Type of bind: Hardcover
EAN num: 9780394912417
ISBN number: 0394912411
Label: Random House Books for Young Readers
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
Quantity: 1
Printing Date: September 12, 1964
Publishing house: Random House Books for Young Readers
Age index: Ages 9-12
Release Date: September 12, 1964
Sale Popularity Level: 743892
Studio: Random House Books for Young Readers
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
The Three Investigators search for an authentic haunted house.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers -
I very first read this book as a boy and I loved it. My 10 year old just finished it and says it is the best book that he has ever read. We read this together and I noticed some details date the story. For example, the Investigators use film cameras and do their research at the library, not on the Internet. Times have changed!! Still, this is a great detective story for boys, may not appeal as much to girls.
Rated by buyers -
The Three Investigators have their very first case: to find an authentic haunted house. Jupiter Jones, the intelligent leader, and Pete Crenshaw and Bob Andrews set out to see if an old castle nearby is truly haunted or not. Built by a silent film star, Stephen Terrell, no one has been able to spend the night in the castle since his untimely death many years earlier.
I very first read this book about 30 years ago when I was a kid, and loved reading all the adventures of the Three Investigators, and they quickly became a favorite of mine. Now my 10 year old son and I have just finished "The Secret of Terror Castle," and he loved it, too. We especially noticed how the adventure and excitement was kept up throughout the story. We both agreed that the Three Investigators were much more exciting than the Hardy Boys, having tried to read one of that series without sucess. Instead, we found Jupiter Jones to be far more intelligent and we enjoyed the cleverness of the plot and story. We read the version with Alfred Hitchcock, which I'm sad to see has been changed in most of the books now available.
This is a good series we can recommend for kids who are sometimes reluctant to read, but who enjoy an intelligent mystery.
Rated by buyers -
I remember reading this book when I was young and loved it. Great plotline with great characters and humorous dialogue at times. I started my 7 year old son on it. The very first two chapters were slow going for him, but he slogged through it. The fourth chapter hooked him. He wouldn't put the book down for another 6 chapters. Recommended for ages 7 and older.
Rated by buyers -
Quite a few children's mystery book series have become classics. Most people are familiar with Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and Tom Swift. Even the Boxcar Children are relatively well-known. However, Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators were well-written books that offered an intelligent, interesting and more contemporary alternative to many of the earlier classic series. Many people recall the earlier series well, but the Three Investigators series, which Robert Arthur wrote and debuted in 1964, has, for now, largely been overshadowed by the other series and generally forgotten. Fortunately, all of these books are available either from Amazon or from other internet sources.
In this book, the very first book in the series, we meet Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw and Bob Andrews. Jupiter is the intelligent, often arrogant member of the group who has a tendency to be condescending. Pete Crenshaw is typically the muscle of the group. Pete is usually quite fearless. Bob Andrews, who begins the series with a broken leg, works at the library is handles records and research for the group.
In this debut story, Jupiter Jones has won the use of a Rolls Royce for 30 days of 24 hours each. Jupiter has also created business cards for the trio with the auspicious title "The Three Investigators," "We Investigate Anything," and three question marks. Jupiter Jones learns that Alfred Hitchcock is seeking a haunted house for use in his subsequent film. The boys offer to find a house for Mr. Hitchcock if he will introduce their very first story; thus the reason the title includes Mr. Hitchcock's name.
Soon Jupiter Jones is on the trail of a home owned by silent movie star Stephen Terrill. When the boys visit the late Mr. Terrill's home, strange phenomena in the house causes the boys to go running from the home, scared to their very bones! The mystery continues to deepen as the boys investigate Mr. Terrill's past the history of the strange house that appears to be haunted for real.
I wondered whether I would like these books as much as an adult as I did when I was a child. My answer is yes. Robert Arthur wrote these stories in a way that treated these three young boys as young adults rather than children. The three boys approach their mysteries with creativity, logic and more than a little bravery. The result is stories that continue to captivate readers.
If you are looking for mystery books for children and you are looking for an alternative to the stories I listed earlier, I highly recommend the Three Investigator series, and the best starting place for this series is absolutely with this book.
Enjoy!
Rated by buyers -
This book is so much more than a kids book. It was my very first introduction to the Three Investigators, and quite possibly the best book in the entire series. The plot is quite intricate, and very intelligent. Adults can read this story and be thrilled and caught up as well, and to be honest, I get out my copy every now and then and visit with Jupiter, Bob, and Pete. The setting in California in the fifties, with Alfred Hitchcock as their mentor, is just perfect. I've read the later updated versions, with all refences to Alfred Hitchcock removed and rewritten, and I just think the original stories worked so much better. There was more of an air of mystery to them, although the stories themselves didn't change. In this book, the setting of an old movie star castle is just right. The writing is sharp, the characters already developed. Everybody at time in their life has encountered a super-smart kid, the one who knew everything. Sadly, the ones I met weren't as likeable as Jupiter Jones. This series is always clever, with strong plots, strong characters. Get these books and enjoy them. Many books aren't this well-written nowadays, especially for the teen-to-adult age range.
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