secret until several years after his death in 1975.
Andrew Svenson was born in Belleville, NJ, in 1910, and his interest in writing started early. He was editor of his high school newspaper and yearbook at Barringer High School in Newark, and then went on to study Creative Writing at the University of Pittsburgh. After his graduation in 1932, he worked as a reporter and editor for the Newark Star Eagle and the Newark Evening News. He also taught creative writing courses at Rutgers University and Upsala College.
Andrew Svenson was encouraged by his friend Howard Garis (author of Uncle Wiggily) to try his hand at juvenile fiction. He joined the Stratemeyer Syndicate as a writer in 1948, where he contributed to established series as Franklin W. Dixon (The Hardy Boys) and as Laura Lee Hope (The Bobbsey Twins). The first volume in his own original series, The Happy Hollisters, was published in 1953 by Doubleday & Company, and he was made a partner in the Stratemeyer Syndicate in 1961. As he wrote and developed 33 titles in The Happy Hollisters, he was also creating additional series for children under other pen names: Bret King by Dan Scott and The Tollivers by Alan Stone, one of the first series written about and for African-American children.
Under various pseudonyms, Andrew Svenson wrote more than 70 adventure and mystery novels for children, which were published in 17 languages and sold millions of copies. The Hollister family was modeled on his own family and he often used actual Svenson family events and travels as the foundation for The Happy Hollisters books. He also kept copious newspaper clippings for story ideas, and interviewed hundreds of school children and teachers for additional suggestions. These ideas were then worked into his storylines, adding an educational element that was appreciated by parents and educators alike. The children loved the stories for their elements of danger and excitement geared to their comprehension level.
After his death in 1975, the Stratemeyer Syndicate assigned all rights to The Happy Hollisters to his widow, Marian Svenson; they subsequently became the property of The Hollister Family Properties Trust. The current publication was initiated by Andrew E. Svenson III, grandson of the author, on behalf of The Hollister Family Properties Trust.
Andrew Svenson was born in Belleville, NJ, in 1910, and his interest in writing started early. He was editor of his high school newspaper and yearbook at Barringer High School in Newark, and then went on to study Creative Writing at the University of Pittsburgh. After his graduation in 1932, he worked as a reporter and editor for the Newark Star Eagle and the Newark Evening News. He also taught creative writing courses at Rutgers University and Upsala College.
Andrew Svenson was encouraged by his friend Howard Garis (author of Uncle Wiggily) to try his hand at juvenile fiction. He joined the Stratemeyer Syndicate as a writer in 1948, where he contributed to established series as Franklin W. Dixon (The Hardy Boys) and as Laura Lee Hope (The Bobbsey Twins). The first volume in his own original series, The Happy Hollisters, was published in 1953 by Doubleday & Company, and he was made a partner in the Stratemeyer Syndicate in 1961. As he wrote and developed 33 titles in The Happy Hollisters, he was also creating additional series for children under other pen names: Bret King by Dan Scott and The Tollivers by Alan Stone, one of the first series written about and for African-American children.
Under various pseudonyms, Andrew Svenson wrote more than 70 adventure and mystery novels for children, which were published in 17 languages and sold millions of copies. The Hollister family was modeled on his own family and he often used actual Svenson family events and travels as the foundation for The Happy Hollisters books. He also kept copious newspaper clippings for story ideas, and interviewed hundreds of school children and teachers for additional suggestions. These ideas were then worked into his storylines, adding an educational element that was appreciated by parents and educators alike. The children loved the stories for their elements of danger and excitement geared to their comprehension level.
After his death in 1975, the Stratemeyer Syndicate assigned all rights to The Happy Hollisters to his widow, Marian Svenson; they subsequently became the property of The Hollister Family Properties Trust. The current publication was initiated by Andrew E. Svenson III, grandson of the author, on behalf of The Hollister Family Properties Trust.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 29, 2020
Cute mystery. Like the Boxcar Children, but more 1960s. There was a lot of fighting and going off with strangers but that seems pretty normal for the '60s.
July 7, 2020
These books are some of my most treasured possessions from my childhood. Many of my collected books from the series were from each of my parents when THEY were little, and I continue to collect the books when I come across them at antique stores.
June 27, 2021
Blast off into adventure!
I've enjoyed each and every one of The Happy Hollisters' adventures, but this may be my favorite.
One suggestion: With the hardcover reprinting project having begun, why not consider reprinting this volume in two editions WHEN (not if) it is up for reprinting -- an original Cape Canaveral text and a revised Cape Kennedy text. Collectors will love it, and it honors both names for the facility.
I've enjoyed each and every one of The Happy Hollisters' adventures, but this may be my favorite.
One suggestion: With the hardcover reprinting project having begun, why not consider reprinting this volume in two editions WHEN (not if) it is up for reprinting -- an original Cape Canaveral text and a revised Cape Kennedy text. Collectors will love it, and it honors both names for the facility.
April 3, 2023
A fun read that took the Hollister family down to Cape Canaveral and the search for a nose cone from a failed missile launch. The kids are invited by their aunt (Mrs. Hollister's sister) and uncle to visit them in Florida. The uncle is a 'missile-man' at Canaveral, so everyone is excited to see launches and enjoy diving off the coast.
In a short time, the kids find what might be a piece of the missile, meet a retired space monkey, and deal with a local bully. By the end of the book they have found the 'macguffin', sort of rescued the monkey, and made the bully into a new friend. It's definitely the early 60s folks, but this is why nostalgia is such fun to read.
This series is definitely aimed at a younger audience, but that is why they still makes good bedtime stories for kids even now. Recommended for parents or caregivers who want to introduce mysteries or chapter books to children.
Find it! Buy it! Read it!
In a short time, the kids find what might be a piece of the missile, meet a retired space monkey, and deal with a local bully. By the end of the book they have found the 'macguffin', sort of rescued the monkey, and made the bully into a new friend. It's definitely the early 60s folks, but this is why nostalgia is such fun to read.
This series is definitely aimed at a younger audience, but that is why they still makes good bedtime stories for kids even now. Recommended for parents or caregivers who want to introduce mysteries or chapter books to children.
Find it! Buy it! Read it!
February 21, 2020
Another used book find from my daughter - and this one is true to HH form. All the characters are here as expected - the five kids, mom and dad, dog and cat (with kittens - no concerns about cat overpopulation in this world!), and of course, Joey Brill the bully. In classic Hollister plotting, the kids are off on an adventure, this time to Florida and Cape Canaveral in the early days of rocket launches. There's a Joey Brill-type bully among the locals as someone for the boys to fight and the girls to out-smart, and bad guys to track down to solve the mystery. The innocence of these books is laughable when read today - the parents happily let the kids go out on an all-day boating trip with a fisherman they've met only the day before. But it was fun to revisit my childhood when these books were among my favorites.
January 6, 2021
The Happy Hollisters and the Mystery at Missile Town (Happy Hollisters, #19) by Jerry West
In this adventure the kids are able to visit their relatives in FL. I am familiar with the area but not the space area.
Love how they are able to get to know the people in the area and how they are also able to collect clues about a missing monkey
and a missing nose cone from a rocket that didn't blast off right.
There are many dangers for them along the way but they are able to handle them all, even the neighborhood bully.
Love learning all new things even at their level. Makes such a fun read.
In this adventure the kids are able to visit their relatives in FL. I am familiar with the area but not the space area.
Love how they are able to get to know the people in the area and how they are also able to collect clues about a missing monkey
and a missing nose cone from a rocket that didn't blast off right.
There are many dangers for them along the way but they are able to handle them all, even the neighborhood bully.
Love learning all new things even at their level. Makes such a fun read.
March 5, 2024
My daughter liked this enough but didn’t love it. Because of that, it took us ages to get through it.
March 9, 2025
This one is a lot of fun because it's SUCH an artifact of its time.
July 31, 2025
got from a book vending machine in Toronto.
March 24, 2016
Los Hollister es la serie de libros que me inició definitivamente en la lectura. Recuerdo haber leído el primero y, con todo el dinero que había ahorrado por mi primera comunión y en todos los años anteriores, ir a por los 32 restantes, que costaban 600 pelas cada uno. Los compré todos en la feria del libro de Ceuta, lo recuerdo perfectamente, y volví a mi casa con dos bolsas y una mochila llenas de libros, que me duraron tres meses exactamente, para sorpresa/preocupación de mi madre.
Cada libro es el mismo, con aventuras algo diferentes, y con los mismo personajes, que no evolucionan nada en toda la serie. Pete, Pam, Holly, Ricky, Sue, puedo recitar sus nombres treinta años después sin consultarlo. Yo siempre fui de los Hollister, despreciando a quieres eran de los siete secretos, los Cinco o (puaj) Puck.
Junto a Mortadelo, los tres investigadores de Alfred Hitchcock y (a petición de mi padre) las aventuras de Guillermo, comenzaron a formar mi universo lector. Y por ello, aunque sean libros de lo más intrascendente, los considero fundamentales.
Cada libro es el mismo, con aventuras algo diferentes, y con los mismo personajes, que no evolucionan nada en toda la serie. Pete, Pam, Holly, Ricky, Sue, puedo recitar sus nombres treinta años después sin consultarlo. Yo siempre fui de los Hollister, despreciando a quieres eran de los siete secretos, los Cinco o (puaj) Puck.
Junto a Mortadelo, los tres investigadores de Alfred Hitchcock y (a petición de mi padre) las aventuras de Guillermo, comenzaron a formar mi universo lector. Y por ello, aunque sean libros de lo más intrascendente, los considero fundamentales.
April 22, 2016
I wanted to be a Happy Hollister. I'd been to Cape Canaveral a few times, and that made this book all the more appealing.
September 12, 2016
It was good.Took place in Florida.It was cool.What doss Cape Kennedy look like?
December 18, 2015
Loved it when I read it in 1968.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews