Helen S Hamilton – illustratör

The purchase of a houseboat for a customer at Mr. Hollister’s sport and toy store, The Trading Post, sends the Hollister family to Circus Island, the home of the Sunshine Circus, in Florida. Before they are to leave, however, Pam enters her dog Zip in a dog show where the theft of two French poodles and an injury to Zip begin a mystery which has some connection with the Hollisters’ destination in Florida. The five Hollister children are amazed when they discover the thief at the dog show has preceded them all along the way to Circus Island. Through clues, such as a handbill announcing the Wizard Circus and the disappearance of another dog, they learn the thief’s activities are far more sinister than anyone had at first suspected. Along with the strange occurrences of the mystery is the inside story of a circus. The boys learn a tumbling act, Holly tries her skill at tightrope walking, and they all find that a clown’s smile is sometimes only a happy mask that hides sorrow. An excellent new Hollister tale, set in a fascinating part of the United States and concerned with a way of life that’s almost like another world, this book will provide exciting reading.

A missing letter is the key to the whereabouts of Fort Freedom, the stockade that disappeared after the Revolutionary War. The fort is located somewhere within the boundaries of Shoreham and has been sought after for many years, not only for its historic value, but for the gold supposed to be hidden there by the early settlers. The Pine Lake Parkway construction job brings this unusual disappearance to public notice and, of course, wherever there is a mystery the Happy Hollisters are sure to be in the thick of it.And “thick” is just the right word, for it is hoped that the fort will be uncovered by the great bulldozers and steam shovels that are building the new Parkway. With dust and dirt flying and houses being torn down the Hollister children search the area for some clue that will lead them to the missing letter, the site of Fort Freedom, or both. Here is a fast-moving Hollister mystery that offers exciting adventure with narrow escapes from the dangers of the construction area and the false trail laid for the children by a man whose identity remains as much of a secret as the location of Fort Freedom.