Edmund Wallace Hildick facts for kids

Edmund Wallace Hildick (1925–2001) was a super creative author who wrote many books for young people. He was known as E. W. Hildick. He created popular series like the Ghost Squad, Jim Starling, Birdy Jones, Jack McGurk (also known as the McGurk Mystery series), and Lemon Kelly.

About E. W. Hildick

E. W. Hildick was born in Bradford, England, in 1925. After serving two years in the Royal Air Force (RAF), which is like the air force, he became a secondary school teacher. Later, he became a full-time writer. He then moved to the United States to work as an editor for a literary magazine.

He was one of the few British children's authors of his time who became very successful in America. He started writing when he was a teacher in a school in Dewsbury, England. He wanted to write for "tough, modern kids" who were similar to his own students. He passed away in London, England.

His Book Series

E. W. Hildick wrote many exciting book series. Here are some of his most famous ones:

Jim Starling Series

This series follows the adventures of Jim Starling.

• Jim Starling (1958)
• Jim Starling and the Agency (1958)
• Jim Starling and the Colonel (1958)
• Jim Starling's Holiday (1960)
• Jim Starling and the Spotted Dog (1963)
• Jim Starling Goes To Town (1963)
• Jim Starling Takes Over (1963)

McGurk Mystery Series

This popular series features the detective Jack McGurk and his friends solving mysteries.

• The Nose Knows (1963)
• Dolls in Danger (1974; also called Deadline for McGurk)
• The Case of the Condemned Cat (1975)
• The Case of the Nervous Newsboy (1976)
• The Great Rabbit Robbery (1976; also called "The Great Rabbit Rip-Off")
• The Case of the Invisible Dog (1977)
• The Case of the Secret Scribbler (1978)
• The Case of the Phantom Frog (1979)
• The Case of the Treetop Treasure (1980)
• The Case of the Snowbound Spy (1980)
• The Case of the Bashful Bank Robber (1981)
• The Case of the Four Flying Fingers (1981)
• Mcgurk Gets Good and Mad (1982)
• The Case of the Felon's Fiddle (1982)
• The Case of the Slingshot Sniper (1983)
• The Case of the Muttering Mummy (1986)
• The Case of the Wandering Weathervanes (1988)
• The Case of the Vanishing Ventriloquist (1989)
• The Case Of The Purloined Parrot (1990)
• The Case of the Desperate Drummer (1993)
• The Case of the Fantastic Footprints (1994)
• The Case of the Absent Author (1995)
• The Case Of The Wiggling Wig (1996)

McGurk Fantasy Series

McGurk also had some fantasy adventures!

• The Case of the Dragon in Distress (1991)
• The Case of the Weeping Witch (1992)

Birdy Jones Series

These books follow the character Birdy Jones.

• Birdy Jones (1963)
• Birdy and the Group (1968)
• Birdy Swings North (1969)
• Birdy in Amsterdam (1970)
• Birdy Jones and the New York Heads (1974)

Lemon Kelly Series

Meet Lemon Kelly in these stories.

• Meet Lemon Kelly (1963)
• Lemon Kelly Digs Deep (1964)
• Lemon Kelly and the Home Made Boy (1968)

Louie Series

The Louie series tells stories about Louie.

• Louie's Lot (1965)
• Louie's S.O.S (1968)
• Louie's Snowstorm (1974)
• Louie's Ransom (1978)

Questers Series

Join the Questers on their adventures.

• The Questers (1966)
• The Questers and the Whispering Spy (1967)

Crown Books

These are two books in the Crown series.

• Back with Parren (1968)
• Here Comes Parren (1968)

Ghost Squad Series

The Ghost Squad solves spooky mysteries.

• 1. Ghost Squad Breaks Through (1984)
• 2. Ghost Squad and Halloween Conspiracy (1985)
• 2. Ghost Squad and the Prowling Hermits (1987)
• 3. The Ghost Squad Flies Concorde (1985)
• 6. The Ghost Squad and the Menace of the Malevs (1988)
• Ghost Squad and the Ghoul of Grunberg (1986)

Felicity Snell Mystery Series

Felicity Snell solves her own mysteries.

• The Purloined Corn Popper (1997)
• The Serial Sneak Thief (1997)

Alison McNair Series

These books feature Alison McNair.

• The Active-Enzyme Lemon-Freshened Junior High School Witch (1973)
• The Top-Flight Fully-Automated Junior High School Girl Detective (1978)

Other Novels

Besides his series, E. W. Hildick also wrote many standalone novels. Some of these include:

• The Boy At the Window (1960)
• Mapper Mundy's Treasure Hunt (1963)
• Manhattan Is Missing (1969)
• The Doughnut Dropout (1972)
• A Cat Called Amnesia (1976)
• The Memory Tap (1989)

Non-Fiction Books

Hildick also wrote some non-fiction books, mostly about writing and literature.

• Word for Word: The Rewriting of Fiction (1965)
• Writing With Care (1967)
• Children and Fiction (1970)