SOLVED. Middle Grade/ YA Teen Fiction series. 2 boys whose father is a science writer. In 1 book father writes about Aerospace & the boys join Civil Air Patrol. Other books were about: meteorology, rocketry, electronics. Read mid 1960s/early 1970s. [s]

[Micah]

This Pre-Teen/Teen SERIES of fictional books was about a science writer with two sons that he brought around the country with him as he wrote his books which taught them about the topics he was writing about (chemistry, rocketry, aerospace, etc).

To be clear: These books are fiction, but they are NOT science fiction . Instead they, through the fictional research of the father (as well as the budding interest of the sons) teach about scientific areas.

I've tried Reddit. I've tried AI. Now I'm trying where I perhaps should have tried in the beginning. If I had a time machine that allowed me to go back in time, I'm sure I could find it in no time, but....

[Micah]

I've been trying to edit my topic—on the desktop site—to provide more details, but when I press submit Goodreads comes back with Page Not Found.

Is this a bug, or is there a limit to the length of the topic?

Here's what I'd like it to say now:

Pre-Teen/Teen Series of fictional books about two boys whose father is a science writer. Read: Mid-to-late 1960s through early 1970s. I’m specifically interested in the one book where the father writes about Aerospace and the boys join Civil Air Patrol. Other science topics father did write about were rocketry and electronics. Also may have written about chemistry and geology. And meteorology! Definitely meteorology!

[EDITTED Mar 26, 2023 TO ADD: And meteorology! Definitely meteorology!]

[Capn]

Goodreads is notoriously glitchy - you may have just caught it at a bad time. :S

Yes, DON'T use ChatAI / GPT! I have a whole rant going on that: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... (lead someone way astray only last night, generating names and everything for a non-existent composite book it invented... grrrr!)

Can you remember any settings (for any of the books - assuming if we find one, we'll find the others!)? Or names of the characters at all? Modes of transport, make of car? :)

[Capn]

Jimmy Fox and the Mountain Rescue, possibly? Don Dwiggins wrote a lot about those subjects in the late 70s.

via "Civil Air Patrol" kw search, two not on GR:

https://www.worldcat.org/title/54475995
Squadron alert! : a Civil Air Patrol adventure story
Author:John Berchman Stanley
Print Book, English, 1955, ©1954
Edition:View all formats and editions
Publisher:Dodd, Mead, New York, 1955, ©1954
Physical Description:
238 pages ; 21 cm
OCLC Number / Unique Identifier:
54475995
Subjects:
Adventure stories

Flying with the coastal patrol
Author:Lewis E. Theiss
Summary:Criswell and Peewee, two youths who have completed the secondary civilian pilot training course, do some work for the Civil Air Patrol while awaiting a call to duty in the armed forces during World War II. They are assigned to a C.A.P. unit to patrol the New Jersey coast, where they have many adventures and have a hand in sinking a German submarine
(1943)
https://www.worldcat.org/title/19379718

[Micah]

Capn wrote: "Goodreads is notoriously glitchy - you may have just caught it at a bad time. :S

Yes, DON'T use ChatAI / GPT! I have a whole rant going on that: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...-..."

Thanks for replying. Not to snipe, but interesting how you got in your totally unrelated rant in there. :) [EDIT: Ah, yes, I did say I used AI to try to locate these books, didn't I? Scratch that "totally unrelated" bit above, with my apologies.]

As for settings, they did get around the United States (I believe exclusively, but perhaps I didn't read every book in the series). I believe I recall that the book where the boys joined the Civil Air Patrol took place in the southwest (perhaps Colorado or New Mexico, or maybe even Oklahoma or Texas), but I might be all wrong about that. Another (perhaps the electronics or rocketry one) I want to say, for no good reason that that's what my memory wants me to think, took place in New Jersey or Pennsylvania, or perhaps both (one book in one location, one in the other).

As for names, I think they were fairly common boys names at that time, like Tim/Tom for one (again, could be all wrong) or John. c. 1970 was, you understand, a very long time ago.

Speaking of that time frame, I joined CAP about that time as a cadet as a direct result of learning about it in these books, so I am certain at least that book was published pre-1970.

As for modes of transportation, they flew on a Boeing 707 or 727 in that same book (I remember the father balancing a quarter on edge as a demonstration of what a smooth flight they were enjoying). Other than that one book though, I couldn't say. I think they did drive in some of those other books.

Again, thanks for your interest. You posed some good questions that jogged my memory more.

[Micah]

Capn wrote: "Jimmy Fox and the Mountain Rescue, possibly? Don Dwiggins wrote a lot about those subjects in the late 70s.

via "Civil Air Patrol" kw search, two not on GR:

https://..."

I've run across Don Dwiggins before in my efforts to isolate the correct titles and I don't think it's his work.

Squadron Alert! doesn't sound correct, and I have a hard time believing the names of the boys were Criswell and Peewee. Jimmy Fox doesn't sound correct either.

[Micah]

Capn wrote: "Goodreads is notoriously glitchy - you may have just caught it at a bad time. :S

I've retried again and the same story. I'll try again tomorrow perhaps.

[Capn]

Oh dear. :( A mod (i.e. Kris) might be able to assist you. ;)

[Micah]

Capn wrote: "Oh dear. :( A mod (i.e. Kris) might be able to assist you. ;)"

I actually searched for a way to reach out directly to a mod before posting about the problem. Then I posted here.

[Kris]

Micah, the error message "Page Not Found" is misleading. It actually means the topic header you're trying to save is too long.

[Micah]

Kris wrote: "Micah, the error message "Page Not Found" is misleading. It actually means the topic header you're trying to save is too long."

I'd suspected as much that this was a plausible explanation. I'll just keep updating that post with the topics I'm remembering as I think of others. Thanks for the quick response.

[Rainbowheart]

I did find the Biff Brewster series, but that's just one boy and his father. Seems to be more focused on international travel and adventures.

Brazilian Gold Mine Mystery is the first book.

[Micah]

Rainbowheart wrote: "I did find the Biff Brewster series, but that's just one boy and his father. Seems to be more focused on international travel and adventures.

Brazilian Gold Mine Mystery is the fir..."

Thanks for trying but it almost certainly wasn’t this.

[Kris]

The Rick Brant Science-Adventures series by John Blaine? The first book is The Rocket's Shadow.

Worldcat's advanced search:
http://www.worldcat.org/advancedsearch
Keyword: juvenile fiction father science two boys | 1950-1977 | Book | English

[Micah]

Thanks for the try, Kris, but these also aren't them.

The books were probably nearing obsolescence (certainly in regard to some of the topics (such as aerospace) when I read them and were probably out of print shortly after I read them.

Perhaps rather than looking for these books I need to find a complete series of "Books in Print" from this period instead. :/

MIcah

[bookel]

Google Books
father science writer "civil air patrol"
Year range 1950-1969

The Bulletin of the National Association of Secondary School ...
National Association of Secondary School Principals (U.S.) · 1959 · ‎Snippet view
FOUND INSIDE – PAGE 201
Encour- aged by his science - writer father , Randy explores the world of geology and takes the reader with him . ... He learns many of the fundamentals of aerodynamics in his work as a Civil Air Patrol Cadet , helps his younger brother

MAY, JULIAN. There's adventure in geology.
https://www.librarything.com/author/m...
There's adventure in rockets.
" " " ... electronics.
" " " ... atomic energy.
" " " ... chemistry.
" " " ... marine science.
" " " ... astronautics.
" " " ... automobiles.
There's adventure in jet aircraft. (Cover https://www.librarything.com/work/103...)

According to snippet view, the jet aircraft book is where Randy travels on a Boeing 707 and is a cadet.
A few are free to borrow here https://openlibrary.org/search?q=Juli...

[Micah]

OMG, bookel, this absolutely is it.

I followed the link to openlibrary for There's Adventure in Jet Aircraft and searched for coin (I recalled they balanced a coin on end in that book while on a smooth riding passenger liner, the 707, I gather) and voila!

Thank you so, so much.

This topic is SOLVED. How to I get it moved to out of this sub-group?

[Pamela]

When I told my husband this he said, "There's adventure in the Pliocene!" (Julian May also wrote a brilliant SF series in the 1980's called The Saga of Pliocene Exile, starting with The Many-Colored Land.)

[Rainbowheart]

Good job, bookel!

There's Adventure in Rockets
There's Adventure in Geology
There's Adventure in Chemistry
There's Adventure in Electronics
There's Adventure in Automobiles
There's Adventure in Astronautics
There's Adventure in Atomic Energy
There's Adventure in Marine Science

[Micah]

Pamela Love, yes, I know.

When I learned who the author was I knew the name was familiar and went and checked. I have The Many-Colored Land.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Micah, which of these books is the one? Jet Aircraft? or Geology?

[bookel]

Read the above ... Jet aircraft. Ie. "According to snippet view, the jet aircraft book is where Randy travels on a Boeing 707 and is a cadet". Then the original poster confirmed it.

[Rainbowheart]

I created a GR record for There's Adventure in Jet Aircraft.

[Micah]

Rainbowheart wrote: "I created a GR record for There's Adventure in Jet Aircraft."

Thanks, Rainbowheart.

It appears all the other titles in the series are in GR (Automobiles is actually in there twice, once with an unknown author.)