American Adventure #2 Hollywood Ho! by Margaret Trent

In American Adventure #2, Hollywood Ho!, the Burkes, along with Mary, Bob, and Ted, have arrived in California.  Bob lands a temporary job with Western Union which leads to him getting a job as a stunt double, in a case of mistaken identity.  Jane also wants to break into the movies while Mary gets a job in a tearoom.  The Burkes make several short trips in California and experience a few harrowing adventures.

I have scanned the text of this public domain book.

Chapters 1-5
Chapters 6-10
Chapters 11-16

Sometimes Jane comes across as just plain dumb.  Jane and Mary hike up a mountain trail.  They soon realize that they are going in the wrong direction, but Jane spots a sign telling them not to descend by the trail that they are on.  The girls keep going up the mountain as a result of the sign.  They hike for miles and must be rescued.

On page 68, the Burkes watch the Yosemite firefall at Glacier Point.  I had never heard of the firefall and was rather appalled, thinking of how it could start a fire.  I looked up the event, and it actually did occur nightly until 1968, when it was discontinued.

These books remind me of the Beverly Gray series.  The Burkes encounter catastrophe at every turn.  In this book, the characters are in an earthquake, a hotel collapse, a forest fire, and a grandstand collapse.  The girls are chased by buffalo and attacked by a bear.  I must say that I really enjoy books with lots of crazy events.

The girls get sent to school on page 159, to Hollywood High School, of all places.

Bob matures a lot during this book.  It's interesting that the Burkes have taken Mary, Ted, and Bob into their own family unit, so to speak.

This is a very good book.