Jack Armstrong's Mystery Crysal - Book 2 of the Jack Armstrong Series

This was one of those "impulse" buys - I saw it in dust jacket, I had never heard of the character before, and I thought the cover was creative and unique, so I said to myself, "Why not?"  As it turns out, this book is the second book in a two-book series written by Stanley J. Wallace. I could find absolutely nothing about this author online, other than the fact that he wrote both books in this series - so I have no idea if Wallace is a real person or yet another in a long line of pseudonyms used to write children's series books back in the first half of the 20th century.  And as far as the main character goes ... well, we'll talk more about that name later... 

 

Jack Armstrong's Mystery Crystal, while having its own strange story, carries some of the plot threads from the first book into this one. As the story opens, we find Jack Armstrong traveling with his Yogi, a "native of mysterious India" named Sher Dal (p. 1).  The reader is given some details about Jack, insomuch as his parents were missionaries who had gone out to reach some natives in the wild jungles of India, only to disappear.  Presumed dead, Jack was taken in and trained by Sher Dal in the strange powers of the mind, learning how to use this "natural force [that exists] in many persons yet known to but few" ... a "mysterious force" that is "in the mind, the will - the power of thought" (p. 49).  I found myself chuckling at this description, thinking how easily the Sher Dal and young Jack mirror certain characters from a space saga that first hit theaters in 1977 (some forty years after this book was published).  It even had me wondering if perhaps George Lucas had read this book as a youngster and the idea had stuck in his head.  Hey, you never know!

 

In any event, Jack and Sher Dal are in the States (although it doesn't specify where), traipsing through a forest, when they stop at a farm house to buy some food, only to get entangled with the family there, whose car has been stolen- and they mistakenly believe Jack is one of the gypsies who stole it!   The family's name is "Turnbull" - Hank and Jenny Turnbull (pp. 14-16), and, of course, my mind immediately went to the second Nancy Drew mystery, The Hidden Staircase, in which Nancy comes to the aid of the Turnbull sisters, Rosemary and Floretta. I know it's simply a coincidence that the names are the same, but since this book came out only six years after the Nancy Drew title, you never know that the character name might have influenced this one.  It's not like "Turnbull" is a common name, after all.  Jack ultimately uses this crystal ball that he has to find the car, and in so doing, reveals its powers to a handyman at the farm - a handyman who later steals the crystal and runs off with a neighbor's car!  Jack and the Yogi do track down the man and retrieve the crystal, but not without injury to Sher Dal.  While he goes into the hospital, Jack heads out on his own to continue the search for his parents.

 

Yes, that is the plot thread that continues from the first book.  It seems Jack's parents may very well be alive, but they simply don't know where they are.  The crystal gives Jack a vision of his mother possibly being held captive in a jungle - only not in India, but in the southern part of Florida known as the Everglades (p. 67)!  Yes, it caught me by surprise as well, since it seems so many children's books I have been reading from this era all end up in Florida at one time or another.  Florida must have been the happening place for these authors, since so many characters make their way down to and have adventures in the Sunshine State.  By pure chance, Jack runs into his old friends from the first book (a traveling magician, his assistant, and his cook), and two of them join Jack in his adventure down to Florida, along with a Seminole Indian named Sam who agrees to show them the way - after all, he happens to go to Florida to collect orchid buds to sell up north (p. 159).  Now, for those who read this blog, that might sound a bit familiar, and that's because it is.  In The Moving Picture Girls Under the Palms, the girls are hoping to find a rare orchid that grows in the Everglades.  It seems that over 39 species of orchids grow throughout the Everglades, many of which are now endangered (although, back in 1936, such might not have been the case).  Again, another funny coincidence between plots in series books.

 

The crew have quite the adventure in the wilds of the Everglades, with deadly snakes, wild Indians, and even a hungry alligator who sets its sights on Sam when he climbs a tree to snag an orchid (p. 163).  What is odd is that this very scene is depicted on the frontis piece, but the page number given for that scene is 156, some seven pages prior.  Not sure how this error occurred, unless an earlier draft of the story had this scene at page 156 and more story was added later to increase the page count of the book?  In any event, that frontis is signed by C.R. Schaare, who turns out to be Christian Richard "Dick" Schaare Jr. (1893-1980), who provided covers for quite a few pulp magazines between 1925 and 1940, as well as worked on some comic books and painted covers for the boxing magazine, The Ring.  More information about Schaare can be found here:  Pulp Artists - Schaare.  Schaare also provided the cover art, which was used for both books (with the only difference being the title).

 

What annoyed me about the conclusion to this story is that (a) the author uses the "twin" trope to give readers a curve ball at the end, a plot element apparently used in the first book where a Jack look-a-like caused all sorts of trouble for our hero, and (b) Jack does not find his parents.  Rather, the last page of the book informs readers that Jack's search for his parents will continue in the next book, to be called "Jack Armstrong's Magic Stone," in which book it "will be told the perils he encountered among dangerous beasts and reptiles in his search for his lost father and mother" (p. 206).  The problem with that is that this next book was never published - it is a phantom title that readers never got to see in print.  I'm not sure what caused the failure to continue the series; was it low sales, did the publisher decide this story about mental powers was too strange, or did the author simply decide he (or she) did not want to write any more adventures of Jack Armstrong?

 

And speaking of Jack Armstrong.  If that name seems a bit familiar, it's because there was another Jack Armstrong that existed around the same time as this: Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy.  This other Jack Armstrong was a radio adventure series that ran from 1933 to 1951.  This character was adapted into a movie serial in 1947, as well as a 13-issue comic book series and two Big Little Books.  There was also a short-lived comic strip based on the radio show, which lasted from 1947 to 1950.  In addition, an animated cartoon pilot was developed by Hanna-Barbera, but it never got past that pilot stage.  While the Wikipedia page on this Jack Armstrong lists this two-book series as an adaptation of the radio character, after reading this book, I can say that this Jack Armstrong is nothing at all like the one from the radio show, movie, or comics.  How Cupples & Leon got away with using that character name is a mystery...

 

The story, with its heavy emphasis on mystic India mental powers, is certainly off-beat for its time, when most series books books were simply filled with adventure or mystery or school-centric tales.  In fact, the publisher has a one page "Explanatory Note" before the first chapter that asks readers to not discount the inexplicable things that take place in the story - "we warn you not to disbelieve the story of Jack's magic crystal and his strange wand that killed with the silence of eternity..."  Yet, it has its own charm, and I wish Wallace (or whoever it was that wrote the books) would have at least written one more, so the reader could share in the joy of Jack Armstrong being reunited with his parents!  Hopefully, one day I'll be able to find the first book (Jack Armstrong's Mystery Eye) and read about the events that led to the story in this book.

 

RATING:  7 great rocks shaped like an elephant out of 10 for a uniquely different kind of mystery of mysticism and magic!

The Sherlock Society (Book One of the Sherlock Society mysteries)

This is another book that came to me as a recommendation.  I had it on my Amazon watchlist already, but I did not buy it until James Keeline gave me the heads up that the author, James Ponti set the book in South Florida.  I was aware Ponti was a Florida resident, but I did not know he was giving us a series set in my home state, so I went online and made the purchase.  I was even more excited to see that Amazon already had the second book available for pre-order!  Keeline told me that the writing of this book was "a cut above most juveniles," so I definitely went into it with high hopes.  I mean, how could it possibly fail - Sherlock, Florida, mystery, children's series - such a fantastic combination!  Well, as the old saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover...

 

The Sherlock Society introduces a group of three middle school children who are getting ready to spend their summer vacation doing the normal things to earn money - babysitting, moving lawns, etc.  Alex Sherlock and his two friends, Lina and Yadi, are not looking forward to the prospects; but they are enjoying the escape room that the school librarian created for them, giving them some fun puzzles to solve within a limited time in order to "escape" the library.  What they did not expect is for Alex's sister, Zoe, to show up and help them work together to "escape" before the time expired!  And even more shocking is Zoe's idea to form a detective club for the summer, to earn money doing something they love!  Enter: the Sherlock Society!

 

I was truly looking forward to an intricate mystery, filled with plenty of riddles and clues; however, what I got was a travelogue of South Florida with snippets of one mystery that gets dumped in exchange for another mystery half-way through the book.  Perhaps it is because I live in Florida, but I got quickly bored with all of the detailed descriptions of Miami,  Biscayne Bay, Alligator Alley, the Everglades, and the surrounding areas, along with considerable exposition about the history of these locations.  And when they made the decision to search for Al Capone's missing millions, allegedly buried somewhere in South Florida, I was actually rather intrigued.  The crew began following up on various clues they were uncovering - but when they reached the place where they believe the money was hidden away, suddenly the entire focus of the mystery changed - the search for Al Capone's treasure was dropped, and the Sherlock Society began searching for who was illegally dumping dangerous waste materials into the Everglades.  So, instead of searching for money that would make them wealthy (in their minds), they decide to save the environment and hunt down the men who are killing the animal and plant life of the Everglades.

 

Do you see the more than obvious morality lesson here?

 

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for saving the environment, and I do believe those who are illegally and purposefully dumping deadly waste into rivers and lakes should be ferreted out and punished.  What I do not particularly enjoy is when a good children's mystery is overtly written to push that idea.  At least Ponti did not have the kids completely give up on Al Capone's missing millions, as the very last chapter of the book has them stumble upon the possible location of the money - perhaps a lead-in to the second book?  (No, checking the description for Hurricane Heist on Amazon, which is set to be released in September, it appears that book has nothing to do with Capone's money.)  It simply feels like a bait and switch - here's a great mystery about missing money with some interesting clues to be discovered along the way - but wait, no, let's forget that mystery so I can teach you a lesson about caring for the environment!

 

With that being said, I did rather enjoy the characters - Ponti breathes life into them that makes them very readable and relatable.  Alex is your typical young teen, ready to jump the gun and get into the action.  Lina is the booksmart fish-out-of-water Midwestern girl, who knows how to research with a thirst for knowledge.  Yadi is the aspiring film maker, with some great devices to help the Society using modern technology (although the constant references to him being a "conspiracy theorist" because of some of his beliefs felt more like a political statement than a characterization).  Zoe is the not-so-stereotypical teenage girl frustrated with her parents for not allowing her to go to camp with her friends, but who learns what true friendship is within the Sherlock Society that she forms!  And Grandpa (the kids' mother's father) is a real hoot - helping the Society as their driver, but ultimately getting them into trouble by letting his own love of adventure take them into some very dangerous territory.  All of the characters (including Mr. and Mrs. Sherlock) play well off of one another, and Ponti creates a diverse, real-world cast that help save the story from being a complete failure.

 

Oh, and I must say - if you are hoping the book will have a lot of references to Sherlock Holmes, based on the title (which is actually a reference to the main characters' last name - Alex and Zoe Sherlock), you will be disappointed.  Sure, there are a few references scattered throughout, but not at much as one would expect.

 

Based on this book, I will not be picking up any further books in the series.  Perhaps the next book, and those that follow, will feature better stories than this one, and if that is the case, then great!  I certainly wish Ponti success with the series.  But I have enough ongoing mystery series, both children's series and adult series, that I find much more enjoyable and readable.  I gave it a shot, and it simply did not meet up to my expectations, particularly given the recommendation I received.

 

RATING:  5 well-loved books on botany out of 10 for creating a fun new cast of young sleuths who (hopefully!) will solve some great mysteries in the future.

Murder by Cheesecake - the first Golden Girls' cozy mystery

"Thank you for being a friend ... traveled down the road and back again ..." I don't think there is a person alive that can read those words without actually singing them in your head.  If you're like me, you'll actually sing them out loud!  That theme song opened up 180 episodes of one of the funniest television shows to ever grace the small screen - The Golden Girls.  I watched every episode, from the first one in September 1985 to the last one in May 1992, and since then, I've re-watched episodes more times than I can possibly count.  The show put together the perfect cast, with the greatest writers, and it was a hit that never disappointed.  So, imagine my surprise when more than thirty years after the show ended, I happen across a book inspired by the television show - and not just any book, but an actual murder mystery.  That's right, you read that correctly!   Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sophia now have their very own cozy mystery series, written by Rachel Ekstrom Courage, a publisher-turned-writer, and I could not wait to be reunited with these golden gals!

 

Murder by Cheesecake takes one of The Golden Girls' most popular props from the series and turns it into a murder weapon - sort of.  The story focuses on poor naive Rose, who is working overtime to pull off a traditional St. Olaf wedding in Miami for her cousin, Nettie, who is marrying a young man, Jason, who is NOT a native of St. Olaf - and the townspeople are not happy about it.  Rose's other cousin, Gustave (not to be mistaken with her cousin Gustav, who was the object of many St. Olaf tales...), does not think she will be able to pull it off, staying true to all of the St. Olaf traditions - such as the bridal shower (consisting of a REAL shower), the groom riding in a donkey, the Sharing of the Soup, and so on.  Rose is determined to prove him wrong, even if it kills her.  Unfortunately, it kills someone else - that someone being a man with whom Dorothy had just had a date - from a video dating service!

 

From the very first chapter, I felt like I was watching an episode of the show.  The comedic quips were all there - Sophia's crude remarks, Dorothy's sarcasm, Blanche's sexual prowess, and Rose's innocence and St. Olaf naivete - I could literally hear the actresses' voices in my head as I read each line of dialogue.  Courage managed to really capture the essence of the four women, making it a true joy to read.  Once the women stumble across the body in the freezer of the hotel owned by Jason's parents, there is (sadly) a lesser degree of comedy and a greater focus on the solving of the crime - particularly since Dorothy seems to be the police's prime suspect!  The question is, how can Rose keep all of the guests - the St. Olafians from Nettie's side and the Floridians from Jason's side - from finding out about the murder and destroying her chance to pull of a wedding in true St. Olaf fashion?  Thus, the antics to hide the horrific event from the guests, while at the same time looking for the killer to prove Dorothy's innocence, begins.

 

With regard to the murder mystery, I give Courage credit for creating a rather interesting plot that involves smuggling, crime rings, drag queens, mistaken identities, a threatened inheritance, and an exciting motorcycle chase with an exceptionally daring rescue!  There are plenty of clues spread throughout the story, with some red herrings to keep you from solving the crime too easily, and there are plenty of references to events that took place in the television show to remind you that this story is an actual part of The Golden Girls' lore.  I just wish the humorous quips that were present in the first couple of chapters (before they find the body) were as prevalent throughout the rest of the story.  Ther were a few humorous lines scattered here and there, but the story took a much more "murder mystery procedural" turn after the body and focused more on solving the crime.

 

The author does throw in a couple of surprising references to children's series books - the first appears when Nettie gives "Rose the same puppy-dog eyes she'd given her when she begged for a Nancy Drew Madame Alexander doll for her tenth birthday" (p. 33).  While many mysteries with female detectives make reference to Nancy Drew; however I think this is the first time I have ever come across a reference to the Nancy Drew Madame Alexander Doll, which was released back in 1967 but did not stay on the market long.  Now, since the book indicates it was Nettie's tenth birthday, and the book is set in the 1980s (at least 1985 or later), that would mean Nettie would need to be in her thirties for this book.  The second series book reference shows up when the Girls are keeping surveillance on suspects in the lobby of the hotel, when they spot Jason's sister arguing with her husband.  Dorothy makes the comment, "... I"m not so sure about the Bobbsey Twins.  I'm adding what we just saw to our case file" (p. 182).  Obviously, this reference is a bit off, since the Bobbsey Twins were brother and sister, not husband and wife; yet, it was still great to see that someone still remembers them!

 

One other thing worth mentioning is when Dorothy is told by the police that the dead man was a potential con artist who scammed a number of women out of money and other valuable objects, leaving her to wonder if "the same man [she went on a date with] was this thieving lothario ..." That is twice now that the word "lothario" has popped up in a book I've been reading, the first just days ago when I was reading Jane Withers and the Hidden Room, which also featured some con artists / thieves.  I have spent my whole life never hearing or reading that word, and now, in less than a week, it appears in two separate books written more than 80 years apart!  Talk about your mind-boggling coincidences!

 

Despite the downturn in humor after the murdered man is found, the book was still an enjoyable read, and I am hoping there will be more.  This book focused more on Rose and Dorothy, so I'm hoping the next book will give Blanche and/or Sophia a chance to shine!

 

RATING:  9 pairs of vibrant teal color sunglasses out of 10 for bringing The Golden Girls out of retirement and re-introducing them to a new generation of fans (as well as old ones like me!) in a brand new way!

Exploring Series Books in Florida, Part 3 - Celebrating Gasparilla with Vicki Barr

Florida has so many places that can be found in various series books that Pam and I had to continue with our adventures!  After exploring the Space Coast (Series Books - the Space Coast) with the Hardy Boys, the Happy Hollisters, and Nancy Drew, and then exploring St. Augustine (Series Books - the Oldest City) with the Moving Picture Girls, the time came to head over to the west coast to follow in the footsteps of that crime-solving flight attendant, Vicki Barr!  That trip was originally planned back in October, but due to the hurricane, plans were changed - which, ultimately worked out for the best, because it gave us the opportunity to visit the Tampa Bay area in January and experience Gasparilla, just like Vicki Barr did!

 

As with our trip to St. Augustine, we were able to focus on just one book for this trip, and that was the Vicki Barr mystery, The Clue of the Gold Coin. This book is the twelfth book in the Vicki Barr Flight Stewardess series.  This series is sort of a companion career series to Cherry Ames (who was a nurse), as both series had the same authors: Helen Wells and Julie Campbell Tatham.  This particular book was written by Helen Wells, the original author for the series, and was published in 1958.  The story follows Vicki Barr, who was fortunate enough to get a route that would take her to Tampa Bay area, where she could not only visit with some friends, but also experience the pirate festival known as Gasparilla.  Vicki stumbles upon a mystery involving gold coins that are stolen from a museum exhibit that was arriving by plane, so of course, her traipsing through Tampa and Ybor City was mostly focused on solving the mystery.  Of course, along the way, she visited a number of various places, and it was surprising how many of them Pam and I found in the real world...

 

The adventure for Vicki began with her flight into the Tampa International Airport, as she looked out the window and "at last the hangars and runways of the Tampa International Airport swept into view..." (p. 4)  It was obvious that this would be our first stop as we followed in Vicki's footsteps.

 

We followed signs to see where the arriving flights would unload.  While Vicki flew in to Tampa on Federal Airlines, that is a fictional airline which does not exist in the real world (in the United States, anyway). Thus, we figured the closest we might find would be American Airlines, and we discovered the unloading took place at Blue 125.  There were a number of taxis waiting for passengers, which would have been perfect for Vicki, who "went out the building's main entrance to look for a taxi" (p. 12).

 

Once Vicki is settled into her friends' home, she is invited to join them for Gasparilla.  Her hosts provide her with a description of the event, giving her an abbreviated history of the pirate festival (pp. 17-19).  Since we did not have those same hosts to share the story, we visited the Henry B. Plant Museum, which provided the history we were seeking!

 

As the story goes, "...in 1783, to be exact, an officer in the Spanish Navy named Jose Gaspar mutinied ... turned pirate, changed his name to Gasparilla, meaning Little Gaspar, and began to prey on the merchant ships of all nations.  He made his headquarters in the islands around Tampa Bay..." (p. 17).

 

Since the book was published in 1958, it was likely the author visited Tampa the previous year and was able to experience the Gasparilla festival of 1957.  We learned that each festival has a "royal court" that includes a King and Queen, along witha group of maids, and the court is an important part of the celebration. At the museum Pam and I visited, we were fortunate enough to see the Jewel Circle Gown worn by a member of the court in 1957, which dress was designed by Anne Lowe, the first internationally recognized African-American fashion designer.

 

Both the museum and The Clue of the Gold Coin shared the history of how a "group of Tampa businessmen formed an organization called Ye Mystic Krewe..." (p. 18), which has since been joined by more than 60 additional "krewes," all of whom come together each year to contribute to this annual festival.  The Tampa Bay Hotel, which now houses the Henry B Plant Museum,was the central location for the early festivals.

 

 

From museum, it was only a hop, skip, and a jump (literally!) to the Cass Street Bridge.  Now, you may be wondering why would visit a bridge, as what importance could it have had to the Vicki Barr story?  Well, as it turns out, the book contains a two-page spread illustration of a drawbridge being lifted so that a pirate ship in the Gasparilla parade could make its way through.  

 

Based on the illustration, there was no doubt the bridge was the Cass Street Bridge, built back in 1926.  While the water tower in the background of the illustration is no longer there, the small octagonal building that housed the controls for the bridge is still there!  Based on the details in the illustration, either the author provided photographs of the bridge for use in drawing the scene, or the illustrator was familiar enough with it to depict it with such exactness.

 

Next in the adventure, Vicki was offered a chance to "VISIT GLAMOROUS YBOR CITY - Enchanted Land of Fiesta and Romance" (p. 82), and on our trip to Tampa Bay, we also visited this suburb of Tampa.  Pronounced "Ee-boar," the city was founded back in 1885 and became quite famous for its cigar industry. 

 

When Vicki made her way over to the area, she discovered that "Ybor City was quite different from the modern section of Tampa..." (p. 83).  As she walked the district, she thought of it as "The Latin Quarter of Tampa" (p. 83).

 

While in Ybor, Vicki had lunch at "The Granada Restaurant" (p. 82).  In the story, the author describes the restaurant so vividly.  "The foyer just inside the door was floored with bright mosaic tile as were the walls..." (pp. 85-86).

 

"A tiny fountain in the middle of the hall was surrounded by potted palms ... A huge archway provided the entrance to the restaurant proper" (p. 86).

 

Based on the descriptions in the story, it was undoubtedly clear that the restaurant called "Granada" in the book was actually the Columbia Restaurant, which opened its doors back in 1905.  Pam and I were very fortunate, in that the current owner of the restaurant was there the day we lunched, and he came over to the table to talk with us about the book.  When we read the description given by Helen Wells in the story, he agreed there could be no doubt it was describing the Columbia.  

 

While at the restaurant, Vicki asks if there is music, and she is told "[a]t dinner we have also the piano and violin" (p. 86).  In the Columbia Restaurant, Pam and I found memorials to Adela and Cesar Gonzmart, who played the piano and violin, respectively, for many years in the restaurant (including the 1950s, when this book was written and published!).

 

The Columbia Restaurant is quite well known, and the ownership has remained with the family who first established it back in 1905.   It has changed very little over the years (although the courtyard with the fountain now has a roof covering it, so on those rainy days, people can still enjoy their meals in that room), and it maintains its original Spanish feel.

 

Upon leaving the Granada Restaurant (a/k/a Columbia Restaurant), Vicki follows a character that she suspects of shady business dealings to his residence - so that is exactly what we did!  "To find the Duke is like putting your finger on quicksilver.  But his home is on Columbus Driver at the corner of Thirteenth Street.  A red-brick house with a balcony..." (p. 91).  Pam and I drove down Columbus Drive until we reached Thirteenth Street, and behold!  Right there on the corner, just like the book says, is a two-story, red-brick house with a balcony!  (NOTE - in the story, Vicki walks the distance from the restaurant to the house; however, in the real world, the distance would be far too great to walk!)

 

Later in the book, Vicki returns to Ybor City with her hosts for "dinner ... in a restaurant called the Spanish Park.  It was very much like the Granada, Vicki thought, with archways, tiled floors and walls, potted palms and tinkling fountains" (p. 101).  There was once a restaurant called the Spanish Park in Ybor City on the corner of 7th Avenue and 36th Street, which was a family-owned eating establishment that closed its doors, after nearly a century, in 2022 (just three years ago!).

 

Having located the address while researching the history of the Spanish Park restaurant, Pam and I set out to see what now stood at the corner of 7th Avenue and 36th Street.  Sadly, the building now on that corner was drastically different - no more arches, nor more tiled walls...).

 

So, after hunting down all of the locations, it was finally Saturday and finally time to experience the Gasparilla festival, just like Vicki (and likely just like the author did back in 1957, the year before the book was published).

 

In the book, Wells describes how the "costumed members of Ye Mystic Krewe clambered onto gaily decorated floats, and amid the strident music of half a dozen bands, the parade began to move slowly up the street away from the docks" (p. 80).  I have a feeling the floats were much more extravagantly decorated and colorful back then, as the floats we saw pass by during the parade were simple and not overly colorful at all (which was a bit disappointing).

 

However, just like Vicki did in the illustration, Pam managed to track down a pirate of her own!

 

The parade was extremely crowded, with throngs of people literally pressing in from all sides.  We left just a bit early in order to avoid the rush of everyone leaving once the parade ended.  We made our way back by trolley to Ybor City, where we parked.  And, interestingly enough, while in Ybor, we happened across a sign on one of the buildings which advertised "Jewel Box Lofts" and "Gruen Watches" - now any series book fan is going to automatically get those references to Nancy Drew's twentieth mystery (The Clue in the Jewel Box) and to Nancy Drew's housekeeper (Hannah Gruen).  Talk about coincidences!

 

And with that, we wrapped up our third Florida series book adventure.  First it was the Space Coast, then it was St. Augustine, and now Tampa Bay.  As we packed our bags for our return trips home, we had to wonder - where would our next Florida adventure take us?  The Everglades?  Key West?  Miami? Fort Lauderdale?  Fort Myers?  Palm Beach?  So many places to choose from!

 

Only time will tell....

Exploring Series Books in Florida, Part 2 - the Oldest City in the United States

We had so much fun exploring the Space Coast of Florida, searching for all of the locations that the Hardy Boys, the Happy Hollister, and Nancy Drew visited (Series Books - The Space Coast), that Pam and I could not wait to visit our next destination.  With so many series books that have had books set in Florida, we certainly had plenty from which to choose.  In this case, though, Hurricane Milton made the decision for us, since the West Coast of Florida has been drastically affected by the wind and rains.  Thus, looking to stay on the East Coast, we moved just a couple of counties north of the Space Coast, up to St. John County, Florida and the oldest city in the United States - St. Augustine!

 

In this instance, we were fortunate to only have one book to explore in this grand city, and that was The Moving Picture Girls Under the Palms.  This book is the fourth book in "The Moving Picture Girls" series produced by the Stratemeyer Syndicate and published under the author name of Laura Lee Hope.  The series follows the adventures of two sisters, Ruth and Alice DeVere, and their father, Hosmer DeVere, all of whom work in the film industry (silent films, as this series was originally published from 1914 - 16).  In this particular volume, the girls travel to Florida with their father and the rest of the film troupe to make several more movies in St. Augustine, as well as in areas in the interior of the state.  It is those chapters where the film crew stays and films in St. Augustine on which Pam and I focused our attention...

 

In the story, Ruth and Alice, along with their father and the film troupe, stay at a hotel described as having a "ladies' court, with a palm-girded garden wherein a fountain played" (p. 63).  Upon arriving in St. Augustine, we discovered that the city boasts a hotel that accurately fits that description - the Alcazar Hotel!  Built by Henry Flagler, a railroad tycoon who was wanting to create a resort city in the South, the Alcazar officially opened in 1888 on Christmas Day.  The hotel remained opened until 1931, so it would have been opened in 1914, when this book was published.  The author likely visited the hotel at some point, or was intimately familiar with it, as the descriptions certainly fit the place.

 

 The "ladies' court" (p. 63), which was the inner courtyard where the girls "strolled out under the beautiful loggia, through an avenue of palms and many tropical plants" (pp. 66-67), has gone through changes over the years, but it still has the small bridge over the fountain of water, as well as the line of palm trees and tropical plants everywhere you turn.  Pam and I nearly felt like we had walked right into the pages of the story, joining Ruth and Alice as they took in the breathtaking beauty of the hotel.

 

Within walking distance of the hotel was Fort Marion (p. 66), located on the banks of the Mantanzas River (p. 68).  It was here that the players were to film a movie titled "The Spanish Prisoner" (p. 78), and according to the book, "the background of the old fort [was] most effective" (p. 78).  The book talks about "what was once the drawbridge in front of the portcullis, near the old watchtower on the stairway that was originally an inclined way, by which artillery was hauled up to the terre plein" (p. 78).  Like the acting troupe in the story, the fort was a moment in time preserved for all to see.

Due to the heavy rains from Hurricane Milton, the inside of the fort was, unfortunately, closed to visitors, so Pam and I were not able to go in and see the old guard room and the dungeon (p. 78), which Alice and Ruth explored when not filming scenes for their movie.  We did, however, take time to walk around the outside of the fort, taking in the moat, the watchtower, and the area where the drawbridge once existed.  Again, we were able to imagine what it must have been like for the film troupe as they filmed in and around the fort, as it certainly could be used as the backdrop for a period piece of drama!

 

 As we continued to explore St. Augustine and follow in the path of the Moving Picture Girls, our next stop was the Old City Gates. In the book, the girls "reached the north end of St. George street and before the old city gates..." (p. 67).  This description is spot-on, as the end of St. George Street is exactly where we found the Old City Gates, still standing after more than 280 years!

 

The book gave a very accurate description of the gates, which (as stated in the book) were built in 1743.  And, like the story says, there is a bronze tablet set in the masonry (p. 68) that is still embedded in the wall today - although it definitely shows its age!  Pam and I were fortunate enough to have a couple take a picture of us at the gate, and as you can see, they are not only pretty tall (way taller than me!), but also considerably thick - which they would need to be, if the walls were built to protect the city.

 

 

Now, there was one place in the book that provided a great description, but, unfortunately, no longer exists in the real world.  The Moving Picture Girls visit an orange grove, which is said to be just a short distance from the city gates (p. 70).  At one time, such an orange grove did exist just down the street from the gates - Dr. Gaernett's Orange Grove, which is likely the grove to which the author is referring - however, by the 1950s, the property had been sold, and, bit by bit, the grove disappeared as the city developed more and more.  Now, all we have to remember the grove are postcards of the past.

 

 

Being in St. Augustine, one would expect that the Moving Picture Girls would visit the famed Fountain of Youth - and, yes, they did!  The book indicates that the girls found the fountain "...on Myrtle Avenue, two block north of the orange grove..." (p. 73).  The distance is just a it off, but not by much.  The Fountain of Youth is located at the end of Myrtle Avenue, but the entrance is now off of the cross-street, Magnolia Avenue (Fountain of Youth).  I suppose, since this is a work of fiction, some liberties could be taken with distance and directions.

As the sign at the entrance to the park says, the Fountain of Youth represents the first chapter of our nation's colonial history - in 2,000 BC, the native Timucua town of Seloy thrives on the location; in 1513, Ponce de Leon landed at the location; in 1565, Menendez established the city of St. Augustine at the location; and in 1587, the First Mission Church of Nombre de Dios was built on the location.  Certainly, there have been countless changes to the park over the years, the fountain itself is still a major draw for tourists - so, just like the Moving Picture Girls, Pam and I had to check it out!

 

The book even goes so far as to describe how "near the fountain was a large coquina cross ..." (p. 75), which can still be viewed in the park today. As indicated in the book, the cross was actually found "by discovery of a silver casque, which contained documents telling of the matter ..." (p. 76).  When visiting the park, you can see the Coquina Cross, made up of 15 vertical and 13 horizontal stones that were allegedly placed there by Ponce de Leon to indicate his discovery of the fountain.  The park retains a copy of the silver container that was discovered in 1904, which contained papers that purported to be "an affidavit by a crown official to verify that [the] cross was made here by Ponce de Leon in the year 1513" (from the plaque located at the site of the cross and the silver casque inside the park).  Thus, the discovery of that cross and casque would have only taken place 10 years prior to the publication of this book!

 

 

Time escaped us faster than we anticipated as we explored the country's oldest city, and before we knew it, we had to leave.  This meant we did not have time to visit the Alligator Farm, where "[o]ne act in a play took place ... on Anastasia Island" (p. 94).  There is an actual Alligator Farm in St. Augustine, that is still open to the public today (Alligator Farm).  It is most certainly larger than it was back in 1914, and most likely more commercialized for tourists than at the turn of the previous century.  Nevertheless, tourists today can see live alligators just as Ruth and Alice did during the stay in St. Augustine.

 

The Moving Pictures Girls Under the Palms (1914), written under the pseudonym of Laura Lee Hope, offered up the most places to visit from any of the other books we explored during Pam's trip to Florida.  St. Augustine was an unexpected treasure trove of adventure for us - the Alcazar Hotel, the Fountain of Youth, Fort Marion, the Mantanzas River, the Old City Gates - it was truly like stepping back in time and stepping right into the pages of the book we had read.  

Although Pam had to head back home to Canada, it was not without hope.  Already, we were discussing our next adventure, because we were determined to get over to the west side of Florida and trace the path of a certain flight attendant who solved a mystery over there...

 

COMING SOON:  Exploring Series Books in Florida - Part 3 (Tampa Bay)!

Exploring Series Books in Florida, Part 1 - the Space Coast

After our fun-filled exploration of Cooperstown, New York (The Secret of Mirror Bay), my friend, Pam, and I decided it would be fun to take a look at some books set in my home state of Florida and, if we found any real locations referenced in the books, to take some time out and explore those places!  Well, we quickly discovered that there are quite a number of books set in Florida - from Betty Gordon to the Bobbsey Twins; from Connie Blair to the Happy Hollisters; from the Moving Picture Girls to Nan Sherwood; from the Outdoor Girls to Vicki Barr; from the Hardy Boys to Nancy Drew; and quite a few others.  We were astounded by how many young sleuths made their way to the Sunshine State for adventure and mystery, and we could not wait to delve into these books and see just what actual places we would find in our reading!

 

Once we started reading the various books, we quickly realized the best way to do this was to group the books by location, so that we could explore one location at a time.  Pam made plans to come down last autumn for our first excursion, planned for Tampa; but our plans got rather sidetracked by that pesky Hurricane Milton! However, we were not waylaid; rather, we simply altered our objective(which, as we learned later, turned out for the best!) and started with a different location - in this instance, we headed over to the East Coast instead of the West Coast and visited some locations that the Hardy Boys, the Happy Hollisters, and Nancy Drew visited in some of their mysteries.

 

The Happy Hollisters and the Missile Town Mystery, first published in 1961, was the first of our books to feature the Space Coast, as it is referred to here in Florida.  In this book, the Hollister family visits their friends, the Davis family, who reside in the town of Cocoa (p. 28), and they make visits to Merritt Island and Cocoa Beach, where Cape Kennedy a/k/a Cape Canaveral is located on one end of the beach (p. 34).  The book even discusses Banana River, which runs between the Cape and the town of Merritt Island (p. 94).  We drove through these towns and along the river as we made out way down the coast.  We visited Cape Canaveral, just like the Hollisters, who learned that "Canaveral" meant "canebrake" in Spanish, referring to the sugar cane that was raised in the area (p. 53).  It is likely the Cape looked considerably different back in the early 1960s compared to today, but the location of the Space Center remains the same.

 

The Hollisters also visited Patrick Air Force Base, located at the other end of the beach (p. 35).  Pam and I drove down the causeway, hoping to have an opportunity to visit the base, and we had a bit of difficulty getting in, as the entrance is some bit before the actual base itself.  Also, something that threw us off a bit is the fact that the air force based has since been rename - it is now called U.S. Space Force: Patrick Space Force Base!  Which just goes to show just how far we have come since the 1960s!  Unfortunately, due to security concerns these days, casual visitors are not allowed onto the base, so we were not able to get beyond the welcome center (although I think the servicemen at the desk were taken aback by the idea that the base actually appeared in children's mystery books!).

 

Following the trail of the Hollisters, our next stop was Cocoa Beach itself.  In the book, the Hollister children comb the beach, hoping to find some part of the missile that exploded just after take-off (pp. 35-37, etc).  Pam and I did not necessarily search for parts of a missile, but we did search for shells and enjoyed the cool breeze coming in off the Atlantic Ocean!

 

 

It is easy to see why the Hollisters had so much fun while in Florida - they got to enjoy the sunny beach, they got to experience the excitement of a missile launch at Cape Kennedy a/k/a Cape Canaveral, and they were able to experience what life is like for those who live here.  While Jerry West (Andrew Svenson) did embellish the story, including some fictional locations and events, he did include enough real locations that we were able to follow in the family's footsteps.  Sadly, time did not permit us the opportunity to go to the port and see about fishing for shrimp (p. 113) or snapper (p. 147) - perhaps another time!

 

Moving right along, we look at the next book on our list, which is Nancy Drew's eighteenth mystery,

Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion (revised text), which was published in 1971, just ten years after the Happy Hollisters book. In the revised text of this book, the story for which was completely different from the original, Kennedy Space Center plays a central part of the mystery.  Therefore, since Pam and I were already there, we decided to make the most of it!

 

 

 

Nancy and her friends start off at the Visitor's Information Center Op. 30), and so Pam and I began our adventure there, taking note of the mock-ups of missile and rockets (p. 30). Inside the Information Center, there were plenty of toy rockets, mock space candy, and books about the Center and the history of man's reaching for the stars.

 

The next stop was the Vehicle Assembly Building, which George called "a real skyscraper" (p. 32).  There can be no doubt she was correct in her description, as Pam and I had to look way up to see the top of that building, which is a whopping 52 stories high! We would have loved to have gone inside and explored a bit, but unfortunately, time simply did not permit that day (remember, we were doing all of this right before a hurricane was going to cross the state, so there was not a lot that was open!).

 

At the end of Moss-Covered Mansion, Nancy and her friend were fortunate enough to countdown to the launch of a rocket (pp. 175-76); while we did get to see a huge countdown clock, unfortunately it was not connected to any actual launch that day (I can't begin to imagine them trying to launch a rocket right before a hurricane!). 

For the next book on our journey, we had to jump ahead twelve years to 1983, with the publication of The Hardy Boys No. 79, Sky Sabotage.  In this book, Frank and Joe do quite a bit of traveling around Central Florida, from Orlando over to the Space Coast, then back inland, then down to south Orlando, and back to the Space Coast.  While the timing of all that travel is quite a bit off (trust me I've driven those distances, and there is no way those Hardy Boys could have made it in the times they did!).

 

This book only contained a few real references, the first being the boys' arrival into Florida at the Orlando International Airport.  This is the same airport into which Pam flew down from Canada, and I can promise you that the OIA (as it is referred to here in Central Florida) is quite a bit different and much, MUCH larger than it was back in 1983.  It is doubtful the boys would have had as much difficulty as travelers today have in navigating the terminals.

 

In their travels throughout the book, the brothers make a stop at the police headquarters in Melbourne (p. 76), a city that is south of Cape Canaveral and Patrick Space Force Base (but still located in the same county).  In our own travels, we learned that the City of Melbourne has built a new headquarters since then, so the police station there now would not have been the one the Hardy Boys visited during their trip.

 

Probably the biggest nod to a real location in the book is when the boys pay a visit to "Fantasieworld" theme park (pp. 104, 107, and 108), in which they see rides such as "Outer Space Planet," "Deep Sea Submarine Ride," "Bear Dance," Island Pirates," and "Haunted House" - all of which are obvious takes on Walt Disney World and its famous rides, Space Mountain, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Country Bear Jamboree, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Haunted Mansion.  We did not go inside of Disney (do you have any idea the cost of tickets these days?  egads!), but we did find it amusing how conspicuous the ghostwriter made the names of those rides.

 

Now, for the last book on this jaunt, we only had to jump ahead two years, to 1985, when the Hardy Boys once again visited Florida in The Skyfire Puzzle (which was originally going to be titled The Mystery of the Space Shuttle).  This book finds the brothers experiencing way more of Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral than we ever could, since they were not only able to explore a lot of secure areas, but they actually get to go up into space in a shuttle!  I do not think either Pam or I was ready for that!

 

 

 

Since the boys were invited to parts of Cape Canaveral that is only open to employees, Pam and I thought we would try and sneak a peak at one of those "crew member" only areas.  We got to take a peak through the fence before a very nice employee led us away and to the actual guest entrance.  

 

In the book, the Hardys were able to tour " detailed mock-up of the shuttle" (p. 84), as well as visit the Vehicle Assembly Building (p. 86).  As indicated above, we did not get to see the inside of the Vehicle Assembly Building, but we did get to see a number of missiles on display at the Space Center.

 

And last, but not least, we did pass by the same Mosquito Lagoon that Frank and Joe saw in the book (p. 26) as they were making their way to Kennedy Space Center.  We learned that this lagoon is one of the least developed regions along the East Coast of Florida and it actually has a population of bottlenose dolphins that take up residence there.  We were not lucky enough to see any of those dolphins as we passed by the lagoon.  Kennedy Space Center, along with the cities of New Smyrna Beach and Edgewater, adjoin the lagoon.

 

Pam and I had a grand time exploring the Space Coast region, searching out the locations that the Hollisters, Nancy, Frank, and Joe visited in their books.  We know that Andrew Svenson actually visited the area prior to his writing of the Happy Hollisters story, which is why that book has the most accurate depictions of the area (at the time). Harriet Stratemeyer Adams is credited for writing the revised Nancy Drew book, and Neal Barrett, Jr. is said to have written The Skyfire Puzzle for the Hardy Boys.  Both of those books have at least some semblance of real locations within the stories.  The other Hardy Boys mystery, however, has very few real locations referenced, and I was unable to find the identity of the ghostwriter - leading one to believe that the writer may not have had a much knowledge of Central Florida and the Space Coast as the others did.

 

Having now toured the Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, and its surrounding areas for these four books, we wondered where our next adventure (after the hurricane passed through!) would take us...

 

COMING SOON:  Exploring Series Books in Florida - Part 2 (St. Augustine)!