Growing up in rural Pennsylvania during the 1970s and 1980s was a much different experience than it is for children today. We didn't have smartphones, tablets, streaming services, or hundreds of television channels competing for our attention. In fact, our home only received three major television networks—ABC, CBS, and NBC. When there wasn't anything interesting on television, which was often, we had to create our own entertainment. Some of my favorite summer memories involve sitting outside in a lawn chair on a warm morning with a cherry popsicle in one hand and a Happy Hollisters book in the other. Our orange cat, Star, was usually curled up on my lap while I disappeared into the adventures of the Hollister family.

Back then, if you wanted to read, your choices were simple: read a book you owned or ask your mom to take you to the local library and borrow one. Looking back, those quiet mornings remain some of my fondest childhood memories.

As we continue this series throughout the year, we'll be revisiting many of the Happy Hollisters adventures that captured the imaginations of young readers for generations. This month we are taking a look at the second book in the series, The Happy Hollisters on a River Trip. It has always been one of my personal favorites and easily ranks among my top five books in the entire collection. Although I grew up years after these books were originally published, each story had a way of transporting me back to a simpler time.

If you grew up in the 1950s, 60s, 70s, or even the 80s, The Happy Hollisters on a River Trip will likely bring back memories of a time when summer adventures didn't require expensive vacations, smartphones, or detailed plans. All it took was a river, a boat, a little imagination, and a family willing to spend time together.

The story begins in Shoreham, where excitement is building around a fishing contest sponsored by The Trading Post, the Hollister family's sporting goods store. Everyone in town is hoping to catch the biggest fish and win the contest. During one of his fishing outings, Pete Hollister catches an unusual clown fish. Attached to the fish is a mysterious tag, and what appears at first to be a simple fishing trip quickly becomes the beginning of another Hollister mystery.

Before long, however, another problem emerges. Bobby Reed, one of the children's friends, disappears. As concern grows throughout Shoreham, the mystery of the tagged fish becomes intertwined with the search for Bobby.

Determined to help, the entire Hollister family joins the search effort. Uncle Russ lends them his cabin cruiser, the Sweetie Pie, and they prepare for a river journey. One of the most enjoyable parts of the book is simply watching the family get ready for the trip. They visit the grocery store and fill their carts with food and supplies. Ricky dreams up a scavenger hunt to keep everyone entertained along the way. Even ordinary moments become adventures, including Ricky's memorable encounter with a gumball machine that teaches him a lesson he'll never forget.

As the Sweetie Pie travels farther downriver, readers are treated to a picture of family life that feels almost forgotten today. The Hollisters cook meals together in the galley, swim along the shore, explore unfamiliar places, tell stories, play games, and enjoy one another's company. There are no electronic distractions. Their days are filled with conversation, curiosity, and the excitement of discovering what lies around the next bend in the river.

Of course, this wouldn't be a Happy Hollisters book without plenty of excitement. Along their journey, the family helps stranded hikers, investigates mysterious clues, and follows leads that may or may not be connected to Bobby's disappearance. In one tense scene, a thick fog rolls across the river, leaving Pete, Pam, and Mr. Hollister struggling to find their way back to the boat. Using quick thinking, teamwork, and a borrowed compass, they safely navigate through the mist.

Reading The Happy Hollisters on a River Trip today reminds us how much has changed—and how much has been lost. The book takes us back to a time when children spent their summers outdoors, families created their own adventures, and the journey itself was often more important than the destination. It reminds us that life's greatest treasures are not always things we buy but memories we make with the people we love.

That same appreciation for simple pleasures is one of the reasons this story fits so well with Harvest Array. Whether it's gathering around the dinner table, spending time outdoors, supporting family-owned businesses, or enjoying products made with care and craftsmanship, the values celebrated in the Hollisters' adventures are many of the same values we cherish today. The world may move faster than it did when the Hollisters cruised down the river aboard the Sweetie Pie, but the lessons they learned about family, community, kindness, and perseverance remain timeless.