You know that's how these were actually written, right? Edward Stratemeyer and his factory/warehouses full of typists following the exact same outline, substituting details and names. It worked for his other creations, like Hardy Boys and Bobbsey Twins. There's been some books written about him and his process. He created hundreds of series, and within each series was its own pattern.
(Of course, the rumor is that Harlequin used to work this way too, sending out Mad-Lib like “outlines” that required the “writer” to just insert new names and synonyms to create each book with the same sensibility!)
Via theferrett [1], a comment about “The lost outlines of “Carolyn” “Keene” [2]”
It's not like the thought of doing something like this [3] hadn't crossed my mind.
[1] http://theferrett.livejournal.com/700311.html