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knowloveserve
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| Posted: May 19 2015 at 11:14pm | IP Logged
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Does anyone here have any experience with the books in either of these series? They pop up in the recommended section when you look at the Mad Scientists Club books on Amazon (which we love...).
From what I gather, Danny Dunn sounds like sic-fi mischief... and Alvin Fernald sounds like a boy genius. Both sound like something any pre-teen boy would love...
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Ellie
The Bleeding Pelican
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guitarnan
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| Posted: May 19 2015 at 11:31pm | IP Logged
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I loved the Alvin Fernald books as a child. I found them via a Disney TV movie based on one of the books.
Having said that...you should be aware that Alvin calls his kid sister, Daphne, "The Pest" throughout the series. Daphne is smart and persistent and ends up helping to solve many mysteries, but the nickname is there, all the same. Alvin would rather not have Daphne tagging along all the time, and the nickname is one way he tries (unsuccessfully) to make that happen.
Also, Alvin, his buddy and Daphne do a fair bit of sneaking around...again, with the laudable goal of solving the mystery at hand, but they do sneak out at night and do some other things that adults in the story might not understand or approve of - at least at the beginning.
The books are fun to read and Alvin & Co. win out in the end every time, thanks to Alvin's inventive mind, penchant for inventing crazy devices, and his best buddy and little sister.
For another fun read, try Homer Price!
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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MarilynW
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| Posted: May 20 2015 at 10:25am | IP Logged
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Ooh - I had never heard of the Mad Scientists club - they sound good for my guys...
My pre-teen guys like Alvin Fernald - we have never heard of Danny Dunn.
The guys love Homer Price too. Also the Great Brain.
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Marilyn
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guitarnan
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| Posted: May 20 2015 at 10:33am | IP Logged
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I love the Great Brain, too! (My children didn't like the books, but I really enjoyed them as a pre-teen.)
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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knowloveserve
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| Posted: May 20 2015 at 2:48pm | IP Logged
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Our boys have loved both Homer and The Great Brain. I'm looking for light, serial reading I can set my sons loose with this summer. They have cruised through the small set of Happy Hollisters books I own... am delighted there are many more BACK IN PRINT!
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Ellie
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CrunchyMom
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| Posted: May 20 2015 at 3:16pm | IP Logged
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I'll have to check these out. I keep seeing the Mad Scientists club but just haven't pulled the trigger yet. My 11 year old loves the Rick Brant Science Adventures and Tom Swift for this type of reading.
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Lindsay
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guitarnan
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| Posted: May 20 2015 at 5:50pm | IP Logged
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Encyclopedia Brown (smart kid solves short mysteries) was a favorite when we were young, too.
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Nancy in MD. Mom of ds (24) & dd (18); 31-year Navy wife, move coordinator and keeper of home fires. Writer and dance mom.
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ekbell
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| Posted: May 21 2015 at 10:38am | IP Logged
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The Danny Dunn books are fun don't-take-the-science-seriously science-fiction books for young folks. I don't remember any thing problematic but it's been a long time since I read them.
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aforb001
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| Posted: May 21 2015 at 12:35pm | IP Logged
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My 13 yo son has read and enjoyed all those series. He is re-reading the Great Brain series again. This one does have some mature stories such as a child contemplating suicide just FYI. I found a good deal on amazon for the entire Mad Scientist books in one paperback volume. The Rick Brant and Tom Swift series have many titles free in the public domain. They all make for easy fun summer reading.
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AmandaV
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| Posted: June 12 2015 at 9:42am | IP Logged
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My son read Alvin's Secret Code years ago and really got into creating and breaking codes, even requesting as a present and reading Codes and Secret Writings (OOP, Zinn). A few years ago we bought a few more when Bethlehem was having a 50% off sale and I also tracked down several used and bumped into some in an online sale, along with Peter Potts by the same author as Alvin. Great books.
Happy Hollisters - also great. Like Boxcar children but better, and all the same author, and based on his family. most are back in print thanks to the son or grandson of author, but the vintage copies are quite lovely.
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Amanda
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4Real Forums : Living Literature
Topic: Danny Dunn and Alvin Fernald?
