Wholesome Fun with a Seaside Mystery (Bobbsey Twins: The Secret at the Seashore - Laura Lee Hope)

Member Name: shroud

Product:	Bobbsey Twins: The Secret at the Seashore - Laura Lee Hope
Date:	12/09/08 (44 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: wholesome, easy to read, engaging characters and entertaining plot

Disadvantages: original edition called BobbseyTwins at the Seashore has outdated depictions of minorities

While the Bobbsey's spent the first half of their summer holidays in the country, the second half of their summer was spent visiting another aunt and uncle who lived by the sea. The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore is simply that; it is a tale of a group of adventures the two sets of twins have with their cousin and newly found friends at the seashore. This time, they witness and investigate a ship wreck and have other small adventures as well as plain old good times typical of the seaside. The book stands well enough on its own, but is best read after The Bobbsey Twins in the Country, as several small plot threads are resolved in this.

For those less familiar with the series, let me say it is all rather reminiscent of the Famous Five, with mild danger and excitement around the corner. However, it should be noted that it is not an American copy cat of the idea. No, The Bobbsey Twins originated in the very early part of the 20th century (1904), soon after Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. The Famous Five came out four decades later (1942), by which time there was a huge genre of juvenile adventure and detective fiction. The Bobbsey Twins is aimed at the 6-12 year old market in its entirety, featuring a set of six year old fraternal twins and a set of 12 year old fraternal twins and their friends and family.It should be noted that due to the time period the original first several books were written, that some sadly typical stereotypes DID appear, namely with regards to how some people spoke.This is certainly true of the very early editions of this particular book, with Dinah and Sam speaking in a seemingly uneducated dialect. Later editions dating from 1961 were revised and updated to remove the anachronistic material and modernise the story content. The original text is from 1907 and called The Bobbsey Twins at The Seashore rather than The Secret at the Seashore, and the free online editions of the book are from the unrevised book, so be aware if you choose to read this edition, you may find some socially unacceptable material in there that may offend your modern sensibilities. The versions currently available as new in bookstores or that have the 1961 or later copyright date are free of these, and are in my opinion, much more suitable for modern children to read.

And read them they do. Not only did I grow up reading these, turned onto them by my mother who had read these from her local library growing up, but my children are enjoying them as well. My teenaged sons cut their Stratemeyer Syndicate teeth on these, and moved onto The Hardy Boys and beyond, while my seven year old is currently plowing through the collection with glee. It's clean cut fun with a bit of mild excitement as the children play traditional games of childhood, make new friends, go exploring, and solve the odd mystery along the way. It's strangely undated proving that while times change, and new toys and gadgets abound, childhood pretty much stays the same given the opportunity. With the short chapters and easy to read vocabulary, its not overly difficult and perfect for reading before bed one chapter at a time.

As for buying it, yes, I said about the pre revision period, but be aware that the publisher used many different formats for publishing, and many are highly collectible. You can buy the current red hardback edition from about £3 new at Amazon, while copies of the lavender and red spined 1960's to 80's editions may fetch anywhere from £1-100 depending on demand for the title, and cloth bound editions from the 50's about the same, while the much scarcer and not particularly recommended original 1907 editions printed by Mershon and not Grosset and Dunlap fetch considerably more as they are extremely rare. Regardless of red modern spine, earlier purple or red spine, or green cloth edition, your child is in for a treat of pure wholesome fun that puts the carefreeness back into childhood.

Summary: This revised and updated version of the 1907 book is full of wholesome fun and adventure