Ceramic Christmas Trees

Judy Bolton #19, The Secret of the Musical Tree, features a ceramic Christmas tree on the front cover and as an important part of the story. For a number of years around 1997 to 2002, I put together a Christmas display each year featuring any of my series books that have a Christmas or winter scene on the front cover. My favorite one has always been The Secret of the Musical Tree.

One day around six or seven years ago, I was in a thrift store and saw a ceramic Christmas tree which reminded me a great deal of the tree seen on the Judy Bolton book. On a whim, I bought it and proudly took it home. This tree is pictured at the top left. The tree was missing one light, and I had to find a replacement. Quite by accident, I discovered the replacement lights, which are actually pieces of plastic that are shaped to look like bulbs, in a local craft store. The actual light source of a ceramic Christmas tree is from a light bulb that is placed inside or under the tree. The light shows through the holes to the plastic "lights."

In time, I gradually began to find additional ceramic Christmas trees in the thrift stores. Nearly all of the trees that I have purchased have been missing most or all of their lights. This is probably why the thrift stores undervalue the trees and price them at around $3.00 to $7.00 each. On eBay, some of the nicer and larger ceramic trees can sell for $200.00 to $300.00. Even the trees which sell at very low opening bids will still cost the buyer at least $25.00 when the postage cost is added to the purchase price.

I rather like the random way in which I continue to build my collection of ceramic Christmas trees. I never know when I will find the next one, how large it will be, or whether it will be green or white. I tend to favor the white trees over the green trees since I feel like the lights show up better in the white trees. Most of the trees that I find are around 15 to 17 inches in height. I have found a couple that are around 20 to 23 inches in height. I also have a few smaller ones that are around 10 inches in height.

The replacement lights can be bought online, both on eBay and at various craft websites, such as the Ceramic Painters Web Site or the Ceramic Art Space. The lights can be purchased in several sizes and types. There are the traditional ones which are shaped like bulbs as well as others which are birds, bows, butterflies, or flowers. Stars can be purchased for the tops of the trees, and the stars come in both small and large sizes.

The best time of year to find ceramic Christmas trees in thrift stores is any time of year other than the holiday season. I have never found ceramic Christmas trees in December, but I have found them during all other times of year. I have noticed that often I will find a tree during the month after Christmas. I believe that many people weed out old Christmas decorations after the holidays, and the ceramic trees are old-fashioned. Of course, this is exactly why I like them! I am looking forward to checking my thrift store during the next few weeks in the hope of finding another nice ceramic tree!

The Chalet School Series by Elinor Brent-Dyer

The Chalet School Series is a well-known series in the United Kingdom and is very popular with collectors. Many of the books are very scarce and are very expensive. The series is practically unknown in the United States, as it has never been published here. I became aware of this series during 2007, in a roundabout fashion, and wondered about it—but just a little bit. At first, I was not very concerned about learning about it. I would say that this was primarily because I had never heard of it and did not feel that there was any reason to learn about it. The Chalet School series never gets mentioned in the different U.S. forums for series book enthusiasts. Since nobody ever mentions it, I decided not to give it much thought. I am like many other collectors in that I am more drawn to books that I have heard of or that others have discussed as prized.

However, in spite of my lack of concern about the Chalet School series, I continued to have this gnawing feeling that I needed to learn about the series. I reasoned that a series originally published over the course of 45 years and for nearly 60 volumes that is very popular with collectors must be worth investigating. Over the course of several weeks, I tried to find out a few things by visiting a few Chalet School series sites, but I still could not make any determination about it.

I was completely lost as to what the series is like and how it compares to all of the American series books. Unfortunately, international postage is very expensive, and the U.S. dollar is very weak against the British pound, so the cost of these books is very formidable for a U.S. collector, even for the softcover books. In fact, the prices are downright scary. Even the very easiest to find books cost at least 5 pounds and postage runs around 7 pounds. So the cheapest books are at least 12 pounds, which coverts to around US $25.00. Generally, this would be for a softcover book. There is a problem with the softcover Chalet School books; many of them contain edited versions of the stories. I cannot justify paying $25.00 for an edited softcover book when I would prefer to obtain the original story. Now the hardcover Chalet School books can sometimes be had for around $25.00, but as a general rule, they will usually cost at least $40.00—and $60.00 and up is more realistic. These prices are for the easiest to find titles. The scarce titles cost in the hundreds of dollars.

I mention the prices because I finally decided that the only way to figure out whether this series is worth collecting is to buy few books and read them. Since I knew that I would ultimately only be satisfied with the hardcover books, I managed to acquire the first two titles in the series in hardcover with dust jacket. Each book ended up costing me around $50.00 or so. I have never had to invest so much in order to "try out" a series. So, was it worth it?

I read the first book, The School at the Chalet, and loved it. I am nearly done with the second book, Jo of the Chalet School, and have greatly enjoyed it. I have already begun to purchase additional titles, and I cringe to think of what the entire set will ultimately cost me. My plan right now is to purchase whichever books I can in hardcover with dust jacket. I have set a limit on what I will pay per book, so right now, most of the books are out of reach for me. After I have bought all of the books that I can from within my self-imposed limit, I will then proceed with either paying more for some of them or may settle for hardcover books that are missing their jackets. In the end, I may have to settle for softcover editions of some of the books. It will be awhile before I have to make that decision.

I am beginning to set up a Chalet School cover art gallery and information page for my site. Once I am satisfied with what I have composed, I will put it up for others to view.

More eBay Prices

Dana Girls:

#27 Silver Dolphin $15.50
#28 Wax Queen $51.22, $38.58
#29 Minstrel's Guitar $51.02
#30 Phantom Surfer $100.99, $89.88

Trailer Stories for Girls by Mildred A. Wirt:

The Runaway Caravan w/DJ $162.50
The Crimson Cruiser w/DJ $128.05
The Phantom Trailer w/DJ $288.57

House of Happy Endings by Leslie Garis

House of Happy Endings is Leslie Garis's shattering account of coming of age in a wildly imaginative, loving, but fatally wounded home.

In a large, romantic house in Amherst, Massachusetts, Leslie Garis, her brothers, and their parents and grandparents aimed to live an idyllic life—one that mirrored the charmed world that Howard Garis, author of the famed Uncle Wiggily books, and his wife, Lilian, created in the phenomenally popular children's series The Bobbsey Twins, Tom Swift, and Judy Jordan. But inside The Dell—where Robert Frost often sat in conversation over sherry and stories appeared to spring from the very air—all was not as it seemed.

At the center of the unfolding drama was Roger Garis, Leslie's father, a writer who struggled in vain for recognition. His mysterious mental disintegration, which seemed as much a result of his dark bond with his parents as it was biologically determined, led eventually to terrifying mood swings and drug addiction and threatened to destroy everyone around him. Refracted through the all-seeing eyes of a child, House of Happy Endings is a story of the struggle between art and life, innocence and experience, as it took place in one extraordinary, unforgettable family.

—from the front flap of the dust jacket

House of Happy Endings is Leslie Garis's memoir of her childhood growing up in a family of writers. Leslie's father was Roger Garis, who wrote several books for the Stratemeyer Syndicate. Roger's parents, Howard and Lilian Garis, were prolific writers for the Stratemeyer Syndicate.

House of Happy Endings tells the story of Roger Garis, his lifelong struggle with mental illness, and the devastating impact his illness had on his family. It also tells the story of the senior years of Howard and Lilian Garis.

The memoir is well-written, full of rich language, and is engaging from start to finish. It is an intriguing read for anyone who has enjoyed the writings of Howard, Lilian, Roger, and Cleo Garis. In the September/October 2007 issue of The Sleuth, Jennifer Fisher interviews Leslie Garis about her book. Leslie Garis comments, "My happy ending has come from taking hold of my one real inheritance—my family story—and turning it into a book that has touched many readers and will live on after I am gone. For me that is a tangible and satisfying happy ending." Despite all of the pain and suffering, it is indeed a House of Happy Endings.

Ruth Fielding Revisted

I began reading the Ruth Fielding books a few months ago, and then I was sidetracked by other interests. I haven't read any series books in the last couple of months. I got started on the Ruth Fielding books again today. I finished #8 and started #9. So far, I feel like it is a good series. I can't give a firm opinion on exactly what I think about it until I get a bit further.

The Ruth Fielding section is now in progress. I have summaries for up through volume 8, but I have not yet posted them to the site. I may begin posting the summaries shortly. Usually I don't post any of them until I am done reading the entire series, but I may make an exception in this case.

After I read Ruth Fielding, I plan to read the Barbara Ann series. I recently completed my set, and I am eager to read the books. It is a four volume series, and I find that I really enjoy the obscure, short series. I'm looking forward to trying them out.

How much I like the different series books

So what do I really think about the different series showcased on my site? I have attempted to separate the series into groupings based on how much I like each series. This is very difficult since my opinion varies depending on my mood and how recently I have read any volumes in a certain series. If I were to rate these same series in a year, I would certainly rate a number of them differently. 

I read Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden when I was a child, and both series have heavily influenced me. The other series that I read when I first began collecting series books, including Judy Bolton and the Dana Girls, have also heavily influenced me. I tend to like books that are set in schools, such as colleges and boarding schools, and I also tend to like books that have mysteries which are set in various haunted places and adventures which take place in country settings. 

I do not like "travelogue" books very much, especially when the books include detailed history lessons. Because I do not like the travelogue books as much, I do not like many of the Vicki Barr and Shirley Flight books quite as much as other series books. Beverly Gray is an exception, since her travels are so exciting and never feel like a history lesson. 

I mention my likes and dislikes so that there is a point of reference for my opinions presented on this page. 

I have placed the books in groups that have a rating of 0 up to 5. The ones listed under 0 and 1 are series for which I find something lacking, although the books are readable and some books are still very good. All of the series listed under 2, 3, 4, and 5 are series that I very much like and the numbers represent how great that liking is. The series listed under 5 are my very favorite series. 

With the exception of the books listed under 5, the books are listed in random order within each section. The books that are rated 5 are listed in order by how much I like them, and these books will almost certainly be in the same order in another year. 

 5 = My favorites 

Nancy Drew 

Beverly Gray 

Outdoor Girls 

Sara Gay 

Trixie Belden 

Girl Scouts Mystery Series (Fairfax) 

4 = Very, very good series 

Sally Baxter 

Peggy Lane 

Adventure Girls by Clair Blank 

Boy Scout Explorers by Palmer (Wirt) 

Brownie Scouts by Wirt 

Judy Bolton 

Connie Blair 

3 = Very good series 

Blythe Girls 

Dana Girls 

Penny Parker 

Perry Pierce 

Mexican Mystery Stories for Girls by Helen Randolph 

Ruth Darrow 

Madge Sterling 

Flash Evans 

Doris Force 

2 = Good series 

Kay Tracey 

Girls of Central High 

Moving Picture Girls 

Trailer Stories for Girls 

Dot and Dash 

1 = So-so series which do have some very good books 

Shirley Flight 

Vicki Barr 

Girl Scouts by Wirt 

Dan Carter 

Penny Nichols

0 = Below average series 

Melody Lane 

Whitman Authorized Editions

Prices for early Nancy Drew books

There have been a few very early Nancy Drew books that have sold lately on eBay:

The Secret of the Old Clock w/DJ, 1930C-3, blank endpapers edition listing 4 titles on the front flap of the dust jacket, $787.00

The Hidden Staircase w/DJ, blank endpapers edition listing 6 titles on the front flap of the dust jacket, $326.21

The Hidden Staircase w/DJ, 1930C-3, blank endpapers edition listing 4 titles on the front flap of the dust jacket, $1492.65

eBay Auction Prices - Outdoor Girls, Blythe Girls

I decided to take note of some of the recent eBay auction prices for the Outdoor Girls and Blythe Girls books. There has been some very competitive bidding recently for the Blythe Girls books.

Blythe Girls:

Helen, Margy, and Rose w/DJ, $9.99 (Buy It Now), $88.76 (auction)
Margy's Queer Inheritance w/DJ, $77.76
Rose's Great Problem w/DJ, $40.88, w/DJ $4.99
Helen's Strange Boarder w/DJ, $21.50
Three on a Vacation w/DJ $7.45, w/DJ $21.18
Margy's Secret Mission w/DJ, $90.89
Rose's Odd Discovery w/DJ $97.89
Snowbound in Camp w/DJ, $39.88
Margy's Mysterious Visitor w/DJ $39.99 (Buy It Now)
Rose's Hidden Talent w/DJ, $191.38
Helen's Wonderful Mistake w/DJ, $84.00

The prices realized for different series books range from low to high, depending upon how many people are interested at a particular time. Consequently, some of the books sell for well below value, since many sellers choose to start the books low and sometimes only one person is interested in buying a particular book. This is why a few of the Blythe Girls books sold for fairly low prices as compared to the other books. It is also not a good idea to use Buy It Now when selling a book, unless one is very certain of the value. Compare the Buy It Now price to the completed auction price for the first title in the Blythe Girls series.

Outdoor Girls:

Outdoor Girls on Pine Island w/DJ, $34.99
Outdoor Girls in Florida w/DJ, $16.07
Outdoor Girls in Army Service w/DJ, $36.55, $20.50
Outdoor Girls Around the Campfire w/DJ (Duotone), $57.99
Outdoor Girls at Foaming Falls w/DJ, $10.49
Outdoor Girls at Spring Hill Farm w/DJ, $37.50
Outdoor Girls on a Canoe Trip w/DJ, $29.88
Outdoor Girls at New Moon Ranch w/DJ, $8.99
Outdoor Girls in Desert Valley w/DJ, $325.00

I believe it has been quite a few months since a dust-jacketed copy of Desert Valley has sold, so several people very much wanted that book.

Girl Scouts Mystery Series, The Mysterious Camper w/DJ, $87.99
Girl Scouts Mystery Series, Trail of the Gypsy Eight, no DJ, $24.83
Girl Scouts Mystery Series, The Secret of Halliday House; w/DJ $93.00; no DJ $18.50