Phyllis Whitney Isle of Skye and Green Cat

In Mystery on the Isle of Skye, Cathy MacLeod visits the Isle of Skye with her relatives, the Corbins.  Where Cathy will live in the future is uncertain, since her grandmother is quite ill.  On the trip, Cathy learns much about the isle and her family.

This book is a travelogue, and I found it boring.  I didn't care about Cathy or anything about the Isle of Skye.  I felt that the story was presented in a way that was not compelling nor very interesting.  If I wanted to learn everything there is to know about the MacLeods and Scotland, then the book would have been highly fascinating.  Since I didn't care, I found the book dull.

I began skimming the text fairly early in the book and completely quit reading by halfway through the book. I did read the last page or two to see where Cathy would end up living, but quite frankly, I did not care.

In Mystery of the Green Cat, two boys and two girls are brought together into the same family when their parents marry.  The boys are quite hostile to the girls.  Soon, a distraction is provided when a rock is thrown through a window from the neighboring property.  Jill and Andy join forces to investigate the mysterious events.

This book starts out very slowly, and I didn't find it interesting.  Once the plot gets started, the book is interesting.  From around halfway through the book to the end, the book is excellent.

Large Number of Foreign Editions Listed on eBay

As many of you know, a series book collector's collection has been split up and sold on eBay in recent months by several different sellers.  In a future post, I will provide information on what sold and for how much.

I was able to purchase many of the foreign editions.  One seller was good about separating out the lots so that the first lot sold consisted of all titles, then future lots had the duplicates.  This meant that I only needed to purchase the first lot to get what I needed, so fortunately, other collectors were able to purchase the later subsequent lots.

Unfortunately, another seller listed the books in unsorted lots, so each subsequent lot had at least one or two books I needed with lots of duplicates from the previous lot or lots.  As a result, I was forced to buy many duplicate books.

All told, I have purchased around 300 foreign edition series books in the last three months.  This has been a very time-consuming process of sorting the books and comparing them up against what I already had.  I then had to make sure that I kept the right book and didn't accidentally put a book I didn't have in the pile to sell.  I next had to catalog what I kept on LibraryThing or update the listing if I upgraded the book.

I don't know how many hours I have spent on this.  I know it's at least around 20 hours, and it very well could be more than that.  I'm still not done.  I have stacked the new additions on top of books on my shelves.  I'm probably going to have to shift approximately 1,000 to 2,000 books around in order to fit in the new books.

In the meantime, I have now listed the majority of the extras, and that in itself took up a lot of time.  These books have temporarily taken over my life, and I'm glad to finally have most of the extras listed.

Jennifer's Series Books on eBay

Some books are listed at higher prices than what I paid, but others are listed at lower prices.  In the end, it balances out.  I actually averaged out the total amount I paid for the books when I figured my cost per book.

Also don't forget the books I have listed in my Bonanza booth.

Jennifer's Series Books on Bonanza

The Teen Witch Series by Megan Barnes

The Teen Witch series by Megan Barnes consists of four titles that were published in 1988 and 1989.  I saw an eBay listing for three of the four titles which appeared in a Nancy Drew search, since the seller had used a Nancy Drew ISBN on the listing.  Normally, I ignore such listings, but for some reason that I cannot explain, I was intrigued.

I thought about it for five or ten minutes, really not sure that I wanted to make such an impulsive purchase.  I was feeling the same way I felt when I saw the Lovecraft Middle School books in a local store. As with those books, I was certain that I would somehow like the Teen Witch books, even though it was counterintuitive.  After all, reading about a teen witch seems stupid.

I purchased the books, since I couldn't let go of the thought of acquiring them.  After the books arrived, I read the beginning of the first book and knew that I would like it, so I purchased the remaining title that I needed.

In Teen Witch #1, Lucky 13, Sarah Connell turns 13 and learns that she is a witch.  Aunt Pam tells Sarah that she is also a witch and explains to Sarah that in time she will learn more about her powers.  Sarah decides to use her powers to make the cutest guy in school fall in love with her.  Unfortunately, Sarah's plan doesn't work out the way she expects.

Sarah is 12 years old at the beginning of the story and then turns 13 shortly into the story.  She is already a student at Waterview High School.  This is so weird, since students are typically 14 before they enter high school.  No explanation is made for the young age, and this is one of many things about these books that make no sense.

Did I care?  Nope.  The book is light reading and great fun.  I loved it.

In Teen Witch #2, Be Careful What You Wish For, Sarah decides to get a boyfriend for her best friend, Micki.  Unfortunately, Micki's personality changes with the new boyfriend.  Then the situation takes a huge turn for the worse when Sarah accidentally wishes away Waterview High School.  Oops.

On page 15, Sarah and Micki mention differential equations.  Later on pages 144-145, Sarah doesn't know what quadrants are, except that they make her think of geometry.  Right, quadrants are learned by Sarah's age, but she doesn't know about them.  Instead, she knows about differential equations, which is a college course requiring calculus.  Lots about these books make absolutely no sense.

The cover art is not accurate.  It makes it look like the school is still there, just closed.  The school vanished, leaving an empty lot with bare dirt.  That wouldn't have looked as interesting on the cover.

Obviously, an entire high school vanishing is not logical, but who cares?  This book is even more fun than the first book in the series.

In Teen Witch #3, Gone with the Witch, Sarah accidentally wishes herself and Micki back in time to Georgia just before the Civil War.  Sarah ends up enjoying herself, but Micki wants to go back home.  In time, Sarah realizes that they need to return, but she can't get her powers to work!

The cover art for this book is also not accurate.  Micki is shown wearing her modern clothing, but the girls' modern clothing did not travel to the past with them.

On page 112, I was interested in the use of the term "spit and image," which, as far as I know, I have always seen as "spitting image."  I had to look it up, and apparently, "spit and image" is the original idiom that some people still use.  There is also some dispute on the origin of the phrase, where some people claim that it was once "spirit and image."  However, it apparently was originally "spit and image." 

This third book is the one that most people like the best because of the historical content.  I have loved all the books, but this one has a greater impact, since most of the story is set in the past.

In Teen Witch #4, Witch Switch, Sarah is jealous of her sister, Nicole.  Sarah feels that Nicole's life is perfect.   When Nicole goes away for the weekend, Sarah decides to take her place and falls in love with Nicole's boyfriend!

This is another solid entry in the series and is unfortunately the final book.

These books remind me of Sweet Valley High.  The premise is not the same, obviously, but the style, devotion to fashion, references to pop culture of the 1980s, and the humor are all strongly reminiscent of Sweet Valley High and other books that I read in the late 1980s.  I felt like I had stepped back into my teen years as I read these books.  I loved reading these books and couldn't read them fast enough.

I loved all four books enough that I decided that I should try to get some more books from the same time period.  I recall that I enjoyed reading some of the Sweet Dreams books.  I decided to purchase some of those to see if they still hold up.  I hope they do.

Phyllis Whitney Strange Traveler and Black Diamonds

In Mystery of the Strange Traveler, Laurie and her sister visit their Aunt Serena on Staten Island.  Aunt Serena opens a book store on her property, and Laurie notices a prowler at night.  The prowler may be connected to Aunt Serena's mysterious neighbors.  After Laurie learns about a legend that links her family with the neighbors, Laurie finds a way to solve a mystery that ends up helping both families.

This book contains several quotes about reading and books that all readers will understand and enjoy. 

This book was slow to gain my interest, and I did not enjoy it very much. 

In Black Diamonds, Angie and Mark stay with their family in a ghost town.  While in the ghost town, Angie and Mark come into possession of a map that supposedly leads to a treasure.  Soon, the young people realize that others wish to prevent them from finding the treasure.

Black Diamonds is set in a ghost town in Colorado.  The setting and atmosphere of the book remind me of the Troy Nesbit books and the Secret Circle book, The Legend of the Devil's Lode.

I greatly enjoyed this book.

Ted Wilford #13 Abandoned Mine, #14 Shamrock, and #15 Greenhouse Mystery

In Ted Wilford #13, The Abandoned Mine Mystery, the mine in East Walton has been closed for years after an explosion.  Mr. Dobson wants Ted to investigate after he receives a letter that suggests that the explosion was not an accident.

Exploring an old mine at night is always exciting. 

I don't have any specific comments about this book, but I greatly enjoyed it.  The story is excellent.

In Ted Wilford #14, The S.S. Shamrock Mystery, Ted and Nelson take jobs on a freighter in the Great Lakes.  The boys are to investigate strange happenings on the ship.

This was the very first Ted Wilford book that I read when I was trying to figure out whether I should build a set.  I enjoyed the book but not enough to know whether I should commit to buying the other books in the set.  The story was nothing special.

When I later read the Sandy Steele books, I found that having already read this book was most helpful as I read Stormy Voyage.  The S. S. Shamrock Mystery describes a long boat in great detail, really in too much detail for my taste.  Because of that great detail, I knew everything I needed to know about a long boat while reading Stormy Voyage and was able to visualize it well. Stormy Voyage does not describe much about the long boat.


After I read the other Ted Wilford books approximately six months after I read this book, I decided to read The S.S. Shamrock Mystery again to see whether I would like it better.  There was way too much historical and technical information, which I skipped.  By page 45, I decided that I wasn't interested in reading the book again.  The S.S. Shamrock Mystery is my least favorite book in the series, and it is interesting that I read it first.

In Ted Wilford #15, The Greenhouse Mystery, Ted and Nelson investigate a theft from a nursery that breeds roses.  Soon, the boys learn that someone may be trying to steal the rights to a special rose.

I decided not to read this book again in order to review it, but I greatly enjoyed it when I read it a couple of months ago.  It was the second Ted Wilford book that I read.  I enjoyed it so much that I acquired all of the books that I was able to find, thus resulting in a partial set of 10 out of the 15 books.

Like other Ted Wilford books, the plots moves slowly but is very engaging.

Phyllis Whitney Spotted Shell and Mystery of the Gulls

With this post, I will begin reviewing the Phyllis Whitney mysteries for young people.  I noticed as I read the books that several titles that are mentioned as others' favorites are titles that I did not enjoy.  The same happened with Cherry Ames.

While I did not enjoy all of Phyllis Whitney's books, I also avoided the same strong negative reaction that I had to Cherry Ames.  I did greatly enjoy a number of Whitney's books. 

I purchased The Secret of the Spotted Shell last year in a local store.  It was purchased so that I could try a book by Phyllis Whitney, since I have read such positive reviews of her work.  I will review it first, then I will proceed in the order that the rest of the books were published.

In The Secret of the Spotted Shell, Wendy Williams arrives in the Virgin Islands to live with her cousins.  Wendy's reception is not what she expected.  Her cousin, Gordon Cole, is missing and feared dead in Vietnam.  His wife, Marion, is in shock and in no condition to welcome a newcomer to the family. 

Wendy soon becomes aware that another newcomer, Mr. Helgerson, is interested in a spotted shell from Gordon's collection.  The spotted shell holds a secret message that could ruin Gordon's reputation if it gets into the wrong hands.

Wendy scowls all the time.  This annoyed me.

I enjoyed this book enough that I decided to purchase as many of Phyllis Whitney's juvenile mysteries as I could find.

In The Mystery of the Gulls, Tally Saunders and her mother arrive on Mackinac Island.  The Saunders will inherit a hotel provided that Mrs. Saunders can successfully run it for the duration of the summer.  If everything works out, the Saunders will sell the hotel so that they can purchase a house, which is what Tally wants more than anything.  Tally and her mother quickly discover that they are unwanted at the hotel and that someone is trying to keep Mrs. Saunders from being successful.

I enjoyed the setting of this book.  The tone of the book is just right, and I greatly enjoyed it.  

Ted Wilford #11 Baseball Mystery and #12 Rainbow Gulch

In Ted Wilford #11, The Baseball Mystery, Forestdale hosts a baseball tournament.  Ted helps run the tournament.  Soon, Ted suspects that some of the players are fixing the results under someone's orders.

The information about baseball was too much for me.  I didn't understand all the descriptions, since I only have rudimentary knowledge of baseball.  The baseball games were not interesting to me, since I am not interested in baseball at all.

This is why I didn't choose to read this book as one of my first few Ted Wilfords.  I purchased Shamrock first, read it, but was not able to determine if I wished to continue.  I was able to purchase this book and Greenhouse Mystery at the same time.  When I chose the second book to read to make a final decision, I chose Greenhouse Mystery because I suspected that a book about baseball would not accurately tell me whether to purchase additional books in the series.

I did enjoy Ted walking from one part of the two to another.  My favorite series books are almost always stories that feature the characters walking and exploring very close to their home or wherever they are staying.

I got a little confused telling the teams and coaches apart.  It would have helped if the name of the city would have been used more often with the name of the team.  I was partway through the book and had forgotten which team was the Forestdale team, which caused my confusion.

The story ends quite abruptly, and I was surprised to turn the page and realize that I was finished.  I felt like at least one more part of the plot could have been resolved a bit more, but I know why it was left loose.  The reader can't get bored with a book when the story ends quickly without excessive explanation.

Even though much of the baseball discussion was over my head, I greatly enjoyed this book.

In Ted Wilford #12, The Mystery of Rainbow Gulch, Ted and Nelson stay at Bob Fontaine's ranch.  As the boys arrive, a plane crashes, and one occupant vanishes.  Meanwhile, a mystery surrounds an old hermit, and footprints indicate that someone has been watching the ranch.

A fire that spreads through the woods towards the end of the book is quite thrilling.  I couldn't be sure how it would work out, since a fire in another book didn't work out well at all.

This is a very good book.

Secret Circle Mysteries #9 Disappearing Dogs, #10 Spaniards Rock, and #11 Wildcat Well

In Secret Circle Mysteries #9, The Mystery of the Disappearing Dogs, dogs are disappearing all around Toronto.  Two rival gangs, Annex and Spadina, put aside their differences in order to find out who is taking the dogs.

This book was written in order to expose the cruel experiments that were being done on animals in the early 1960s.  There are some graphic descriptions of what was done to dogs and cats under experimentation, and I could have done without reading those descriptions.

Since this book was published in 1963, I was curious as to when regulations about animal testing went into effect.  President Johnson signed the Animal Welfare Act of 1966 into law in the United States, and the Canadian Council on Animal Care was formed in 1968. 

This book doesn't have an obvious single protagonist.  It's a group of children, so the reader doesn't get attached to any of the characters, which lessens the impact of the story.  I found that I didn't really care.  I did not enjoy this book very much.

In Secret Circle Mysteries #10, The Secret of Spaniards Rock, Bob and Sue Channing vacation near Spaniards Rock.  A couple of men who are staying there act suspiciously, and the children soon suspect that they are criminals who might be holding the residents of the lighthouse captive.

This is another story where the mystery is obvious from the beginning.  A large roll of five-dollar bills washes ashore, and the serial numbers are in order.  One of the men claims the roll of bills.  The men do some type of work in a building which has loud machinery.  Gee, what could the men be doing?

I began skimming towards the end, not because the text was uninteresting, but because I knew what the mystery was and how it would be resolved.  I saw no point in reading every detail.

In the final Secret Circle Mystery, The Mystery at the Wildcat Well, Rory must go to live with his father, who works on an isolated oil rig.  Rory overhears a conversation which indicates that a spy works on one of the rigs.  Later, Rory learns that his father's rig is the one with the spy, but his father won't believe him.

Some parts of this book dragged for me, especially the lengthy description of the drilling process.  The description is not as long and tedious as in the first Sandy Steele book, but it's still a bit excessive.  It seems that I'm learning a great detail about drilling for oil as I read various books this year, and I'm learning far more than I want to learn.

I enjoyed this story.