Wow, these were excellent. The Strange Sea Monster of Strawberry Lake was a favorite as a kid in the 80s.
Mad Scientists' Club: The Books
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Re: Mad Scientists' Club: The Books
#12I loved these so much that I created my own Mad Scientist's Club with my neighbor friends which held meetings in our (very hot) shed loft during the summer.
I just finished reading some of them to my pre-teen girls, and they enjoyed them quite a bit despite the fact that very few girl characters are part of the plot. A few quotes made us chuckle ("Shut up and stop rocking the boat!" was one). We even figured out which boy was the narrator, even though he never mentions his name.
I guess it speaks to their universal appeal to kids of curious minds who like hearing of scrappy, madcap adventures attempted by smart but hair-brained individuals of their age. The books always gave me the sense of unbridled freedom to invent, explore, and maybe pull one over your knucklehead neighbor or unsuspecting parents.
Re: Mad Scientists' Club: The Books
#13These books were formative for me as a kid, I lost them to my mom's garage sale obsession years ago, but found that the author's son, Sheridan Brinley, worked with the publisher to not only release them as a compendium, but include an unpublished story in the volume as well. I bought it as soon as I found it on Amazon and have read it at least 4 times since... It's like a trip back to my childhood and candy for my brain. Still in love with these stories after all these years.
Re: Mad Scientists' Club: The Books
#14I loved these books as a kid and had a great time rereading them with my then-seven-year-old. One of my favorite bits was the description of the difference between the club's two smartest members: One was adept at figuring out ways to get out of trouble, and the other was really good at thinking up fun ways to get into trouble.
Re: Mad Scientists' Club: The Books
#15Tangentially, there is a modern series in the same spirit called Mad Scientist Academy that are quite fun.
Re: Mad Scientists' Club: The Books
#16I read these as a child in the 60's. When Purple House Press re-issued them, I snapped them up. They've also re-issued some other favorites, like the Alvin Fernald series. I like to buy direct from them, so they don't have to share the money with amazon. Now if someone would re-issue the Miss Pickerel series...
Miss Pickerell!!!! You have no idea how long I’ve been trying to remember her name! I remembered it started with a P, she went to outer space, and liked pistachio ice cream. That turns out to not be enough to google her. Thank you!
Re: Mad Scientists' Club: The Books
#17Good stuff; this and the Danny Dunn series are fond childhood memories. I still remember this joke from the hot air balloon race decades later: "...Harmon Muldoon called his [hot air balloon] the 'Green Onion,' and it looked like one. 'I hope it springs a leek,' quipped Dinky Poore... "
I had to track down a copy of _Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine_ to give to some cousins of mine who recently had kids.
Re: Mad Scientists' Club: The Books
#18I loved these books as a kid back in the 80's. I'm sure they played a key role in shaping my interests and worldview. These, along with the "Encyclopedia Brown" books, the "The Three Investigators" series, the "Tom Swift Jr" series, and "The Great Brain", plus the original Doyle canon of Sherlock Holmes stories, were constant companions in my youth. Oh, and those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. Those were great. E…
Tom Swift Jr. is definitely worth a look, if only for the titles you can't not read in a 1950s radio voice.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift_Jr.#List_of_titles
Re: Mad Scientists' Club: The Books
#19I loved these books as a kid back in the 80's. I'm sure they played a key role in shaping my interests and worldview. These, along with the "Encyclopedia Brown" books, the "The Three Investigators" series, the "Tom Swift Jr" series, and "The Great Brain", plus the original Doyle canon of Sherlock Holmes stories, were constant companions in my youth. Oh, and those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books. Those were great. E…
We must have had very similar reading lists, although I think I subbed in Trixie Belden (an odd choice for a boy) for the Three Investigators.
Re: Mad Scientists' Club: The Books
#20I loved these so much that I created my own Mad Scientist's Club with my neighbor friends which held meetings in our (very hot) shed loft during the summer. I just finished reading some of them to my pre-teen girls, and they enjoyed them quite a bit despite the fact that very few girl characters are part of the plot. A few quotes made us chuckle ("Shut up and stop rocking the boat!" was one). We even figured out whic…
I am seriously considering starting a club now actually. I have a few friends who would fit right in.