Half-Penny Adventure, Mystery of the Other House, and Vanishing Octant Mystery by Augusta Seaman

In The Half-Penny Adventure, Eunice and her new friend, Barbara, help Eunice's Uncle Robert on his newspaper.  The girls became acquainted after Barbara's brother was killed in the war.  Eunice and Barbara chance to meet Elsie and her brother, who are staying with William Clagmore, a sworn enemy of Uncle Robert.  Elsie wears a half-penny coin as a necklace, and Uncle Robert also owns a half-penny.  Elsie is secretive about her coin.

Meanwhile, Elsie warns the girls that Clagmore is planning to seek revenge against Uncle Robert.  After Uncle Robert is incapacitated from a mysterious fall, the girls have to keep his newspaper running.

During a meal, each person gets a small pat of butter, which is said to be an extravagance during the war.

This is an excellent book.

In Mystery of the Other House, Susan becomes friends with Detta, who lives across the street.  An elderly boarder lives on one floor of Detta's house, and this man has mysterious visitors at all times of the day.

This is another story about what might have happened to the lost dauphin of France.  As soon as I realized that this story is about the dauphin, I began skimming it.  I am not interested in those stories.  As I have previously mentioned, I prefer the Seaman stories that are completely fictitious.  Aside from that, this is still a good story, although it does not appeal to me.

In The Vanishing Octant Mystery, Posy and her family spend the summer on the shore of New Jersey.  Soon after their arrival, Posy spots an old octant on the shore, but it is swept back into the ocean.  The octant disappears and reappears several times.  Posy's father hopes to obtain it for his museum, and others are soon after it as they recognize the possible value.

I find the last paragraph in the dust jacket summary to be quite interesting.

Augusta Huiell Seaman has lived on the Jersey coast for many years and has discovered many unusual treasures washed up on the ocean beaches by storms, but the navigator's octant bearing the inscription, "Tower Hill, London, April 1778", is one of her most unusual finds.  THE VANISHING OCTANT MYSTERY is her forty-first mystery story for girls, and her own interesting solution to its history.

The octant featured in this story is based on one that Seaman actually owned.  I wonder what happened to Seaman's octant?

The Vanishing Octant Mystery is a strong conclusion to Seaman's writing career.  Seaman died in 1950, the year after this book was published.  This is an excellent story.

Case of the Calico Crab and Mystery of the Folding Key by Augusta Seaman

In The Case of the Calico Crab, Stacy and Betsy find a calico crab shell in an empty house.  When they check the next day, the shell has been moved!  The empty house is on private property upon which Stacy's family lives, so nobody should be prowling around.  Meanwhile, Spike, who is a friend of Stacy's brother, is staying nearby in an old truck.  Spike acts mysterious, and Stacy wonders what he is doing.  Soon, the girls realize that the mysterious events are connected with a plot against the United States.

The property is being leased from a man named Mr. Drew.  I point this out because of what I mention regarding the next book.

This book is set in January 1942, just one month after Pearl Harbor and America's entry into World War II.

This is a good book.

In Mystery of the Folding Key, June's brother, Chuck, wants to win a contest for the student who brings in the most old keys for a scrap metal drive.  June and Chuck go to Miss Abbie Truman's house, and she decides to give them all of her old keys.  When the old chest is emptied of keys, Chuck accidentally drops it, revealing a false bottom.  A strange folding key is found hidden by the false bottom, and Miss Abbie is so shocked by the key that she has a stroke.  June and Chuck work on solving the mystery of the folding key, hoping that the solution will help Miss Abbie.

This book is enmeshed in the atmosphere of World War II.  In addition to the scrap metal drive, Mrs. Campbell has to nurse Miss Abbie because most nurses are away with the soldiers.  An air raid siren goes off early in the story, and everyone has to stay inside and in the dark during a blackout.  Peggy, who is Miss Abbie's maid, plans to purchase war bonds with her salary.

This book was published just a few years before the Nancy Drew books The Clue in the Old Album and The Ghost of Blackwood Hall.  This may be just coincidence, but I find it rather interesting that this book features a difficult woman named Putney and that a vital clue to the mystery is found in an old family album.

I mentioned that a man named Mr. Drew was mentioned in the previous book.  In this book, Mrs. Campell is named June Campbell.  That is the name of a character from the Nancy Drew book, The Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion, which was published before this Augusta Seaman book.  The similar names probably are just coincidence, but it makes me wonder whether employees of the Stratemeyer Syndicate were reading Seaman's books and whether Seaman was reading Nancy Drew books.

This is an excellent story.

Linden Hall, Heron Shoals, and Missing Half by Augusta Seaman

In The Mystery at Linden Hall, Prince Lucien Morat is the nephew of the exiled King of Spain, Joseph Bonaparte.  Morat's wife is the headmistress of a boarding school in Bordentown, New Jersey.  Verity lives across the street from the school, and soon, her life becomes intertwined with Inez, a foreign student at the school.

I tend not to like Seaman's books that weave actual historical figures into the plot of the fictitious story.  For that reason, I did not enjoy this book.  The story is okay, and I am sure that others like the story.

In The Curious Affair at Heron Shoals, Marty lives with her grandmother on the coast of New Jersey.  Marty resents her grandmother taking in three boarders, Ted, his father, and his music teacher.  Marty is asked to find a way to get Ted to forget about his troubles, so she tells him about her grandmother's pet parrot, Thusy.  Marty's grandmother acts nervous whenever the parrot is mentioned and will never reveal how the parrot came to live with her.  Ted is enthusiastic, and the two young people work hard at solving the mystery.

This is a good book overall, but I was never very interested.  For some reason, the story didn't really grab my attention.

In The Missing Half, the Porter family comes to live in the old family mansion at Bordentown.  Half the mansion has been wrecked, and nobody knows why.  Cousin Zeke, who lives nearby, is said to be the owner of the house, but Gramp Porter insists that his side of the family was supposed to inherit the home.  The young people help Gramp search for the missing half of a will that bequeathed the home to their side of the family.

This is another book that I did not find very interesting.  The problem was that the story contains way too much detailed information about pretty much everything.

I might add that during these books my Augusta Seaman reading experience began to wear on me.  This almost always happens to me when I read all of the books from the same series or by the same author in rapid succession.

Some of you are probably wondering why I do that to myself.  This is because I know that I would likely never get back to the books if I quit.  I still haven't returned to my unfinished reading of the Grace Harlowe series.  It's been 7 1/2 years.  That's why I make myself finish each set, since I probably would never get back to them.

Voice in the Dark, Pine Barrens Mystery, and Vanderlyn Silhouette by Augusta Seaman

The Voice in the Dark is a collection of 11 of Augusta Huiell Seaman's short stories that were previously published in magazines.  Reading a short story is not as satisfying as reading a full-length novel, but the stories are interesting and entertaining.

In The Pine Barrens Mystery, Roxanna and her brother, Chub, plan to spend their vacation in Atlantic City, but at Chub's insistence, they instead stay in a boarding house in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.  The two stumble upon an old house, which has been abandoned for years.  Roxanna's new friend, Alma, shows her an old diary that she found in the house.  The girls become enthralled with learning more about the people who once lived in the house.

The Pine Barrens Mystery is a very good book.

In The Vanderlyn Silhouette, Dosia lives in a small house on the old Richmond Hill Estate with her mother, who is the housekeeper.  Two young relatives, Priscilla and David, come to live with Dosia and her mother.  John Vanderlyn also comes to the estate to paint.  Dosia discovers a paper silhouette of John Vanderlyn.  The silhouette is a clue to the location of some important documents.  Vanderlyn and his young friends search for the papers.

This is another of Seaman's historical novels and is also one of Seaman's most scarce books.  The story starts off in an unfocused fashion, detailing several events that are seemingly unconnected.  For that reason, the book is not very interesting at first.  The story improves once the reader better understands events.  Even so, this is not one of my favorite Seaman novels, since I prefer the ones that are not based on actual historical figures.

Figurehead of the Folly and Strange Pettingill Puzzle by Augusta Seaman

In The Figurehead of the Folly, Joan goes to stay in Miss McKeever's boarding house for her summer vacation.  Joan works for her board by taking care of Mary Lou, who is an invalid.  Joan quickly becomes acquainted with the residents of the boarding house.  Mr. Doane keeps a figurehead in his room along with some ship models.

One night a prowler messes with Mr. Doane's figurehead, causing it to fall.  Joan and Mary Lou suspect a mystery surrounds the figurehead, and they watch for clues as they keep an eye on the other boarders.

This story would make an excellent play.  Almost the entire story takes place inside the house with characters entering and leaving.  A play based on this story would be wonderful.

This is an excellent story.  The characters are described well and really come to life.  The mystery is interesting.

The Strange Pettingill Puzzle contains two stories.

"The Strange Pettingill Puzzle" was reprinted as The Riddle of the Lonely House by Scholastic.

In "The Strange Pettingill Puzzle," Peter and Christine are staying in a cottage on the seashore for the summer.  Soon after their arrival, they meet Alan Pettingill, who shows them a way to get into an abandoned old mansion.  The young people discover a prowler in the vicinity and try to figure out who it is.  Meanwhile, Alan's family was supposed to inherit the old mansion, but the will was never found.  The young people search for it.

This is a very good story.

In "The Curious Case of Callista," two members of the Four-Corners Hobby Club come into possession of an old doll named Callista.  The children uncover a mystery concerning the doll and hunt for clues.

"The Curious Case of Callista" is for younger children, and I did not enjoy it.  The story has too many extremely detailed explanations of ordinary events.  I was bored and skimmed the story.

Acquiring That Elusive Book

On February 24, I wrote:

I wasn't quite ready to try reading the books of Augusta Huiell Seaman.  Her books are high on my reading list and are, by the way, the only books I have admitted to having high on my list.  I feel that I need to work into Seaman's books because of the difficulty I have in switching between modern and vintage books.

Additionally, I want to wait a little longer because I still need to acquire one book.  Please don't ask which book, because I am not going to tell you.  I prefer to keep that information private, since I have had people take advantage of me when they know that I need a certain book.  They will price the book much higher than if I did not need the book.  I will hopefully be able to locate the book in the next few months, and if not, then you'll know by which book I skip when I read and review Seaman's books.

In June and July, I read through Augusta Huiell Seaman's books, despite lacking that one elusive book.  I wrote the reviews, and now most of the reviews have been published.  Finally, I acquired The Vanderlyn Silhouette, which arrived in the mail today.  I searched for a copy for 14 months.  The Vanderlyn Silhouette is one of Seaman's most scarce books.

This acquisition came just in time.  I have published the Augusta Seaman reviews up to just five books before The Vanderlyn Silhouette, which equals two Augusta Seaman blog reviews.  The review that should include this book will publish in the next 7 to 10 days.  I should be able to wait until this weekend to read the book.  I want to read the last 2 1/2 Trixie Belden books first, and I hope I can do that by this weekend.  At that time, I will read The Vanderlyn Silhouette and will adjust my remaining Augusta Seaman reviews.

Bitsy Finds the Clue and Riddle at Live Oaks by Augusta Seaman

In Bitsy Finds the Clue, Bitsy begins her freshman year at William and Mary in Williamsburg.  Bitsy can't get along with her roommate and is quite lonely.  She gets lucky when her mentor, Celeste, lets her stay in her family's home, Romney House.  Bitsy soon learns that Romney House has a mystery.  Celeste's two great-aunts and great-uncle will not allow the house to be restored and seem to be hiding something.  Bitsy and Celeste discover that the secret could dishonor the family, and they hope to uncover information that will reveal the truth.

This is an excellent story.  The old Romney House has secret passageways and spooky events.  I especially enjoyed the setting with Bitsy in college and staying with a friend's family.

The Riddle at Live Oaks contains two stories.

In "The Riddle at Live Oaks," three children search for a family treasure that was hidden on a plantation during the Civil War.  The children believe that an elderly former slave holds the key to the mystery, but he has had amnesia ever since the Civil War.

"The Inn of the Twin Anchors" was reprinted by Scholastic as The Mystery of the Old Violin.

In "The Inn of the Twin Anchors," two girls and a boy live in an old inn.  While beachcombing, they meet an old hermit who seems afraid of a man who has recently arrived in the area.  The children also notice that the hermit's Stradivarius violin has disappeared and then reappears later.  The hermit acts secretive, and the children try to figure out what is wrong.

Both of these stories are good.

Stars of Sabra and Mystery of the Empty Room by Augusta Seaman

In The Stars of Sabra, Penelope finds a old chest hidden in the foundation of her house.  The old chest contains a journal that details events that occurred during the Revolutionary War.  Penelope and her friends follow clues based on the journal entries and eventually find a valuable object that enables Penelope's father to purchase a piece of land that he has always wanted to own.

I have already stated that I tend not to like the Seaman stories where the journals feature actual historical figures.  I am more interested in the stories that feature completely fictitious people.  This book contains a large amount of information based on historical figures, and it all bored me.  For that reason, I did not enjoy this book.

In The Mystery of the Empty Room, Lois, her sister, and their guardian come to live with a family friend, known as Uncle Si.  Uncle Si sells antique furniture, and the entire house is full of furniture and lots of junk.  The girls gradually adjust and manage to clean up parts of the house.  Lois' sister, Jean, discovers an empty room on the second floor.  Uncle Si allows no one to enter the locked room.  He also owns a nearby cabin that is fully furnished and is kept locked.  The girls sense a mystery and decide to get to the bottom of it.

This is a very good book.

Brass Keys of Kenwick and House in Hidden Lane by Augusta Seaman

In The Brass Keys of Kenwick, Audrey is an art student who plans to make a model of a house for a project.  She has chosen Miss Jenifer's house.  Audrey stays with the family next door and works on her model in a studio in Miss Jenifer's home.

Audrey and her new friends soon notice prowlers, then one night Miss Jenifer has a stroke.  It is believed that a sudden fright caused the stroke, and the young people believe that a prowler was the likely cause.  The young people try to discover what really happened in hope that the knowledge will help Miss Jenifer get well.

This is an overall excellent book.  I did not enjoy the last few chapters once I learned that Miss Jenifer's secret is based on actual historical figures.  By this point in my reading of Seaman's books, I had developed an aversion to that style of story.

The House in Hidden Lane contains two stories, both for younger children.

In "The House in Hidden Lane," the Tanner family stays in Aunt Abigail's home.  Aunt Abigail has tried to find a family treasure that is said to be hidden in the house.  The Tanner children search for the treasure.

In "Just Around Our Corner," Alma's family moves into a new house.  Two elderly ladies live next door, and they are shut-ins.  Around the corner is a rowdy family, and Alma quickly becomes friends with the children.  The elderly Cady sisters are a constant source of interest to the children, who notice some peculiar behavior.  The children soon have a chance to help the Cady sisters gain happiness.

Both of these stories are good, but they are not as satisfying as Seaman's full-length novels.

River Acres Riddle and Charlemonte Crest by Augusta Seaman

The River Acres Riddle: A Book of Mysteries contains three short stories by Augusta Seaman.

In "The River Acres Riddle," Dorita and Marietta find a piece of paper tacked to a fence post near their house.  The piece of paper has a coded message written on it.  The girls are unable to decipher the message, but in the meantime, they notice several strange events.  Someone keeps prowling in the immediate area of their home, and the girls learn about a car accident that happened the night the paper was tacked to the post.  Sensing that all of the events are intertwined, the girls continue working on the code.

This story is okay but nothing special.  I was never very interested in it.

In "Cat's Cradle," Shirley Anne and her family live on a ranch near San Antonio.  Shirley Anne finds an injured Mexican near the ranch, and the Parsons nurse him back to health.  During Pablo's recovery, he and Shirley Anne become good friends.  Shirley Anne teaches him to play cat's cradle.

One day, Pablo tells Shirley to memorize the statement, "It is magic to skip the first and take every fifth!"  Pablo insists that the message will save her someday in a time of great need.  And so it does.

This is a very short story, but it is very good.

In "The Hexagonal Chest," Leslie finds a hexagonal chest on the beach and hides it until she can open it.  Meanwhile, Leslie's aunt disappears, and strangers are spotted in the area.  When Leslie finally gets back to the chest, it has vanished!

This story is in first person, which is unusual for Seaman's stories.

Mammy speaks in dialect, and she has pretty long speeches.  I found the dialect obnoxious and began skipping it.  It's too much trouble to have to sound out all the dialect in order to figure out what is being said.

Aside from the annoying dialect, this is a very good story.

In The Charlemonte Crest: A Modern Mystery in Colorful Haiti, Molly and Helen become good friends.  Helen shows Molly an ornate candlestick that is a family heirloom.  Molly accidentally drops the candlestick, and the bottom slides open.  The girls discover a packet of letters that leads them into a mystery.

This is one of the first books by Augusta Seaman that I read.  I enjoyed it but found some of the historical content to be a bit much.  I wanted to read the book again for this review, but I did not make it very far.  I did not feel like reading all of the historical content again.

This is a good story, but it is rather didactic.

Shadow on the Dial and Disappearance of Anne Shaw by Augusta Seaman

In The Shadow on the Dial, Naomi and Enid enjoy visiting an old plantation that once belonged to their ancestors.  The girls are dismayed when they learn that a wealthy man, Mr. Speer, plans to purchase the plantation and tear down the old house.

The girls become acquainted with Ronny and Leila, who are Mr. Speer's children.  When Ronny learns that the girls have a secret about the old house, he promises to sway his father from tearing it down, if they will share the secret with him.  The four young people join together to uncover the secret of the old plantation, which can be found by locating the missing sundial.

This book is very good to excellent.

In The Disappearance of Anne Shaw, elderly Anne Shaw suddenly vanishes from her home.  Most people are unconcerned, since Anne has done this before.  Kenneth, Mercedes, and Sanford feel differently, since they are aware of strange intruders in Anne Shaw's home.  It is up to the young people to rescue Anne Shaw.

The was the second book by Augusta Seaman that I read last year.  I read the book again for this review.  I am glad that I read it again, since I noticed something that I did not spot the first time.  I recently read The Secret of Tate's Beach.  When I read this book last year, I had not read that book and did not know about Mr. Tate, who makes an appearance in this book.  The Disappearance of Anne Shaw is set just a short distance from The Secret of Tate's Beach on the New Jersey shore.

The last part of the story where the mystery is explained is way too lengthy and difficult to understand.  I struggled with it last year, and on this second reading, I skipped it.  That portion should have been shorter and more concise.

Except for the last part of the story, this is a very good book.

Secret of Tate's Beach and Adventure of the Seven Keyholes by Augusta Seaman

In The Secret of Tate's Beach, Merwin is recovering from a bad illness, so she and her father stay at Tate's Beach in Mr. Tate's inn.  Mr. Tate's granddaughter is about the same age as Merwin, but at first, Peggy hides from her.  Peggy has had little education, and the one time she attended school, the other girls made fun of her.

Gradually, Merwin and Peggy become friendly, and Peggy shares her secret.  Peggy has a small cache of treasures she has found on the beach, and she keeps them hidden under an old figurehead.  The girls soon realize that Peggy's treasures may hold the key to finding out the truth about Peggy's past.

This is an excellent book with a really good mystery.  The book is just like some of the very best vintage series books.  Unfortunately, this is one of the more scarce of Augusta Seaman's books.

In The Adventure of the Seven Keyholes, Barbara's grandfather has died, and he left her an old brass key.  The will states that the key fits the first of seven keyholes.  To find all of the remaining keyholes, Barbara will need to follow clues that will be revealed behind each keyhole.  The clues are not easy to decode, but Barbara perseveres and finds that her grandfather willed her something more than just a brass key.

This book is aimed at a slightly younger audience than the rest of Augusta Seaman's books.  The book is a bit shorter than Seaman's other books, with just 150 pages and less text printed on each page.  The book is good, but I did not enjoy it as much as the average Seaman book.

The Edge of Raven Pool and Bluebonnet Bend by Augusta Seaman

In The Edge of Raven Pool, Antoinette's father has died, and she is penniless.  Antoinette is sent to live with her aunt in Savannah, Georgia.  Tony is miserable at first, since Miss Spencer is cold and distant.  Tony soon visits her cousin, Theo, on the family's island plantation, and the two become close friends.

Tony finds a paper hidden behind a picture in one of the bedrooms of her aunt's house, and Theo tells Tony about the strange behavior of Marm Debbie, who goes to Raven Pool in the middle of the night.  The cousins discover that the two mysteries are likely intertwined and hold the key to a missing treasure.  Finding the treasure would help Miss Spencer avoid losing her colonial home to foreclosure.

The story is very interesting from the very first page.  This is an excellent book.  I was enthralled and read it very quickly.

In Bluebonnet Bend, Katharine and her mother go to San Antonio to stay on Uncle Ezra's ranch, which is partly owned by Katharine's mother.  Uncle Ezra has some kind of scheme in mind, and he needs Katharine's mother to grant permission.

Katharine becomes friendly with her cousins, Elizabeth and Don.  She also becomes acquainted with Felipe, an elderly man who squats on the property.  Katharine soon senses that Felipe is involved in some kind of mystery and that Don knows about it.  The two girls search for clues.

In this story, a Mexican ancestor of Felipe's is named Alessandro.  The name is Italian, not Spanish.  This bothered me.

This is a very good book.

Tranquility House and Sally Simms Adventures It by Augusta Seaman

In Tranquility House, Mr. Benham lives next door to Connie and Elspeth.  The girls regard Mr. Benham as an honorary uncle and spend lots of time in his home.  One day Connie falls down the stairs, breaking her ankle and damaging a bit of the woodwork near a window seat.

Elspeth finds an old box under the window seat and takes it to Uncle Benham, who seems disturbed by the contents.  Uncle Benham becomes ill, and meanwhile, his secretary, Mr. Cookson, appears to be searching for the box.  Elspeth and Connie hide the box while they wait for Uncle Benham to get well.

This book starts out slow and uninteresting.  The story finally captured my interest around pages 70 to 80.  The rest of the story is quite suspenseful.

In Sally Simms Adventures It, Sally travels to Bermuda as the paid companion of Miss Miranda, who is a crotchety old woman.  Miss Miranda prevents Sally from having any fun and makes certain that Sally must wait on her constantly with few breaks.  Miss Miranda also complains endlessly about how awful Sally is.

Sally becomes friends with a lively boy named Andy, who finds a hidden cave and clues to a possible treasure.  Later, Mr. and Mrs. Amory are brought into the secret, and they run interference with Miss Miranda so that Sally can have time to help Andy find the treasure.

This story reminds me of Charlotte Cross and Aunt Deb.

The very best and funniest parts of the story are the letters that Miss Miranda writes to her friend, who is apparently Miss Miranda's only friend.  Miss Miranda has a completely twisted view of everything, and her version of events is hilarious.

The book has lots of limericks in it, composed by Andy.  They are actually pretty good and enjoyable to read!

This is a very good book.

The Dragon's Secret and The Mystery at Number Six by Augusta Seaman

In The Dragon's Secret, Leslie and her aunt are staying in a bungalow on a secluded beach.  Another bungalow is near theirs and is vacant.  Leslie is shocked to see a glimmer of light from behind the shutters of the vacant bungalow.  Who is the prowler?

Meanwhile, Leslie's dog discovers a buried burlap sack on the beach.  Leslie and her new friend, Phyllis, open the sack, finding a strange locked chest with a dragon carved around all sides.  As more odd events unfold, the girls realize that someone is hunting for the chest.  The girls keep the chest hidden as they search for clues to the chest's owner.

This is a very good to excellent story.

In The Mystery at Number Six, Bernice has recently come to live in Florida.  Bernice and her cousin, Sydney, visit abandoned phosphate mines while Sydney fishes.  The young people discover a farmhouse near phosphate mine Number Six, and a strange young girl lives there.  Bernice and Sydney learn that the girl's name is Delight, and her past is a mystery.  Delight seems quite frightened of Jerry and his wife, who are the people who take care of her.  Strangely, Delight likes Jerry even though she is afraid of him.  Mystified, Bernice and Sydney hope that they can help Delight.

The word "cracker" is a pejorative term for white people.  Seaman uses "cracker" to describe Jerry's wife.  I was puzzled about Seaman's use of the term, since I doubted that she was using it in a pejorative way.  I looked it up to try to figure out exactly what it means in this book.

At first, I thought that the word is used to mean "redneck," which is what makes the most sense to me.  However, that cannot be right.  I discovered that Floridians who are descended from colonial Florida settlers are "Florida crackers."  The word is not pejorative in that context, and I believe that is the intended meaning in this book.  However, Jerry's wife is a bad person, so I like interpreting the meaning as derogatory.

The book does have other obvious racial stereotypes.  On page 49, Indians are referred to as an "ignorant lot."

I did not find this book as interesting as Seaman's other books.  I skimmed the last few chapters.

The Slipper Point Mystery and The Crimson Patch by Augusta Seaman

In The Slipper Point Mystery, Sally is bored and without friends until Doris arrives at Carter's Landing.  Sally is a bit of a tomboy, while Doris is very much a lady.  Sally is so taken with Doris that she begins to care more about her appearance.

Sally has a secret, which is a small room hidden in a nearby hillside.  Sally wants to share her secret with Doris, but she is afraid that Doris will abandon her for the other wealthy girls.  When Doris declines to leave Sally to go with the others, Sally realizes that Doris is a true friend and shares her secret, including a cryptogram that she found in the hidden structure.  The girls puzzle over the cryptogram and stumble upon a mystery that concerns an elderly woman who lives nearby.

From page 43:

Like many girls of her age, and like many older folks too, if the truth were known, Doris loved above all things, a mystery.

This is an excellent book.  The story is simple but entertaining.  The mystery is very interesting as it unfolds.

In The Crimson Patch, Patricia's father is home after being held a prisoner of war in Europe.  During the Captain's imprisonment, he learned about a German secret that is of great value to the United States.  Patricia and the Captain are staying at a hotel while the Captain works on a project involving the German secret.  The Captain has warned Patricia not to trust anyone and to tell no one about his story.

Patricia soon becomes friendly with Virginie, a girl who is staying across the hall with her aunt.  One day while Virginie visits, the Crimson Patch disappears from the Captain's room.  Two other people had also been in the room, so any of them could have taken it.  Patricia is heartsick about what happened and worries about whether Virginie could have been the culprit.  Chet, the bellboy, helps Patricia get to the bottom of the mystery.

This story is set up very much like the series books of the late 1920s and later, like Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys.  The story is improbable, just like in the typical series book.  Patricia and Chet take matters into their own hands against the Captain's wishes.  They go off on what sounds like an ill-advised expedition to retrieve the Crimson Patch.  On pages 217 and 218, the Captain realizes that he should have told Patricia everything in the first place, especially since she did a better job of solving the mystery than he did.

This is a very good to excellent story.

The Girl Next Door and Three Sides of Paradise Green by Augusta Seaman

In The Girl Next Door, Janet has come to visit Marcia, who is staying in New York City with her Aunt Minerva.  Marcia has become fascinated with Benedict's Folly, an old mansion that is next to the high rise apartment building.  Miss Benedict still lives in the family home, but she keeps all windows shuttered and seldom leaves the house  When Miss Benedict does leave, her face is completely covered with a veil.

Marcia and Janet watch the house and are shocked to see a girl her own age looking out of a window.  Later, the girls realize that this girl is confined to the old mansion, possibly against her will.  Marcia and Janet persist in their investigation and finally make the acquaintance of the girl, learning her strange story.

On pages 180 and 181, Marcia talks about how gossip can ruin other people's lives.  "It just goes to show how unhappy we can make people by talking about them and their affairs."  And later, Marcia adds, "What an awful thing—that two people's lives should be spoiled just by unkind gossip!"

Parts of this story have a lot of racist comments directed towards the Chinese.  On page 193, a man writes that "the Chinese language is the most confusing and idiotic jargon ever invented by the mind of man."  I cringed.

There is some speculation about an Englishman who might have married a Chinese girl and had a child.  This is said to be "horrid" on page 205.  Quite a few other remarks are made that are quite derogatory towards a person who is a mixture of Caucasian and Chinese.  I usually read racist commentary in old series books in a detached fashion, since I view it through the context of history.  In this case, I found it quite distressing.

This is an excellent book.  The story is very absorbing, and this is such a good mystery.

In Three Sides of Paradise Green, Sue, Carol, and Louis each live on a different side of Paradise Green.  Two roads meet at an angle, making up two sides of a triangle.  Another short road connects the other two sides, making a triangle.  An old man comes to visit Louis, and he treats Louis like royalty.  Louis considers himself an American through and through, and he does not understand why his guest wants him to be like a French nobleman.  Sue and Carol try to solve the mystery, but Sue's younger sister, the Imp, knows more and will not tell them.

Most of this book is written as a diary.  I overall enjoyed the book until two-thirds of the way through, then I completely lost interest and skimmed the rest of the story.  This book is not very interesting and is my least favorite Augusta Seaman book so far.

The Boarded-Up House and The Sapphire Signet by Augusta Seaman

In The Boarded-Up House, Joyce and Cynthia are neighbors, separated only by an old boarded-up house.  The girls frequently play on the property.  When a neighbor's cat gets inside the basement, the girls follow it and explore the house.  They keep their exploration a secret and try to piece together the story of who the former occupants were and why they left.

The girls discover that the dining room table is set with dishes, and the chairs are awry.  A dinner party must have broken up abruptly, and the girls find partially packed trunks in an upstairs room.  Joyce and Cynthia speculate about what might have happened, and finally, they come up with an idea of how they might find out.

This book was published in 1915 and is set in 1905.

The story is quite simple but plausible and interesting to read.

In The Sapphire Signet, twins Bess and Jess have a sister, Margaret, who is stuck at home in her invalid chair due to a bad back.  Bess and Jess bring home a new girl from school, Corinne, who quickly becomes friends with Margaret.

Corinne loves antiques, so the twins take her up to the attic, where she discovers a journal hidden under the false bottom of a trunk.  The journal is written in code.  Margaret suggests that the girls form a secret society that is dedicated to uncovering the mystery.  Corinne cracks the code, and the girls spend hours deciphering the meaning of the journal.  After some research, the girls follow clues found in their own neighborhood as they search for the sapphire signet.

This book is fascinating because it seems impossible that the girls could track down the sapphire signet or the Bermuda family to which it belonged.  They only have the diary, which was found in two parts in different locations.  The original house no longer exists.  Nobody knows what happened to the girl.  I read quickly, wondering how this would all get pieced together.

The backstory has to do with the plot to kill George Washington.  So this story is kind of historical fiction.  I enjoyed this book.

Introduction to Augusta Huiell Seaman

Most of us have probably seen the Scholastic Book Club editions of books by Augusta Huiell Seaman, including The Mystery of the Old Violin and The Riddle of the Lonely House.  I never gave them much thought, since I am not very interested in Scholastic editions.  In the last five years, several series book enthusiasts have mentioned the books of Augusta Huiell Seaman.  The books have been universally praised.

Many of Augusta Huiell Seaman's books do not look like the typical series book, so I ignored the praise at first.  By outward appearance, many of the books look like the average old fiction book written for adults.  By 2016, after reading more commentary, I realized that I should look into Augusta Seaman's books, but I still wasn't that motivated.

In June 2017, I finally read The Riddle of the Lonely House, which is one of the Scholastic reprints.  I enjoyed it and decided to begin purchasing Seaman's books.  I kept quiet about my plan, since I did not want anybody else to get started at the same time.

Here is a list of Augusta Seaman's mystery books for girls.

The Boarded-Up House, 1915*
The Sapphire Signet, 1916*
The Girl Next Door, 1917*
Three Sides of Paradise Green, 1918*
The Slipper Point Mystery, 1919*
The Crimson Patch, 1920*
The Dragon's Secret, 1921*
The Mystery at Number Six, 1922*
Tranquility House, 1923
Sally Simms Adventures It, 1924
The Edge of Raven Pool, 1924
Bluebonnet Bend, 1924
The Secret of Tate's Beach, 1926
The Adventure of the Seven Keyholes, 1926
The Shadow on the Dial, 1927
The Disappearance of Anne Shaw, 1928
A Book of Mysteries: Three Baffling Tales, 1929
The Charlemonte Crest: A Mystery of Modern Haiti, 1930
The Brass Keys of Kenwick, 1931
The House in Hidden Lane: Two Mysteries for Younger Girls, 1931
The Stars of Sabra, 1932
The Mystery of the Empty Room, 1933
Bitsy Finds the Clue: A Mystery of Williamsburg, Old and New, 1934
The Riddle at Live Oaks, 1934
The Figurehead of the 'Folly', 1935
The Strange Pettingill Puzzle: Two Mysteries for Boys and Girls, 1936
Voice in the Dark, 1937*
The Pine Barrens Mystery, 1937
The Vanderlyn Silhouette, 1938*
The Mystery at Linden Hall, 1939*
The Curious Affair at Heron Shoals, 1940*
The Missing Half, 1941*
The Case of the Calico Crab, 1942
The Mystery of the Folding Key, 1943*
The Half-Penny Adventure, 1945
The Mystery of the Other House, 1947
The Vanishing Octant Mystery, 1949

*These books, and possibly others, are in the public domain.  Many of them can be found online in free digital downloads.  Some of them are not on Project Gutenberg but can be found elsewhere.

Unfortunately, most of Augusta Seaman's books are extremely scarce and difficult to find.  Most books are expensive.  I started purchasing the more common books of the ones that are not in the public domain.  I held off on the books in the public domain, simply because most of those books are available for free online.  I also held off on the more scarce and expensive titles.

I read The Disappearance of Anne Shaw and The Charlemonte Crest: A Mystery of Modern Haiti, which were the first two books I purchased.  I enjoyed them as well.  Around the same time, I found Christine M. Volk's articles about Augusta Seaman.  These articles contain a wealth of information and are well worth reading.

Nancy Drew for Smart Kids: Mysteries by Augusta Huiell Seaman
Creating an Augusta Huiell Seaman Collection
Augusta Huiell Seaman Checklist

The articles took away my final reservations.  I decided to go for it, purchasing all books that I could find, whether in the public domain or not.  This endeavor required much careful searching, a good bit of luck, and a lot of money.  The scarcity of these books cannot be overstated.

Most amazing is that some of these books read just like the early Nancy Drew books, yet many were published in the 15 years before Nancy Drew debuted.  Think about what that means.  The typical girls' book of the 1910s only has the slightest hint of mystery, with the books detailing average life.  The publication of the first Nancy Drew book in 1930 is considered the beginning of the juvenile girls' mystery book genre.  However, girls' books had already been gradually changing towards mysteries during the previous two decades, and Augusta Huiell Seaman led the way.

In Augusta Seaman's books, teenage girls find hidden compartments in trunks, discover secret passageways, explore abandoned houses, find and decipher cryptograms, outsmart spies, find lost inheritances, and do everything that Nancy Drew would later do.

Augusta Seaman's books usually involve a mystery from the past that needs to be solved.  Sometimes the mystery is completely fictional, while other times the mystery is based on actual historical figures.  I typically did not enjoy the books that use historical figures quite as much, since I prefer for my fiction to be completely fictional.

Since the books tend to be expensive, I suggest sampling some of the books that are available online to see if they are appealing.  I recommend The Girl Next Door as a good one to try.