author

Elbert M. Hoppenstedt

Drawn to mystery, history, and the outdoors, this mid-20th-century writer created adventure stories for younger readers, including tales set along the St. Lawrence Seaway and in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. His career also reached beyond fiction into education, where he later wrote books for teachers and parents.

1 Audiobook

The Mystery of the Deserted Village

The Mystery of the Deserted Village

by Elbert M. Hoppenstedt

About the author

Born in 1917, Elbert M. Hoppenstedt wrote a number of books for young readers, including Sunken Timbers, Secret of Stygian River, The Mystery of the Deserted Village, and The Mystery of the Stalwart. His fiction often blends local color with suspense and exploration, giving readers a strong sense of place along with the fun of a puzzle.

Available records also show that his work extended into education. He co-authored a pageant published in 1945 and, later in life, published practical books such as How Good Is Your Child's School? and A Teacher's Guide to Classroom Management, suggesting a long connection to schools and teaching.

An obituary identifies him as Elbert Maxwell Hoppenstedt and says he died in 2013 at age 96, after spending much of his life in New Jersey and later retiring to Florida. Contemporary local history from Shore Regional High School also names him as the district's first superintendent, a role that fits the educational focus of his later nonfiction.