The Wounded Bookshop: Classic Kids’ Mystery and Adventure Series

          Howdy, folks!  Welcome to the Wounded Bookshop!  Have you ever been at a library booksale, an antique store, a thrift shop, a yard sale, or somewhere else and stumbled across an old book that you’d never heard of?  One that you thought might be interesting, but you weren’t sure, because you didn’t know anything about it?  If so, then you’ve come to the right place.  Drawing off my extensive collection of classic children’s literature, many of which books are out of print, I’ll give you a summary of the titles I own, so if you ever run across the book somewhere, you'll have a better idea of whether it’s something you want to buy or not.  This blog will cover everything from the Hardy Boys to the Bobbsey Twins, from the Mercer Boys to Nancy Drew, from Tom Swift to Rick Brant—and more!  My main job will be to summarize the plot, but I’ll also tell you what the series is about (especially for the more obscure series), provide information on the author (whose name often differs from the one on the book’s cover), and maybe provide the story of how I ran across it—which sometimes can be almost as interesting as the story itself!

          Usually, I tend to like books from this era, so most of the titles I review I recommend.  Of course, you occasionally find ones that aren’t as good, and I may review those as well, if only to point out why you might not want to waste your three bucks.  Those children’s novels from the first part of the 20^th Century are some of my favorite books ever written—they’re exciting, they capture the imagination, and they keep the reader entertained for a good two hundred pages or so.

          Obviously, there will be one important limitation on what books can be reviewed here—and that is whether I can get a hold of them or not.  After all, many of the series I plan on reviewing are long out of print, and I only own a few titles from them that I happened to stumble across somewhere.  Thus, no matter how much I like a series, I might not be able to review every book in it—but the one positive about these books’ elusiveness is that it makes finding them all the more rewarding.  There’s no feeling in the world like discovering a book you’ve never heard of, reading it, loving it, and later finding another one in the series and going, “Oh, my goodness!  I love that series!”

          As for how often I post…well, that depends on how often I can get these things read and write a review…so…we’ll find out!

          I hope you enjoy this blog!

          P.S.—A note on the title.  The Wounded Bookshop in Fredericksburg, Virginia, was one of my favorite used bookstores growing up.  My parents didn’t get me many books from it—in fact, I think the only one we did get was Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Missing Heiress—but it was a terrific read, and the other books they had looked equally fascinating.  It’s out of business now, but its legacy is not forgotten.