When I first learned that Mildred A. Wirt (Benson) had been the original ghostwriter for the Nancy Drew series back in the '30s and '40s, I was excited, feeling like I had learned a secret that was not necessarily public knowledge (since the books were credited to "Carolyn Keene," a pseudonym created by Edward Stratemeyer for that series). I was even more excited when I learned that Wirt had written quite a few books back in the day, beyond just Nancy Drew. She had her own series - Penny Parker, Penny Nichols, Ruth Darrow, Madge Sterling, and others - and she wrote a number of other Stratemeyer books under various pen names - the Doris Force series, the Dana Girls, Kay Tracey, and others. It wasn't until much later than I heard about a four-book series she had written under her own name: "Trailer Stories for Girls." Now, when I first heard the name of this series, I'm not going to lie - I honestly thought the books were a series of mysteries set in a trailer park. I quickly learned how wrong I was! The stories are about three youngsters who travel around in a travel trailer a/k/a caravan and solve mysteries along the way. The four books in this series are very hard to find, and even harder if you want them in dust jacket. I did not think I would ever actually own them, but in recent years, I have managed to track down all four books, three of them with dust jacket!
The Runaway Caravan is the first title in the series, published in 1937. In this book, Wirt introduces readers to the three Gibson children: Barbara, age 16; Ginger, age 15; and their younger brother Jimmie, age 13. The children's parents died some time ago, and they live with their Uncle Nathan French (who must be related to their mother, since he has a different last name) and their uncle's housekeeper, Mrs. Goodbar, who they affectionately called "Mrs. Goody." Each of these main characters has a distinct personality that Wirt does a pretty good job of staying consistent with throughout the four-book series. Barbara is the sensible one, Ginger is the more "speak before you think" kind of girl, and Jimmie is the adventurous one, not afraid of anything (at least, not that he's willing to let on). Mrs. Goody is your typical family housekeeper who worries about those under her care, and she sees the Gibson children as her own. Uncle Nathan does not make much of an appearance in this first book (for reasons explained below), but he is a doting uncle who is mindful of his young wards, but like most adults in the children's series of this time, he provides the children with way more freedom than a typical child would have.
SIDE NOTE - I found it rather humorous that Wirt took the opportunity to plug some of her other books here in this first chapter. On page 6, while describing the girls' rooms inside the Ten Towers, Wirt points out that Barbara's room had a "wealth of books" - including "her favorite stories,The Twin Ring Mystery, The Clue at Crooked Lane, and the Hollow Wall Mystery, which she had read so many times she could almost repeat whole pages from memory." Astute readers will immediately recognize these titles as three of Wirt's own Mystery Stories for Girls that were published by Cupples & Leon, the same publisher as this series! Nice plug, there, Wirt!
Okay, so back to the story. It turns out Uncle Nathan was in a car accident and will be in the hospital for some time. Mrs. Goody and the Gibson children are worried about how they are going to pay the bills, since the bank is about to foreclose on the house if the mortgage is not paid! Enter: Matilda and Elmer Kavish, the children's aunt and uncle, of whom they had never heard before (p. 17). Matilda is basically the wicked aunt who comes in and takes over - first, she fires Mrs. Goody (p. 22), gets rid of Jimmie's dog (p. 24), and ultimately warns the children the court will be placing them under her control while Uncle Nathan is in the hospital - and she plans to separate them (p. 26)! As if things couldn't get worse for these poor kids...
Soon enough, Wirt manages to work the mystery into the book when the children witness a car with a travel trailer run off the road. The man is so frustrated, he sells the trailer to the Gibsons for just $50.00 (p. 40). Aunt Matilda is none to happy, and she tells the children the trailer will be sold the next day. Well, enough is enough, and that night, the three children sneak out of Ten Towers, hook the trailer up to the car, and drive away with their caravan - a runaway caravan (hence, the title)! Now, up to this point, it seems there is no real mystery to solve - but before you know it, someone is trying to break into the trailer! Later, while the children are out, someone does manage to get in and ransack the trailer - but their can of money is still there, so if they weren't after money, what did they want? Then the man who sold them the trailer catches up to them and offers them double what they paid to buy it back (they, of course, are not willing to sell). Well, when they pick up a young girl hitchhiking, they learn to be more cautious because they catch her rooting through the trailer's desk. Once she is gone, Barbara and Ginger discover the diary of one Ezekiel Tolland hidden in the back of the desk, and the three wonder if that is what everyone is after.
The story finds the Gibson children surviving on their own for quite a length of time, finding ways to make money to support themselves, catching fish in nearby rivers, and doing everything they can to avoid the police (who have been told by Aunt Matilda that the trailer is stolen and the children are the delinquents who stole it!). Ultimately, the mystery comes to a head when the children meet George Tolland and not only discover it was his family's factory that made the trailer they now own, but that the particular trailer happened to be one specifically built by his brother and contains some much sought after plans for a special brake Ezekiel was creating for use in future trailers. It all leads to a revelation that a competing company has been after those plans, and the Gibson children help George Tolland find the plans, for which he rewards them with a brand new Crimson Cruiser trailer that they can keep (and, conveniently, that happens to be the title to the second book!).
While the mystery is not necessarily exciting at times, with the story often focusing more on the day-to-day trials of Barbara, Ginger, and Jimmie as they grow accustomed to life on the road with no adult supervision, it is a rather interesting read. Not everyone is exactly who you think they are - the man who sold them the trailer; the hitchhiker; the thief - Wirt manages to throw some surprises in here and there with those characters, which keeps the story engaging. One thing I did find rather questionable is the fact that Jimmie, who is the youngest of the three siblings (at just 13 years old) does quite a bit of the driving! And there is never a question from any adult about his driving a car with the trailer attached. A search online reveals that by 1937, many states had adopted 16 as the minimum driving age; so, its surprising that Wirt would have a 13-year old driving across the county with no issues.
Overall, this was a really good start to the series, and as with the "Mystery Stories for Girls," it's easy to see that when Wirt was given the freedom away from the restrictions placed on her by the Stratemeyer outlines, she could produce some pretty great books!
RATING: 9 large sheets of heavy drawing paper out of 10 for presenting a unique type of sleuths, solving mysteries as they travel across the continent!
Such a fun series! I remember decades ago, going to a car museum in Detroit, and was really surprised how dee-LUX first travel trailers were. Um, they ... WEREN'T!
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