Ghost Hollow Mystery and Mystery at Ding-Dong Gulch by Page Carter

The Ghost Hollow Mystery was published in 1951, and Mystery at Ding-Dong Gulch was published in 1956.  The books were written by Page Carter.

In The Ghost Hollow Mystery, cousins Bucky, Christopher, Melinda, and Jane stay at their grandmother's house.  When Melinda learns that the town school has no books, she organizes a book drive.  The books that are donated will be sold at the general store, and the money raised will purchase books for the school.  Meanwhile, the children learn of a series of thefts in the surrounding area. When items are stolen from their grandmother's home, Bucky and Christopher begin investigating the deserted cabin in Ghost Hollow.

This book has too many characters that are introduced too quickly.  Even worse, each character's dog is introduced by name at the same time that the character is introduced.  I could hardly keep anyone straight.  Authors come very close to losing me completely when they do that.  I am always very tempted to shut the book and not read it.

Just imagine what kind of books would have been donated to the children, since the book was published in 1951.  They would have gotten lots of very old books that are no longer seen nowadays.

This is a very good book.

In Mystery at Ding-Dong Gulch, Bucky and Christopher go to visit Melinda in her new home.  The children investigate several mysteries.  One man keeps his house barred with the doors nailed shut, yet he somehow comes and goes from the house.  Meanwhile, a new rancher is disliked and might be up to something.  Ding-Dong Gulch is another mysterious place that might have a mystery. And then there's the nearby ghost town.

This book is not that interesting because none of the multiple mysteries amount to much.  It's like the author had a number of half-formed ideas and tossed them together in one book.  The story would have been much more interesting if the author had concentrated on one mystery and made it interesting.

I did not like this book.