Egoff, Sheila A. Thursday's Child: Trends and Patterns in Contemporary Children's Literature. Chicago: American Library Association, 1981. Egoff traces the history of children's literature since World War II.

McFarlane, Leslie. Ghost of the Hardy Boys. New York: Methuen/Two Continents Publications, 1976. In this autobiography, McFarlane describes the earlier Hardy Boys books and provides a survey of other writing for children earlier in this century.

Macleod, Anne Scott. "An End of Innocence: The Transformation of Childhood in Twentieth Century Children's Literature." In Opening Texts: Psychoanalysis and the Culture of the Child. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins, 1985. Macleod concludes that the child in contemporary children's literature is no longer idealized, nor is childhood seen as a time of innocence.

Mason, Bobbie Ann. The Girl Sleuth: A Feminist Guide. Old Westbury, NY: Feminist Press, 1975. This study of formula fiction for girls says much that is equally relevant for boys' series...