Sweet, but I enjoyed these much more as a child.

I'm curious to see a more recent edition, because mine from the 70s is full of casual racism and situations that just wouldn't fly today. Kid liked the story, though, and asked for the next one.

I vaguely recall reading some Bobbsey twins books thirty plus years ago. So when I ran across this one in a box of books from a garage sale, I thought I'd see if there was some nostalgic value.

Nope.

This book has not aged well. The casual racism (really, LLH, you have one black character who has more than a line or two, and the first thing they talk about is stealing watermelons in a dialect so overdone that Margaret Mitchell would tell you to tone it down?) the assumption that snakes are all to be killed, and the scene where the four year olds are given fireworks to toss at people and animals... yeah, it's cringeworthy.

But setting that aside, is the story good enough to ignore or pass over those issues?

Again, Nope.

Actually, calling it a story is not quite accurate. It's just a series of events only loosely connected by the same poorly written characters. The writing is stilted and dull, the dialogue barely above Dick and Jane, and the very small amount of characterization just shows up how annoying most of these people would be.
About the only scene that held my attention is the cider-making bit. With a bit of re-writing, that one would be passable. For the rest, this book is going in my giveaway pile.

1960s edition: Another delightful installment. Entire family enjoyed it. The Fresh Air component was fascinating particularly after having studied the movement this summer. This 1960s view of the Fresh Air program was enlightening.

Earlier edition: yikes! Some things in this edition that are no longer politically correct and others that are cringe-worthy. Enjoyed as an adult, but not for young kids. Also didn’t have the enjoyable mystery elements.

I Liked it

After reading this second book I'm even more curious to read the revised versions of these books.

This was the first Bobbsey Twins book I read. It was a gift from a family friend.

This is a very quick read. A very good story.

My son is in love with the Bobbsey twins. He set aside The 39 Clues and Narnia series to read them. I confess to not quite understanding the allure. They do seem dated in language and attitude. But they are wholesome and probably some of the least scary mysteries out there for kids. On to the third book!