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The History of Happy-Hollisters.com
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Memories of Andrew Svenson
Jennifer Remembers her Grandfather
"I was very close to my grandfather, and vividly remember sitting at his home office desk around 1973 (I was eight), pouring over galley proofs of Bobbsey Twins, "editing" them for five cents a page. I remember struggling to try to find something to change, feeling obligated since I was being paid. These proofs were already marked up pretty well by the time I received them; I remember asking him to take out the word hasten a couple of times (a favorite word of his, I never liked the way it sounded.) He always made me feel that my opinion mattered. I asked him to put the names of my family in one of the books; "Jenny, Wendy, and Kurt" subsequently became farm children who pull a hot air balloon gondola out of a pond in 1974's Hardy Boys "Clue of the Hissing Serpent". After that book came out I noticed the back cover blurb started with "All boys ages 10 to 14 who love...". I mentioned to him that I enjoyed the Hardy Boys even more than Nancy Drew, even though I was a girl...The back cover of the next volume "Mysterious Caravan" was changed to read "Anyone age 10 to 14...". I was devastated when he died from prostate cancer in 1975, and actually decided at that point to become a doctor instead of a writer (I'm a family practitioner today.) My mom Jane is better known as "Holly" in the Happy Hollisters series - and truth be told, she is still a tomboy. The series was based on my grandfather's own family, with a bit of artistic license (my mom, for example, actually owned the border collie, and her sister owned the cat; he had 6 children instead of five - his 2 youngest daughters were blended into the character of Sue; and "Pam", my Aunt Laura, was actually the oldest child.)"
Rachel's Memories
I was never fortunate enough to actually meet Andrew Svenson in real life. As a child, I viewed him as "the best writer in the world", because he was one of the first authors that actually made books come alive for me. Whenever I read one of the Happy Hollisters books, I felt as if I had entered into the world of the Hollisters. I felt like I knew their friends, shared their lives and felt like I had been to all of the places they travelled. It was the first time that any book/s had made me feel that way, and it opened up an entire world to me. I owe an awful lot to Mr. Svenson, for he is the person who gave me a love of reading, showed me what family could mean and also, the person that made me stick with my writing despite the obstacles I often faced to establish myself as a writer. Until I was much older, I did not know that Jerry West was actually Andrew Svenson, but the feelings remain the same. He is still my favorite author, and to this day...every time I read one of his books, they come alive for me.
Best Wishes,
Rachel Sanfordlyn Shreckengast
Copyright notice: c. Rachel Sanfordlyn Shreckengast
03032003
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Best Wishes,
Rachel Sanfordlyn Shreckengast
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Site Created on:
February 13, 1997 - Revised October 22, 2002
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Original Writing & Original Graphics
Copyright, Rachel Sanfordlyn Shreckengast
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