Roger Mobley

When a cryptic note is passed to young Bert Hale by a stranger, he and his three friends inadvertently hold the key to unravelling the sinister plot to assassinate a Russian premier visiting Los Angeles.

Amos and Theodore, the two bumbling outlaw wannabes from The Apple Dumpling Gang, are back and trying to make it on their own. This time, the crazy duo gets involved in an army supply theft case -- and, of course, gets in lots of comic trouble along the way!

The story concerns young David Jones, who travels to Italy during his vacation to work with his uncle, Max, an archaeologist who raises ancient artifacts from the ocean floor. One of Max's divers is killed and the site becomes suspect--especially after several of the artifacts disappear; they know these will be sold illegally to rich collectors. When word gets out that these items have disappeared, other men are endangered on the site, and, indeed, someone tries to kill Dave. Helping Dave and his uncle is a young Italian boy named Augusto Donato, who tells Dave to call him "Gus." Dave teaches him to dive and in return Gus helps Dave spy on several of the suspects and also helps save his life when Dave is attacked.

The cub reporter, Gallegher, becomes involved in a land fraud, when some valueless land is sold to a group of Cornish immigrants. A murder implicates one of the immigrants, and it is up to Gallegher to prove that a local resident is actually the murderer and the swindler is a local banker.

In Part 1, Gallegher befriends a man on the stagecoach while heading west, only to discover he is a famous outlaw, the Sundown Kid. The sheriff is crooked, too, so it is difficult for Gallegher and his friend, Detective Snead, to capture the Sundown Kid. Gallegher and his colleagues work for the recall of the corrupt mayor of Brimstone, even though the mayor tries to stop them by force. In Part 2, Gallegher buys and trains a horse, then is surprised when a local rancher is accused of murder. The boy is sure it is a frame-up, and he tries to help out. Gallegher continues to help the rancher who has been framed for murder, and after he finds an incriminating watch, he is able to reach the trial just in time to save the day.

An energetic newspaper copyboy in 1889 wants to become a reporter, and he is soon more deeply involved in his stories than he had expected. When he discovers a bank robbery, he helps the reporter, Brownie, to apprehend the four-fingered culprit. Later he helps the police chief who has been framed, and tries to convince the authorities that he has discovered a wanted felon in town.

The young copyboy helps the town’s first female newspaper reporter, who is writing a series on confidence men. The swindlers are caught up in a sting, but they catch on and the reporter and Gallegher have to subdue them in order to escape and write their article.

When Emil travels by bus to Berlin to visit his family, his money is stolen by a crook who specializes in digging tunnels. While following the thief, Emil runs into Gustav, a young boy who gathers up all his friends to help Emil find the money. However, they get into more trouble than they bargained for when Emil's pickpocket turns out to be mixed up with a couple of notorious bank robbers.

A new boy, Harley, joins a club but shows an interest in the girl on whom the club leader has a crush. The two club members trick Harley into stealing a prize watermelon to the dismay of the furious farmer, and later dare him to enter a supposedly haunted house in which they uncover a bag of money stolen in a bank robbery.

Five Mexican street urchins steal a dime from the church's collection box and bet it on a race-horse.