Of all the Stratemeyer Syndicate series (which include The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew), the Bobbsey Twins books are probably the most escapist. Nan and Bert are always twelve; Freddie and Flossie are always six. The family always lives in a big house, always has a good time, and always figures things out by the last page. They are, in short, the ideal nuclear family of the age-old American Dream variety, smiling in the land of plenty where no shadow can threaten unhappiness or want.
Because these books were intended for younger readers (about the range of the two sets of Bobbsey twins), they're pretty innocuous. Many of the books are simply accounts of childish adventures; others have a mystery element, but the mysteries are seldom dark or scary, almost never violent, and generally end in relieved laughter and hugs all around. Readers won't be confronted with major moral problems, the kids are well-behaved, and Mr. and Mrs. Bobbsey fill their traditional gender roles.
There are few at Exodus Books who haven't enjoyed the Bobbsey Twins books at some point in their lives. The whole series is full of harmless fun, easy reading, and lighthearted Americana. Two dangers: 1) this kind of happy-go-lucky escapism isn't sufficient to explain to kids what the real world is like, and 2) having your kids read an entire 72-volume series of books that won't challenge their reading ability probably isn't the best for their academic development.
Reading for pleasure doesn't need to be academically challenging all the time; we perfectly understand that, and agree that sometimes kids just need to read something fun and easy. The Bobbsey Twins books are perfect for this, especially since there's nothing inappropriate about them. At the same time, a steady diet without interruptions will likely leave them without a taste for really good literature, and without a desire to improve intellectually.
The first Bobbsey Twin book appeared in 1904, and is rumored to be the work of Edward Stratemeyer himself. In the beginning, the kids got older as the series progressed, but the writers realized the Twins were getting too old and locked them at the ages of twelve and six. This is a bit creepy if you think too hard about it, but kids don't care, and the Bobbsey Twins books are way better than TV for keeping children occupied and entertained.
Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews
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Complete List of Titles
- The Bobbsey Twins, or Merry Days Indoors and Out, 1904
The Bobbsey Twins of Lakeport, 1961
- The Bobbsey Twins in the Country, 1907
The Bobbsey Twins' Adventure in the Country, 1961
- The Bobbsey Twins at the Seashore, 1907
The Bobbsey Twins: The Secret at the Seashore, 1961
- The Bobbsey Twins at School, 1913
The Bobbsey Twins' Mystery at School, 1962
- The Bobbsey Twins at Snow Lodge, 1913
The Bobbsey Twins and the Mystery at Snow Lodge, 1960
- The Bobbsey Twins on a Houseboat, 1915
- The Bobbsey Twins at Meadow Brook, 1915
The Bobbsey Twins' Mystery at Meadow Brook, 1963
- The Bobbsey Twins at Home, 1916
The Bobbsey Twins' Big Adventure at Home, 1960
- The Bobbsey Twins in a Great City, 1917
The Bobbsey Twins' Search in the Great City, 1960
- The Bobbsey Twins on Blueberrry Island, 1917
- The Bobbsey Twins on the Deep Blue Sea, 1918
The Bobbsey Twins' Mystery on the Deep Blue Sea, 1965
- The Bobbsey Twins in Washington, 1919
The Bobbsey Twins' Adventure in Washington, 1962
- The Bobbsey Twins in the Great West, 1920
The Bobbsey Twins' Visit to the Great West, 1966
- The Bobbsey Twins at Cedar Camp, 1921
The Bobbsey Twins and the Cedar Camp Mystery, 1967
- The Bobbsey Twins at the County Fair, 1922
The Bobbsey Twins and the County Fair Mystery, 1960
- The Bobbsey Twins Camping Out, 1923
- The Bobbsey Twins and Baby May, 1924
The Bobbsey Twins' Adventures with Baby May, 1968
- The Bobbsey Twins Keeping House, 1925
The Bobbsey Twins and the Play House Secret, 1968
- The Bobbsey Twins at Cloverbank, 1926
The Bobbsey Twins and the Four Leaf Clover Mystery, 1968
- The Bobbsey Twins at Cherry Corners, 1927
The Bobbsey Twins: The Mystery at Cherry Corners, 1971
- The Bobbsey Twins and their Schoolmates, 1928
- The Bobbsey Twins Treasure Hunting, 1929
- The Bobbsey Twins at Spruce Lake, 1930
- The Bobbsey Twins' Wonderful Secret, 1931
The Bobbsey Twins' Wonderful Winter Secret, 1962
- The Bobbsey Twins at the Circus, 1932
The Bobbsey Twins and the Circus Surprise, 1960
- The Bobbsey Twins on an Airplane Trip, 1933
- The Bobbsey Twins Solve a Mystery, 1932
- The Bobbsey Twins on a Ranch, 1935
- The Bobbsey Twins in Eskimo Land, 1936
- The Bobbsey Twins in a Radio Play, 1937
- The Bobbsey Twins at Windmill Cottage, 1938
- The Bobbsey Twins at Lighthouse Point, 1939
- The Bobbsey Twins at Indian Hollow, 1940
- The Bobbsey Twins at the Ice Carnival, 1941
- The Bobbsey Twins in the Land of Cotton, 1942
- The Bobbsey Twins in Echo Valley, 1943
- The Bobbsey Twins on the Pony Trail, 1944
- The Bobbsey Twins at Mystery Mansion, 1945
- The Bobbsey Twins at Sugar Maple Hill, 1946
- The Bobbsey Twins in Mexico, 1947
- The Bobbsey Twins' Toy Shop, 1948
- The Bobbsey Twins in Tulip Land, 1949
- The Bobbsey Twins in Rainbow Valley, 1950
- The Bobbsey Twins' Own Little Railroad, 1951
- The Bobbsey Twins at Whitesail Harbor, 1952
- The Bobbsey Twins and the Horseshoe Riddle, 1953
- The Bobbsey Twins at Big Bear Pond, 1953
- The Bobbsey Twins on a Bicycle Trip, 1954
- The Bobbsey Twins' Own Little Ferryboat, 1956
- The Bobbsey Twins at Pilgrim Rock, 1956
- The Bobbsey Twins' Forest Adventure, 1957
- The Bobbsey Twins at London Tower, 1959
- The Bobbsey Twins in the Mystery Cave, 1960
- The Bobbsey Twins in Volcano Land, 1961
- The Bobbsey Twins and the Goldfish Mystery, 1962
- The Bobbsey Twins and the Big River Mystery, 1963
- The Bobbsey Twins and the Greek Hat Mystery, 1964
- The Bobbsey Twins: Search for the Green Rooster, 1965
- The Bobbsey Twins and Their Camel Adventure, 1966
- The Bobbsey Twins: Mystery of the King's Puppet, 1967
- The Bobbsey Twins and the Secret of Candy Castle, 1968
- The Bobbsey Twins and the Doodlebug Mystery, 1969
- The Bobbsey Twins and the Talking Fox Mystery, 1970
- The Bobbsey Twins: The Red, White and Blue Mystery, 1971
- The Bobbsey Twins: Dr. Funnybone's Secret, 1972
- The Bobbsey Twins and the Tagalong Giraffe, 1973
- The Bobbsey Twins and the Flying Clown, 1974
- The Bobbsey Twins: On the Sun-Moon Cruise, 1975
- The Bobbsey Twins: The Freedom Bell Mystery, 1976
- The Bobbsey Twins: The Smoky Mountain Mystery, 1977
- The Bobbsey Twins in a TV Mystery Show, 1978
- The Bobbsey Twins: The Coral Turtle Mystery, 1979
Formats
The Bobbsey Twins books printed by Grosset and Dunlap from 1908 until 1932 have four glossy illustrations. These books are thick and have good quality paper. From 1932 through 1942, the books were printed with just a glossy frontispiece illustration. From 1942 through 1948, the books became less thick. These books each have a plain paper frontispiece illustration and have poor quality paper. From 1949 through around 1962, the books have a tweed cover. Around 1963 to 1964, the series switched to the lavender spine picture cover format.
It is important to note that not all of the Bobbsey Twins books were printed in the lavender spine picture cover format during the 1960s and 1970s. It is impossible to obtain a complete set of volumes 1 through 72 in the lavender spine format. We don't know for certain which titles were omitted, but it is probably some of the books that were never revised, such as volumes 21 through 23 among others.
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