Book 22 - The Mystery at Mead's Mountain

From the back of the book - "As they started up the hill, Trixie tried to banish from her mind the thought of Mart lying buried under all the snow... "How long do we have, Jim?" she asked tensely. "If we can't find him in an hour, we'll have to send for help." That was all Jim would say. What he means is, if we don't find him in an hour, it may be too late, Trixie cried silently..."

The Bob-Whites are worried about affording the insurance on their car. So it comes as a relief when Mr Wheeler wants to hire them to check out the ski lodge he's thinking of buying and let him know if young people would be interested in it and what changes he might need to make to it.

Almost as soon as they arrive (minus Dan of course) Trixie gets them involved in mysterious happenings. Apparently Mead's Mountain has it's own ghost and then there's Honey's watch going missing. Add to that the mysterious old man living alone in the wilderness with a cottage stinking of alcohol and the figure with a ski mask on they see right before the avalanche, not to mention the notes to Trixie the ghost keeps leaving! Trixie gets the gang involved with criminals involved in counterfeiting, blackmail, kidnapping and petty theft!! Everything ends up fine of course, and JUST in time for the Bob-Whites to celebrate the new year with all their new friends. AWWWWW!

I had a few beefs with this book -

First the problem with the Bob-Whites not accepting the insurance money as a gift, even though it's christmas. Mr Wheeler gave them the car for nothing but now they've got a problem with accepting help with the insurance, even if it means they'll have to sell the car? Seems a bit suspect to me.

Dan being left behind once again - it's like the authors aren't even trying any more. I'd like it even if Dan went and just didn't do much, it'd be much preferable to him always missing out!

Mart's insults of Trixie were of a particularly harsh nature this time. I know he likes to rib her but she's a 14 year old girl and he practically calls her fat and ugly and dumb, what a douche! I'm usually "Team Mart" but this time I was like "Leave that bastard in the avalanche!"

The Belden kids start off saying how much they need to help their parents with stuff but suddenly they worm their way out of it and are off on ANOTHER vacation! It really annoys me when Trixie spends ages whining about having to help her parents when really, she hardly ever has to do even her most basic chores without help or managing to get out of them. Poor Mr and Mrs Belden!

Counterfeiting AGAIN! We just had a counterfeiting gang a couple of books ago with Old Telegraph Rd and now we're back to it? Geez, way to have no fresh ideas various Kathryn Kenny's!

Ok, I've vented enough for now I think :) Having said all of that I kinda liked this book. Ok, so it had a lot that annoyed me but it was good in that the mystery wasn't totally obvious right from the start, there was enough action to keep it flowing fairly well and there were enough cute little scenes that you've come to expect (like the visit to the little brain-damaged girl who makes puzzles or the trip to the vegetarian restaurant) and, other than Mart (seriously, even liked Brian over Mart this time around) most of the characters acted like you'd expect them to. I have to give props to this author, I liked this Di, she wasn't girly, scared, unsure Di, she was a bit less 2 dimensional and the idea that she wants to be an artist is introduced, I hope they keep that, it kinda suits her.

Anyway, I'd have to say, despite the negatives overall this one graded about average, likeable but not a standout.

Next up I seem to remember we're off to merry olde England for the Mystery of the Queen's Necklace! Be sure to come back!

Book 21 - The Mystery of the Castaway Children

From the back of the book - "From the backseat of the Bob-White station wagon, Mart said sharply "Watch it, Jim. Those headlights are coming up on us awfully fast...". Suddenly the whole interior of the wagon was flooded with light that blazed into Jim's eyes. "Shift that mirror!" he snapped at Trixie. Trixie obeyed, watching those freckled hands on the steering wheel and praying silently. If anyone can get us out of this nightmare, Jim can... "Dont slow down," warned Brian. "He can't miss hitting us"..."





After a heavy summer storm Trixie notices Reddy acting funny and when Brian investigates he finds a baby abandoned in Reddy's dog house. The Bob-Whites name the baby Moses and are entrusted with his care while the police search for his parents. When the babies parents are found it turns out they are missing two children, the baby and a young boy around Bobby's age, who seems to have run away. To make things more complicated a ransom note is delivered to the parents of the missing children! Now it's up to Trixie and her friends to find out if the kids really were kidnapped or whether the young boy ran away with his baby brother and someone is trying to take advantage of their distraught parents.

I really enjoyed this book, the mystery was interesting, the characters, both regular and new, were real enough to get me involved and all of the Bob-Whites acted as I expect them to. Di was wonderful in the way she cared for "Moses" and Bobby made me smile and I even laughed out loud once (when Jim asked Brian if being nuts ran in the Belden family).

One thing I found out of place was Trixie ignoring so many clues. She ignored the moving rug, the open fridge, the small change left for the food, the funny noises and shadows etc. It was so annoying that she made nothing of it when normally she can make huge mysteries of the smallest happenings.

While I remember this book being one of my favorites I'm not sure anymore. I think it was an above average entry into the series but it doesn't quite match my memories. Don't get me wrong I really loved it and powered through it quickly because I was really enjoying it, it just didn't have that same spark for me this read through. Out of ten I'd still give it a nine :)

The next book in the series is the Mystery at Meads Mountain. I remember the avalanche but not much else, I do remember really enjoying it though, we'll have to see if I enjoy it as much this time, I certainly hope so :)

Book 20 - The Mystery Off Old Telegraph Road

From the back of the book - "Trixie walked over to her best friend and grabbed her by the shoulders, forcing Honey to look at her. "What is it, Honey?" she asked. "What happened?". "Oh, Trixie," Honey wailed, "I just got the most horrible phone call. H-He said I should call off the bikeathon. He - he said if I didn't - if the bikeathon went on as scheduled next Saturday - that something awful would happen. 'You can be sure of it,'he said..."





Trixie and Honey attend their schools art fair and see how underfunded the art department is. The Bob-Whites decide to do something about it and hold a bikeathon through the Wheeler game preserve to raise funds. Nothing about that seems too mysterious but Ben Riker (Honeys cousin) is back in town and this time he's hanging out with a bad crowd. Then there's Nick Roberts, an art student who should be happy about the bikeathon but isn't, he even rips down one of the posters for it! Add to that the fact Trixie is out scouting the route the bikeathon will follow when she discovers some foreign currency that turns out to be counterfeit and things are looking like starting another mystery for the Belden-Wheeler detective agency. And then Di's bike tires get slashed and Honey receives a threatening phone call and so does Mrs Vanderpoel (who has volunteered her yard as a pit stop for the bikeathon) and it looks like the bikeathon may be called off!

Of course the bikeathon goes ahead, the counterfeiters are caught and everyone has a happy ending, after Trixie puts herself in danger once again :)

I'm a bit up in the air about this book. While it has the makings of a fun mystery there's a few things that detract from it in various ways.

Ben Rikers reappearance annoyed me. I'm not sure what his purpose in this book is, other than maybe the author wanted to bring him in as a new regular or maybe even a new Bob-White. They TRY to make him a red herring about the counterfeiting with his "forgery" of the arrows but seriously, as if anyone really thought he had anything to do with the real criminals. He served no REAL purpose.

Of course, talking of Ben, we have to mention Trixie and Honey's fight, as Ben was really the cause. While I really felt bad for Trix when she and Honey fought the whole thing felt forced (maybe to try justify Bens appearance) and like it was just there to add a bit of angsty drama to the mix. They make up much too quickly for me, it could've been an interesting subplot but just becomes another distraction in a book with too many already.

Then there's the silk screening. There's a couple pages devoted to silk screening out of no where. It's almost like the author sold some advertising to a silk screening company or was trying to make the readers interested in doing some silk screening, it was just bizarre.

Of course there was plenty of stuff I did like :). Marts attitude to Trix this time around showed just how loyal and loving he is when it comes to his "almost twin". Marts feelings for Di are mentioned once again (yay) as are Jims and Trixies for each other.

All in all I guess I'd have to say this book is about average, it's fun and all but just not brilliant but I did enjoy it :)

Next up is Castaway Children, another of my favorites, where the Bob-Whites find an abandoned baby in Reddys doghouse. See you here when I finish it.

Book 19 - The Secret of the Unseen Treasure

From the back of the book - "The light shining Honey's palm made the hand look reddish and bony. "Point your flashlight at the ground and let a little more light out," Trixie said. "If we can find our footprints then we'll know which way to go.". As Honey directed the light downward, a pair of beady little eyes gleamed redly nearby..."





This time it's Mrs Elliot who benefits from Trixie's investigative skills. Mrs Elliot's flowers were once enough to support her but since her husband died a few years ago she's been finding it harder and harder to make ends meet. Her stepson has returned to live with her and help out but now it's not just making ends meet that's worrying her. Someone tries to burn down her barn, steal her social security cheque, destroy her flowers, sabotages her water pump and even tries to convince Social Security that she's been defrauding them!

When I first picked this book up this morning I couldn't remember anything about it. It didn't take long for me to remember the cheques turning up in the lake and the fact that Mrs Elliots savior was a new breed of plant in her garden but that's all I could remember so imagine my surprise when Trixie and Honey discover a marijuana crop!!! And then the discussion about hemp and the act some states were trying to legalize it (over 30 years ago)! Certainly not what I expected from a Trixie book!

Once again I'm happy that all of the Bob-Whites get a look inn this book, though for a chunk of it Brian and Jim are away, which leaves Mart in the starring male role for a little while (totally awesome for a Mart fan like me). Dans experiences in his gang days once again help shed some light on the mystery and I have big props for Di, even though she's scared out in a strange place in the middle of the night she's brave enough to keep doing what needs to be done.

It was really easy to imagine how pretty the flowers etc at Mrs Elliots were and I'm glad it had a happy ending for everyone, except for the villain of course.

My only beef this time was the timeline. Last book the Bob-Whites are fresh back at school for the start of a new year, this time it's the start of the holidays again, a whole school year disappeared and no one aged a day, I guess this I'd where the timeline starts going screwy and the agelessness of the characters starts pushing beyond belief.

Join me next time for the Mystery off Old Telegraph Road, which, if I remember rightly, has counterfeiting and a bikeathon!

Book 18 - The Mystery of the Phantom Grasshopper

From the back of the book - "The heavy front door closed solidly behind Trixie... The long corridor that ran past thew stairway was dark and gloomy-looking, and the stillness of the old building made Trixie feel she should walk softly... She had almost reached the stairs when she saw the door directly across the stairway open slowly. A tall man backed out into the hall and soundlessly closed the door. Turning, he saw Trixie..."

This time Trixie and the gang decide that they'd like to help pay for the town halls weather vane to be re-coppered and decide they'll host a walkathon. before they can really get their plans rolling Hoppy (the grasshopper weather vane) is stolen from his home on top of town hall, where he's lived for over a hundred years! And then the extensive and very expensive coin collection in the care of their new social studies teacher, Miss Lawler, disappears. With Trixie and her friends on the case you know that things will all work out in the end :)

Another book that's a bit of fun and by the end you think that maybe a huge brass grasshopper could be kinda cute. The scene where it is revealed Bobby has been taking riding lessons on a shetland pony was adorable and I LOVED Trixie for staying behind and taking him riding with her. Bobby's riding and his new treehouse play a role in helping Trixie find where the grasshopper was hidden and then there's the St Louis songs on the radio which were the only thing I really remembered, they were used by the criminals as signals.

I really powered through this book in quick time because it really flowed well, one thing led to another to another so there really wasn't any "slack time" that made me want to put it down. While I didn't find this book up to the standards of some of the others I still enjoyed it. Dan and Di took a serious background once again this time and Mart's polysyllabic vocabulary really went into overdrive, there were a number of words even I didn't understand as a 30 year old! neither Brian nor Jim really did too much this time around, both were really just there as chauffeurs, poor guys. It's interesting to note that they've been back at school for a couple of weeks, meaning that chronologically this book is set about a year after book 4. From here on out I think the books get a bit muddled, time-wise and no one progresses to age any further.

Next book on the list is The Secret of the Unseen Treasure. I remember nothing about it, we'll have to see how it goes. See you here for that soon :)

Trixie Belden Mystery Quiz Book 1

Wow, that was quick! Lol! I had a fun time reading this, it's fun and full of quizzes, cartoon mysteries, short mysteries and a short story. Ok, so the short mysteries and comic mysteries (the clues to solve them were mostly obvious) were pretty easy as were most of the quizzes but they were still fun and there were even a few that I really enjoyed like the logic puzzles, the cryptic code stuff, there was one quiz where you sometimes had to answer correctly and sometimes incorrectly and one quiz that was nursery rhymes told by Mart with his polysyllabic vocabulary and you had to work out what they were.

The short mysteries kinda reminded me of Encyclopedia Brown and the comic ones kinda reminded me of another series I used to read as a kid that had short mysteries, always with a visual clue illustrated by a boy named Hawkeye, wish I could remember the name of those books.

Ok, ok, so tis book wasn't *essential* reading for the series but it DID bring back memories, I remembered several of the mysteries from reading it as a kid. I can't wait to read the second mystery qui book as I never read it as a kid so it'll be exciting and new :)

Anyway, my next blog will be the Phantom Grasshopper, I'm in such a Trixie mood after finishing Uninvited Guest that I think I'll even start it when I go to bed (am reading another series as my "bedtime" book at the moment but going to pause it for tonight)

See you here again soon!

Book 17 - The Mystery of the Uninvited Guest

From the back of the book - "When Trixie could stand the waiting no longer, she went after Bobby. The instant she opened the kitchen door she was grabbed. She just had time to scream before a voice growled, "shut up, or you've had it!". A hand was clamped over her mouth..."




So, book 17 was one of my favorites the first time around and it's easy to see why again this time. This book picks up a few weeks after the last (though they were published 7 years apart) with Juliana and Hans' wedding fast approaching. Aside from the fact the Bob-Whites are all involved with the wedding, Trixie has more stress on her mind when her cousin Hallie arrives. Trixie and Hallie haven't seen each other for years and they didn't get along as kids and Trixie has those memories foremost in her mind. At first Trixie is really not nice to Hallie at all, for no other reason than their childhood rivalry. But Trix is a good person at heart and eventually Hallie and her become friends.

The mystery this time has to do with a gang of thieves. They rob the Lynch family and several others and the wedding, with it's presents seems a likely target. Then there's the fact that Juliana's engagement ring disappears, only to be found in Dan's stuff! It looks like Dan may be slipping back onto old ways, especially when it's found out that his old gang is hanging around. Poor Dan can't even defend his honor because he goes missing once the ring is discovered. And then there's "Miss Ryks" a wheelchair bound elderly lady who insists on being invited to the wedding, though no one seems to be able to work out if she's friends with Hans' family or Juliana's. Add to all this that poor Bobby seems to be out of sorts and food keeps disappearing from the Belden house and it's got the makings of a fun mystery.

All of the Bob-Whites are there this time and all of them have some sort of contribution to the story and mystery, even if it's small. Bobby even plays a decent part in this one and Hallie is one of my favorite honorary Bob-Whites so the characters this time around make me smile :)

The bad guys are also different this time, it's not just Dan's gang but Oliver Toliver/Miss Ryks and their workings aren't your average villains. Of course, you'd think the adults, particularly sergeant Mollison would have seen through the disguise. But it's a mystery for younger people, of course the young characters are going to be the heroes.

The obvious interest between Dan and Hallie is cool, because they're two of my favorites, ok, I admit, I often wished I was Hallie in my younger days, lol! I wish The next book had've kept Hallie around but we don't get to see her again until The Sasquatch Mystery :(

I really got emotionally involved in this book more than others. I felt for poor Bobby, worried about Dan and then Hallie when they disappeared, was filled with joy for Juliana and Hans and felt all gooey over Dan and Hallie and Jim and Trixie :)

All in all it was a favorite the first read and now, all these years later, the Mystery of the Uninvited Guest is still a favorite, it always will be :)

The next book is the Phantom Grasshopper the only thing I ever remember about it is the grasshopper is a weather vane. BUT! Before I read book 18, I think I might take a break and read the first Mystery Quiz Book :). I'm going to include a review of it in this blog too. See you here for that :)

<3

Book 16 - The Mystery of the Missing Heiress

From the back of the book - "The commotion inside the house became bedlam... a combination of falling furniture, cries of "Where are the lights?". Bobby's shrieks, doors slamming and rushing feet. "Where are you Trixie?" her fathers voice called. "Trixie!" Brian echoed. "The lights are out all over the house. What is happening?" "He must have cut the wires"..."

Book 16 is sometimes viewed as the end of a "Trixie cycle" and I can see why, other than the contents there was a gap of 7 years between it being published and the next finally coming out, the longest gap between Trixie books. The book also brings things full circle, giving Jim the blood relative he's been wanting since we first met him in book 1 and finally Jim's evil stepdad, Jonesy, gets his comeuppance.

This book starts with some swamp land near the Belden and Wheeler properties planned to be drained by the state as it's last known owners died many years ago. It turns out that the owners were Jim's mothers sister and Dutch her family, so Jim could lay a claim to it. With the help of Trixie it is discovered that Jim's family isn't dead as first thought, his cousin survived!

Jim's cousin, Julianna, arrives in Sleepyside and ends up staying with Mrs Vanderpoel (remember her from book 7? She donated some antiques?). Despite her best efforts Trixie just can't seem to make herself like Julianna. Trixie is quickly distracted from Julianna by "Janie" a lady at the hospital where Trixie and Honey volunteer. Poor Janie was in some kind of accident and she is now suffering from amnesia.

Eventually it is revealed (through Trixie's dedication) that Julianna is an imposter, brought in by Jim's evil stepdad who knew about the family and was hoping to cash in on the situation. Janie is the real Julianna! Due to the fact he tried to kill Janie multiple times it looks like old Jonesy is finally going to go away for a LONG time. Also involved with Jonesy's plan were the Thompson's, the bad guys from book 7!

Of course everything works out and the book ends with the real Julianna and her fiancé, Hans, deciding to get married in Sleepyside, with Trixie as Julianna's maid of honor and Jim as Hans' best man.

This book is a good fun one, it has a little mystery, a little action, a little humour, Dan and Di both appear (though neither are essential to the story), most of the regular cast of extras act just as they should, everything seems just normal and, bonus, Spider Webster makes an appearance. All in all it's a good fun book, it's probably not the best but it's still one that really encapsulated what the books are all about.

Next book is the Mystery of the Uninvited Guest where we get to see Hans and Julianna's wedding :). Make sure you're here for that :)

Book 15 - The Mystery on the Mississippi

From the back of the book - "Heavy feet mounted the steps... nearer... nearer... nearer. A key was inserted into the lock. it opened, and a man's bulk filled it. The morning light shone full on his sneering, wicked face. "Still alive are you?" he said, grinning maliciously. Trixie looked hopelessly into Honey's eyes. It may be the last time I'll ever see her, she thought. The last time I ever see anyone I love."

Yay, finally got through it!!! (told you I was still reading and doing this blog!)

Well, this one wasn't up to the standard of the others, unfortunately. Fresh back from their trips to New York, Cobbet's Island and Virginia the Bob-Whites are off to travel down the Mississippi in Huck Finn country. Somehow Trixie decides there's a mystery in some papers she finds and amongst running up and down the river and everywhere the Bob-Whites end up with Trixie and Honey being kidnapped by arms dealers. Mart spends the entire book whining about how he's not getting to do the things he wants, even though he ends up getting to do most of them, Honey makes best friends with the villains and Brian and Jim do nothing except occasionally drive. The only redeeming feature of this book is that Dan's in it. Unfortunately Di is off somewhere else this time.

No wonder I don't remember reading this book, it was pretty terrible. There were a couple of ideas (like the map and it's "cryptograms") that could have been great but the book was too disjointed and didn't really do enough to suck the reader in. Poor Trixie, having an adventure like this to her name :(

Next up, two of my favourites, the Missing Heiress, which brings back Jonesy (Jim's evil stepfather) and gives Jim an actual living blood relative and then Uninvited Guest, with Haley and a wedding, I can't wait to get reading!!

A Quick note

So, my blog has been delayed lately but it's still going. I've taken a break to have a read of a couple of other books that I got from eBay that I'd been hunting for years.

Also, I just (yesterday) won books 35 and 36 on eBay! YAY! (and this time I wasn't bidding against my sister) So my collection is nearing completion! WOOT!

I'm almost finished the book I'm reading and then I have one more book to read and then I will be back to Trixie, alternating between a Trixie book and other books each time.

See you soon for the Mystery on the Mississippi!

Book 14 - The Mystery of the Emeralds

From the back of the book - "It was a small plot, enclosed by an ornate iron fence. The gate was ajar, and, going through it, Trixie and Jim saw rows of moss-covered headstones. In the rear was a small but impressive marble mausoleum. "Ooooh! Cemeteries give me the shivers!" Trixie exclaimed. A sudden clap of thunder made them both jump, and they hurried to the vault. By now the rain was teeming, and the inside of the mausoleum was pitch black, but at least they were out of the storm..."

The Bob-Whites are just back from their adventure on Cobbett's Island, they hadn't even had a chance to open up the club house since they've been back. Trixie is enlisted to help her mum clean out the attic and while up there she falls through a wall into a hidden crawl space. In the crawl space she finds a letter dated from before the civil war. Turns out Crabapple Farm was a part of the underground railroad, helping smuggle slaves out of the south into the more liberated north and this letter was carried here by one such (freed) slave.

The letter, of course, leads to a mystery for the Bob-Whites to get involved in. They want to find the hidden emerald necklace that the letter talks about. To do so they're all off to Virginia to search out the clues that have been left. Along the way they've got to thwart a greedy and cruel neighbour, help a crippled man and save a teenager from going down the wrong path.

Emeralds was great for a number of reasons but I loved that it was one of the "treasure hunt" kind of mysteries. Trixie and the rest follow a series of clues that lead from the crawl space in the attic, to Croton On Hudson (a town close to Sleepyside), to Virginia, a pair of mansions, one in ruins, a family cemetery and it's mausoleum and, eventually, an underground secret passage.

The bad stuff - Once again Dan gets neglected :( There's like maybe one or two sentences about him, they don't even call him when they're going to have a Bob-Whites meeting!! This time Di is shyDi and though the Bob-Whites wouldn't have gotten to go to Virginia without here and the fact that it's her birthday at the end of the book she gets no attention and is totally ignored by most of the other characters, poor Di. Brian manages to be a super doctor once again (it gets old when he's always saving the day and finding no broken bones and stuff), Mart's his typical mouthy, garbage guts self and Honey barely gets too much of a look in aside from being around with Trixie, sometimes. Jim saves the day as he's wont to do. Really, this one is one of the books that ignores most of the characters for most of the time.

Next up we're of for a mystery on the Mississippi. Which is one I don't remember at all.

Book 13 - THe Mystery on Cobbett's Island

From the back of the book - " "The rudder's broken. It's lucky we didn't tear a big hole in the bottom of the boat!" Trixie sensed a note of anxiety in Peter's voice. "Someone will be coming along soon who will give us a tow, although there aren't many boats out this early in the season." The minutes ticked away without and sign of helping showing up. The disabled sailboat was being carried down the bay, and, as the all realized, out to seas..."

This time Trixie and the Bob-Whites have been invited by the Wheeler's to spend 10 days at the holiday house they rented on Cobbett's Island. Once again, poor Dan misses out on going. This time it's because he has gotten a job at a summer camp. BUT! Di gets to come along and she isn't whineybitchDi, she's actually fun, useful, calm Di which I love. She does go a bit girly for the new friend they make, batting her eyelashes at him and such.

Anyway, their arrival at the island is marred by a severe storm so the Bob-Whites stay inside, exploring the houses library. In one of the books they find an old letter that has a cryptic clue to the start of an adventure that will lead to $1000!!! With the help of their new friend, Peter, the Bob-Whites soon solve the clue and have found the treasure map that will eventually lead them to the loot but the landmarks etc on the map don't seem to make sense. While hunting the treasure the Bob-Whites manage to go boating (Trixie and Jim turn out to be born sailors and help Petter win a race, despite never having sailed before), attend a clam bake, help with a charity luncheon and Trixie and Jim even dress up as ruffians and attend a dive of a place to try tracking down some vandals. Even with all of this the Bob-Whites manage to solve the mystery, JUST IN TIME (as always) and find the loot. Which they then give to the widow and son of the writer of the original letter, AWWWW!!!

The way Honey feels for Brian is obvious, once again in this book and by the end of it you're wanting to beat Jim up for not giving Trixie a kiss. While Mart does seem a little jealous of Di's attraction to Peter there's nothing said to really make you think these two really care for each other as anything more than friends.

Once again the Bob-Whites prove to be totally awesome at everything they do, which can get kinda annoying when they're expert horse riders, sailors, swimmers, cavers, basketballers, harmonica players etc, it's like there's nothing they're no good at! (except maybe school and house work in Trixie's case)

The basic premise of this book - Trixie finds a clue to an old, unsolved mystery that leads to treasure - is used often in the series and is probably my favourite of the basic premises. It's always more fun when they're all treasure hunting rather than tracking down criminals. The Vandals/bad guys in this book feel kinda tacked on to add an extra little bit of excitement but really aren't necessary (IMHO).

Next up is the Mystery of the Emeralds, if I remember rightly, it's another with the forumla of "Trixie finds a clue to an old, unsolved mystery" and another book I really remember enjoying. :)

Book 12 - The Mystery of the Blinking Eye

From the back of the book - "Great headed man, with blinking eye, A shaded road, a horses cry, Foreign words for all to hear, First clue is now so very near. Watch out for thieves they're everywhere, At home, on island, dead beasts lair. Where shines a beacon 'cross the sky, Beware, great danger lurks close by. Thus begins the strange prophecy that launches Trixie, Honey and the rest of the Bob-Whites upon another exciting adventure, in THE MYSTERY OF THE BLINKING EYE."

This book sees the return of Ned and the Hubbell twins from the Happy Valley Mystery. This time they're visiting the Bob-Whites and having a tour of New York City for a few days. At the airport while the Bob-Whites are waiting for their friends to arrive Trixie helps a mexican lady who was lost. The lady, who was a fortune teller, gives Trixie a pretty hand bag and later, Trixie finds that inside is a prophecy written just for her. Back in the city Trixie buys a little Incan wood statue from an antique store and soon the Bob-Whites are being pursued by a trio of crooks who are seemingly intent on getting Trixie's ugly little statue. As the tour of New York and the villains pursuit of Trixie continue each encounter seems to corespond with part of Trixie's prophecy. Eventually of course, Trixie does a stupid thing and ends up being held at gunpoint by the crooks. And, as usual it's the Bob-Whites who help save her and in the end the crooks are caught, the mystery is solved and the Bob-Whites end up helping everyone :)

Dan and Di are both in this book, YAY! Di is written as a scared, whining girly girl for the most part (when she gets any lines at all) but one of the main encounters happens because of Di so she's got some import to the story. Dan's experiences in his gang days mean he's got a bit of knowledge of New York and how bad it can be and he also plays an important part in this book (at least as important as anyone but Trixie anyway).

The highlights are Mart's magic show, the visit with Dr Joe and his model train hobby room and all the New York sights they saw (Empire State building, Statue of Liberty, Museum of Natural History, Central Park etc). Aside from the slight beef with Di's character being a bit too whiney once again this remains a favourite. Once again the ending seems a little rushed but not so much compared to many of the other books.

Next up we're off to Cobbett's Island (where ever that is) in book 13. I can't remember a thing about it so that promises to be fun :)

PS. Blinking Eye is another one I remember reading in the "ugly" editions...

Book 11 - The Mystery at Bob-White Cave

From the back of the book - " "What is it, Brian?" Trixie asked. "Bats. Thousands of them. They're asleep. Gosh!" The startled bats roared into flight, circling the cave clockwise and beating against the Bob-Whites, almost knocking them down. The gorls waved their arms wildly and ran out of the cave. Slim, pushing the girls aside, ran ahead of them. The whirring wings of the frenzied bats sounded like a roar of an express train..."

This time the Bob-Whites, minus Di and Dan (of course, BOO!) are spending some time at Uncle Andrews fishing lodge in the Ozarks. While they're there, Trixie reads an article in a magazine about the hunt by scientists for some blind cave fish at three stages in the evolution, sighted, blind but with eye bumps and without any eyes at all. Whoever can come up with all three specimens will be awarded $500! The Bob-Whites think this is a great idea as they'd like to contribute it to a station wagon for handicapped kids at their school (or something like that anyway).

Of course it wouldn't be a Bob-White holiday if there wasn't mysteries aplenty! There's the englishman they save from drowning, Slim, the cave guide who turns out to be a douche and when he gets fired a fire breaks out and almost destroys the cabin of Uncle Andrews housekeeper. There's also the mystery of the ghost cabin and the ghostly man that's been seen in the area.

But foremost in Trixies mind is the hunt for the ghostfish, which is what causes her to be in a hole in a cave when it floods due to a sudden storm, almost drowning her!!!

It's funny how the Bob-Whites refuse to accept donations for the station wagon and are determined to work for the $500 BUT Uncle Andrew buys them a stack of caving equipment, lamps, torches, ropes, helmets, etc and they have no issues with that?

Once again it's Trixie's impetuous nature that causes most of the excitement in this story, with the others there to help clean up the messes she makes. They talk about how she's always a good judge of people but it seems to me she gets it wrong as often as right (look at just Dan as an example).

The Mystery at Bob-White Cave was one of my favourite Trixie books during my first read through all those years ago and it's easy to see why. The story jumps right into it and the action is well paced. The characters are fun, they do and see some really fun and cool stuff. Their motivation this time is once again something honourable and charitable. And of course, it all works out in the end, though not exactly as you'd expect :) Trixie's admiration of Jim and it's reciprocation is once again obvious in this book but without being explicitly stated.

Next up is another favourite of mine, the Mystery of the Blinking Eye. Can't wait to get into that :)

Book 10 - The Marshland Mystery

From the back of the book - "Trixie gripped Honey's arm and held her back. "Look at the window!" she said in a strange voice. Honey looked and felt a little shiver go down her spine. A bony little hand was gesturing from between the curtains of the window next to the door. And, quite unmistakably, the hand was warning them to go..."

So this time around Trixie and and the gang have to put up with a violin prodigy, deal with her running away, her strict aunt, a nosy newspaper reporter who's out to cause trouble and help out a kindly old lady who is being forced out her house by the council and Trixie feels responsible.

This book took me several days to read as it seemed to just drag on and on with nothing really happening. Then I finally got to the end and it seemed as if someone had rushed the ending to fit in a small a space as possible. I feel like this is one of my least favourite of the books and am quite annoyed with how boring it was and how hacked together the ending felt.

Dan and Di once again get short shrift. Dan barely gets a mention, even at a meeting of the Bob-Whites that he supposedly attends he get glossed over, AFTER the fact he gets a mention but thats it.

The character of Gaye, the young violin player is annoying and you find yourself wishing she'd just drown in the marsh.

Seriously I can't even think what else to say about this book it's that much of a disappointment, no wonder I couldn't remember any of it before I started.

Next up, we're off to Bob-White Cave in the Ozarks to hunt blind cave fish, one of my favourite books :)

Book 9 - The Happy Valley Mystery

From the back of the book - " "We'd better get out of here in a hurry," Jim said. Trixie nodded, unable to say anything. A rush and a roar of water followed the collapse of the bridge. About fifty of seventy-five feet from them, water swirled angrily. Big tree branches floated by out in the current, the the bloated body of a cow, and half a dozen chickens. "Turn the car around as fast as you can," Honey urged, terrified. "Oh, you can't turn around, Jim! There isn't any road anymore!"..."

Book 9 leaps right into it with the Bob-Whites (sans Dan but more on that later) about to touch down in Des Moines (I won't tell you how I used to pronounce that when I was a kid), Iowa to visit the sheep farm of the Belden's Uncle Andrew. Uncle Andrew is obviously the rich one in the Belden family, with his farm, paying for all the Bob-Whites to visit, flying off to Scotland and I seem to remember that the Bob-White Cave book they're visiting his hunting lodge!

Anyway, Trixie has a mystery to look into straight away, sheep have mysteriously been disappearing from the farm. First she suspects Mr Schulz, the neighbour, then Ben the hired hand. Her suspicions are proving very wrong until the Bob-Whites are invited to a BBQ at the local high school by Ned Schulz (the handsome neighbour about their age). There the Bob-Whites are served lamb that Trixie suspects is stolen! But she's quickly distracted by a pretty girl named Dot who seems to be hanging off Jim's every word and Trixie gets jealous.

Later, back on the case Trixie decides that the theives are hiding out in the nearby Walnut Woods but no one believes her. The Bob-Whites are soon to leave for hime so Trixie convinces Honey and Jim to go for a ride to the woods to check it out and there they wind up in big trouble as the river floods and takes out a bridge. The car they are in is quickly swallowed by the flood but luckily the trio manages to escape on a boat that was tied to the roof of the car.

During the night that follows the three manage to rescue a small puppy and end up marooned on the roof of a barn. They yell themselves so hoarse that when they see a rescue boat nearby they can't get it's attention but luckily Trixie uses the clubs Bob-White whistle and MArt, in the boat hears it and rescues them.

The thieves were also trapped by the flood and with a little quick extra work Trixie finds proof of their thefts and they are locked away for their crimes! Another mystery solved by the Belden-Wheeler detective agency :)

This is one of my all time favourite Trixie books. I remember loving the awesomeness of the flood scene, it truly was scary when I was a kid!

Ned Schulz and his friends Bob and Barbara Hubbel first appear in this book and then turn up again for a visit to New York with the Bob-Whites in book 12.

Poor Dan, he only arrived int he last book and already he's being pushed aside and ignored :( Also, kinda weird- We know Mart is 14 and that in book 8 he is asked to show Dan around as they're in the same class so you'd assume Dan is 14, 15 at the most. Jim is 15 and Brian 16 and are in the same year as Jim did two years in one at his old school. This book the whole reason Dan can't come is because he's too busy studying because otherwise he'll fail and he wants to stay in the same class as Jim and Brian! Continuity problem!!!! (this is what happens when multiple authors write for the same series without checking all their facts).

Also, this writer makes Di out to be a whingey, whiney, scaredy cat cow. Stupid writer! I loves Di, make her better!!!!!!!!

The school dance solidifies Trixie's relationship with Jim a bit more, she getting jealous of him, he getting jealous of the attention Ned pays her. Jim even goes so far at the end of the book to buy Trixie an ID bracelet with his name on it cos she's his "special girl". Awwwwww!

Also, I think Ned's gay. He says he has no interest in girls and the only one he does show interest in is Trixie, cos she's such a tomboy. and then Trixie thinks (and I quote) "He's just about the queerest boy I ever met". Lol, ah, simpler times when words like gay, queer and fairy meant something else entirely :)

One last thing. Last book all the Bob-Whites were such awesome ice skaters and they're always great at riding and swimming and this book they're superstar basketballers. COME ON! Not everyone is that perfect! Oh well, just makes me want to be more like them I guess (only with less exercise and more hot lovin)

Next up we're onto The Marshland Mystery, which I don't really remember at all :)

Book 8 - The Black Jacket Mystery

From the back of the book - "There was a small branch lying at one side. It was only about 20 inches long, and someone had cut all the side twigs off it. Trixie picked it up, curious as usual. It came from a crab-apple tree. There was a dark stain on the heavy end of the piece of wood. And caught in the grain of the wood was a small tuft of gray hair. The stain could only be blood..."

This time around the Bob-Whites are preparing to host an Ice Carnival on the Wheeler's lake and asking people to donate books so they can send them to the school of Trixie and Honey's mexican penpals who's school library was destroyed in an earthquake. The Bob-Whites are such nice guys and gals. But while they're preparing Trixie just has to nose into Regan's business. She overhears him asking her Mother for advice and Bobby tells her that he heard Regan is going for a trip to the city to bring back a "Sperimen", which she and Honey deduce to mean "experiment". Regan takes his day off and Trixie sees him driving a car out to Mr Maypenny's. The next day Mr Maypenny joins the Bob-Whites on their school bus and with him is a young man around Mart's age, named Dan Mangan. Of course Trixie and Honey never even think that Dan Mangan arrives with Mr Maypenny the day after Regan starts his "sperimen" that involved visiting Mr Maypenny (hmmm, Mr Maypenny and Regan experimenting, there's some hot fanfic there!). Anyway, the Bob-Whites and Dan get off on the wrong foot straight away. With his black leather jacket, high peaked leather cap and black cowboy boots, coupled with his street tough attitude he's at odds with how the Bob-Whites are.

Then Honey's watch goes missing and turns up at Mr Lytell's store, sold by a boy in a leather jacket! And the Bob-Whites club house is broken into and trashed and their club funds stolen and whoever did it left boot prints from cowboy boots! All signs point to Dan, not to mention he's not very polite and forthcoming with any alibis. It looks like Regans experiment has failed and Dan is going to be shipped off to a reform school. You see, Dan is Regan's long lost sisters kid and he got mixed up with a tough New York gang called the Cowhands when his parents died and it was only by agreeing to get him out of the city and out of trouble that Regan convinced a judge not to send Dan away.

Then the Bob-Whites discover that Dan's boots are much smaller than the print left in their club house and his are black and there's brown boot polish scuffed on one of their desks. Then Mr Maypenny is attacked and Dan was no where near the scene of the crime. It's not until Trixie and Bobby become lost in the woods and Bobby gets stuck in a crack in a cave that the truth is revealed. Luke, the leader of the Cowhands has followed Dan to Sleepyside and wants Dan to help him rob the Wheelers before they both run away back to the city. Of course, when Trixie asks for Dan's help with saving Bobby he accepts and helps little Bobby out but all the while they can hear the cries of a mountain lion getting closer and it's dark and snowing, will they last through the night?

Of course they do, everything works out in the end, Luke gets caught and arrested and Dan becomes a valuable member of the Bob-Whites, inheriting Mart's old BWG jacket that's too small (so he never has to wear the black leather one again) and even taking part in the Ice Carnival and winning the speed skating competition, the prize of which is flooring that the Bob-Whites can use to floor their club house.

Dan is the last official Bob-White (though some characters in later books are "honorary Bob-Whites") becomes one of my favourite characters in the series though of the Bob-Whites he's the least used. I was a bit miffed that Di only appears in this book for a page or so and then seems to disappear for most of the rest of the book. Di and Dan seem to get relegated to the background quite often from memory.

Next up - The Happy Valley Mystery where the Bob-Whites are off to visit Trixie's Uncle Andrew on his sheep farm in (I think) Iowa. It's another of my favourites! :)

The Black Jacket Mystery is another one that I remember ready in the "ugly" edition :)

Book 7 - The Mysterious Code

From the back of the book - "Mr. Stratton straightened. His smile faded "Now, who is to be spoeksman?" "I am," said Trixie. Jim was co-president of the Bob-Whites, but Trixie usually did the talking. "Trixie, the School Board doesn't want secret societies to exist in Sleepyside schools, when clubs - really gangs - can be the source of so much trouble. The board feels... that your club will have to disband." "We couldn't!" Trixie almost shouted..."

So, with the first "Kathryn Kenny" installment of the Trixie Belden series we have a very interesting book, this one actually has a mystery and villains and all that jazz (unlike books 5 and 6). Due to vandalism and thefts at the school the school board is considering disbanding all clubs unless they can show how useful they are to the community. So Trixie comes up with an idea, the Bob-Whites will put on an antique show and have all the proceeds go to UNICEF. The Bob-Whites throw themselves into the show and Mrs Wheeler says they can have any of the items in one of the Manor Houses attic rooms. There they find some nice antiques and a key with a tag on it that has a stick figure code on it. They manage to decipher the code and the key is apparently the "Key To Riches". Thanks to Trixies snooping and her temper they find the box the key fits and inside is a beautiful jewellery box and inside that is two very expensive rings. With a little bit of investigation it is revealed that once they used to belong to Jims great-aunt and so are rightfully Jim's now. he donates them to the antique show. The story of the discovery gets out and soon a newspaper covers it and that brings some unwanted attention. Trixie and Bobby visit Mrs Vanderpoel, a nice old lady, who is donating some antiques to be sold at the show and some to be shown as well. One of the antiques is a beautiful little table that Trixie takes with her, having Bobby carry it on his sled while she pulls him. On their way home they are robbed by three men who steal the table and dump Bobby in the snow and the poor little boy ends up with pneumonia. Soon after someone attempts to break into the Bob-Whites club house where the antiques for the show are being stored and a burgalar break into Mrs Vanderpoel's house in an attempt to steal her antiques but is foiled by Trixie and caught by Tad Webster (Spider Websters little brother).

Things pick up and soon it's the eve of the show and Trixie is working late in the show room, putting on price tags when she is interrupted by men who have come to steal some of the valuables. With a gun pointed at her there's no way for Trixie to call for help or even let Jim know what's happening when he briefly checks on her. Or is there? Maybe that "Mysterious Code" could come in handy!

OH! And one of my favourite events happens in this book. Reddy disappears and Trixie, brian and Jim all head out to find him. They find him but end up stuck in an old shed in the middle of a blizzard with nothing to eat but bird seed that Mr Maypenny stores there. I loved it, just as good as I remember.

This book also takes the idea of the budding feelings between some of the Bob-Whites and makes it more obvious. Jim's respect and like for Trixie is stated and he even sends her an orchid corsage for her to wear to Di's valentines party. Speaking of Di, things heat up between her and Mart when her little brothers make her give him a kiss as part of a game.

Then there's Tad. Over the course of the book he seems to become a nice guy and he and his brother end up moving into Mrs Vanderpoel's house. Given Tad's helping the Bob-Whites a lot and the fact that his new place is within walking distance of the Belden's it seems as if he's being set up to become a new Bob-White. Unfortunately it seems as if the author runs out of space towards the end of the book and the ending is hurried and any invitation to Tad is left out. I think that's kinda sad :( but it does leave things open for Dan to arrive :)

The boys don't pick on Trixie quite as much in this book as in the previous couple but it seems obvious to me that with the way the romance blossoms and the way the girls vs boys mentality is portrayed in this book that the author is obviously a woman with a bit of girl-power on her mind (remembering that this published in 1961, the concept of "girl-power" probably wasn't around but the general ideas of women being equal were).

Also, harkening back to the whole "racist" thing I mentioned in an earlier blog about Jimmy Crow in book 2. The Japanese brothers who are interested in the samurai swords that are being sold at the show are very stereotypical, even calling Trixie "Tlixie" lol. Nothing that bothered me, just a note, I actually found it amusing in an "Wow, that's so stereotypical it's funny" kinda way :)

Anyway, next up is The Black Jacket mystery which I remember as being one of my favourites. Probably because I loved Dan and number 8 is when he arrives on the scene. See you here for that :)

Stuff

Before I get into the rest of the stuff I want to say here I had one more thing to say about book 6 that I forgot to put in my other blog. I was amazed by how often the story just took a pause for several pages so that the characters could have long conversations detailing the history of Arizona, indians, dude ranches, and all sorts of things. Ok, maybe it was suppose to be educational but it felt kind of like there wasn't enough story and this was added for filler. Anyway, enough about that.

So - Julie Campbell Tatham. She was the one who came up with Trixie Belden and wrote the first 6 books. She also wrote the Ginny Gordon books and some of the Cherry Ames and Vicki Barr books. Crabapple Farm, where the Belden family live is actually based on a real place, Wolf Hollow, where she lived herself and Sleepyside is based on Ossining, New York. She didn't want to continue Trixie after 6 books but the publishing company ended up cutting a deal with her because though they owned the rights to the books they conceded she owned the rights to the characters. She ended up getting some sort of monetary compensation and a series of in-house authors (the various "Kathryn Kennys") took over the job.

Above and below are a couple of maps of the area that the Bob-Whites lived. The fictitious "Glen Road" that they lived on is actually Glendale Road. Catamount Hill that you can see in the map above is actually explicitly mentioned in, I think, book 1.

Aside from the obvious change in author names you can tell the later books are written by different authors because they're occasionally inconsistent. With eye colours changing, personalities being slightly different, Di's house suddenly being on Glen Rd with the others etc. I'm not saying that the various "Kathryn Kennys" did a bad job, in fact my favourite books are all Kathryn Kenny books, it's just interesting to see how things go.

Anyway the point of all this is that this blog is now departing Julie Campbell country and we have to take a slight pause and say thank you to her for giving us something we love. So, "Thank you, Julie Campbell, it's been fun, we love your work"

Next up - Umm, the Mysterious Code. I THINK this is the one where the Bob-Whites are facing being disbanded by the school and to show the club is good they hold some sort of charity event for UNICEF (again, I think). What I do know is that it's the one with the little stick figure alphabet code :)

Book 6 - The Mystery in Arizona

From the back of the book - "Trixie, feeling very wide awake, wandered over to peer out of the window which opened onto the west patio. It was as bright as day out there, except for one shadowy corner. And then she heard, rather than saw, that somebody was hovering outside in the shadows. A soft sighing sound rose and became a sob. Somebody was out there..."

So, maybe this book should be called "The Mystery of Where's the Mystery?"

So, Di's Uncle Monty (the real one, not the fake from book 4) has asked the Bob-Whites to come spend Christmas at his dude ranch in Arizona but they'll have to skip a week of school and fly out with Mr Lynch on his way to a business trip. Most of the Bob-Whites are excited except Trixie, she doubts she'll be allowed to go after the visit her parents had from her guidance councillor about her poor grade in English and the fact she's failing math. But the boys come to the rescue and Jim and Brian agree to tutor Trixie each day they're away and it's all set, they're off to Arizona!

Things take a turn for the worse as soon as they arrive when Uncle Monty tells them that unfortunately he's going to have to send them straight home. The family he employs to work at his dude ranch has run off without a word, leaving only their daughter in law (the cook, Maria) to help Monty take care of the ranch, he managed to hire a young indian girl, Rosita, to help out but even so he isn't sure he's going to be able to manage to keep his ranch open during the holiday season, let alone have the Bob-Whites stay. Trixie comes up with a solution, the Bob-Whites can help out, the boys can help in the kitchen and dining room and the girls can take care of the cleaning. At first the other Bob-Whites are hesitant but once they realise that together they'll be able to get their work done and still have time each afternoon to have fun they all agree and the matter is settled.

So Trixie now has to balance her work as a maid, the math tutoring, work on her english report about Navajo indians and still have time to have fun. Not to mention she wants to solve where the Orlando family disappeared to (the family that was working for Uncle Monty), especially after Maria's little boy Davey threatens to run away to join them. She also wants to know why Rosita dropped out of school to work for Monty and why, if she's a daughter of a Navajo silversmith where all her jewellery is and why does the cowboy, Tenny, speak like a cowboy only when people can hear him? On top of that there's three guests at the ranch that don't seem to be having any fun that Uncle Monty asks for help with. But, no criminals or real mysteries for Trixie to solve this time around.

So, the boys "tutoring" Trixie, hmmm. I should totally get a job as a tutor because apparently all you do is tell the student to do problems in a math book and then get angry when they get the answers wrong, end of tutoring job. Brian and Jim are total buttheads to Trix over this.

Jim and Trixie - We get to see another small glimpse of the feelings there when Trixie is obviously pleased to be Jim's partner for the square dance.

The Mystery in Arizona was the last book by Julie Campbell Tatham, the original author of the Trixie series. From here on out the series is written by a bunch of different authors, all working under the name of "Kathryn Kenny". When I return to the blogosphere (probably later today) I'm going to write a short blog about this stuff and some other stuff. And then we're on to the Mysterious Code!!!! Be here for all the excitement!

Book 5 - The Mystery Off Glen Road

From the back of the book - " "Don't be silly," Trixie cried impatiently. "I'm not going to go far enough away to get lost." She darted off along the narrow path and, a few minutes later, found herself in another small clearing. There she came upon a scene that was so frightening she couldn't even scream. She just stood there, staring with horror, then turned and raced back to Honey..."

Finished Book 5 pretty quickly! I heart Mr Maypenny! He's only in for a few pages but he's teh awesome!

Everyone enjoys Celia and Tom's wedding (the Wheeler's maid and chauffeur) but afterwards a huge storm hits and blows down trees and power lines all around the neighbourhood. The mess is enough to make the Wheeler's gamekeeper quit (like he was doing a good job anyway) and a tree crashes through the Bob-Whites clubhouse!! None of the Bob-Whites have the money to repair the clubhouse except Brian but that money was supposed to buy his first car from Mr Lytell (the store owner) and if Mr Lytell doesn't get the money he'll sell the car to a used car dealer. Of course, Brian donates his money to the club, like the good man he is. The Bob-Whites consider taking on the job of gamekeeper until a new one can be found to earn money for Brian's car but that still won't stop Mr Lytell selling Brians car before they get paid. So Trixie comes up with a secret plan! She'll pretend she's fallen in love with Honey's cousin Ben Riker, who's visiting, so she can be girly enough for her dad not to suspect anything when she asks for the diamond ring that Jim gave to her (during book one, it had belonged to Jim's great-aunt and he gave it to Trixie because he figured she earned it with all the help she gave him) THEN she can use the ring as security to make Mr Lytell hold the car til the Bob-Whites get paid for game keeping.

So, Trixie's got to act like a young lady in love (totally against her tomboy nature) and in love with Ben Riker at that! (Ben's a douche bag practical joker) At the same time she's got to balance school, gamekeeping, finding out about Mr Maypenny the hermit, keeping people from realising the ring she's wearing is a fake she borrowed from Honey, keep herself from suffering the vengeance of Bobby when she loses his compass and help keep the boys free time free so they can work on the club house before another big storm hits. To top it all off, she and Honey are out patrolling the game preserve when they start finding evidence that there's poachers!!!

So, Ben Riker was introduced in book 2, as a little bit of a distraction at one of the boys camps to keep their visits from being too similar I think and now he's back and annoying the crap out of everyone, except Di, who seems to find him attractive and Bobby, who loves anyone, especially Ben who's as childish as the 6 year old is. Here we start seeing the underlying feelings Jim has for Trixie. It's not OBVIOUS but you can see the way he acts that he's upset at thinking Trixie likes Ben. Oh, Jim, she's not worth it! I'm here for you (when you age a few years at least)! lol

I was a little shocked at how truly mean to Trixie ALL of the boys were on several occasions in this book. I remember them picking on her but not this much, they really gave her hell quite a lot and she was so busy trying to do so much for everyone without wanting to take credit for it that I thought they were being dicks, Jim and Brian in particular. you kind of expect Mart to tease her but Brian and Jim were a bit over the top and past teasing and onto meanness in my opinion.

So... next up I'm onto the Mystery in Arizona, which is the last of the books by the original author, so after I finish it and blog about it I might take a quick break to give a blog some general Trixie thoughts before I dive into book 7

Book 4 - The Mysterious Visitor

From the back of the book - "THe folding doors at this end of the gallery had been pushed back as far as they would go. Trixie grabbed one of the brass handles to steady herself and something big and black and horrible with skinny, wiggly legs sprang at her. It dropped on her outstreached hand, then slithered to the floor at her feet..."

So, book 4 introduces Di Lynch, who's been friends with Trixie since kindergarten but since her father struck it rich and became a millionaire Di had become distant from all her old friends. Sweet little Honey sees this when school starts up for the Bob-Whites again and quickly invites Di to come stay with her overnight to help pull her out of the funk she's in. It's not long before all of the Bob-Whites have embraced the beautiful Di as one of their own and she becomes a Bob-White too, jacket and all.

But Di's only problem isn't that she's suddenly rich and doesn't know how to deal with it it's that her mother's long-lost brother, Monty has suddenly appeared and he seems to be doing all he can to make Di's life a living hell. He encourages her mother to buy clothes for Di he knows she hates, tries to ruin her halloween party and then, when he finds out Trixie suspects he's an impostor and not really Di's Uncle Monty at all, he tries to drive a wedge in their friendship. It isn't long before Di realises she's been tricked, Trixie is her true friend and Uncle Monty IS an impostor! But they have no way to prove it :(

Meanwhile, the Bob-Whites have been working hard to restore the gatehouse (from book 3) so they can use it as a club house. Unfortunately one of the Wheeler's maids sees the work they've done and asks the Wheelers if she and the chauffeur can move into it when they are married and Mr Wheeler says yes because he was not aware the kids were working on it and wanted it. It looks like the Bob-Whites are going to be out of a clubhouse!

Needless to say to get the evidence they need about Uncle Monty, Trixie takes it upon herself and unintentionally put herself in danger and Uncle Monty ends up kidnapping her in the Lynch's red trailer (the Robin from book 2) after Mr Lynch sees what he's doing to his daughters life and gives Monty the trailer and $50,000 to get out of their lives. Luckily Mart believes Trixie when she claims Uncle Monty's an impostor and has his own plan to gather the evidence needed and is hiding in the trailer when Trixie is kidnapped. Together they manage to catch the attention of "Spider" Webster, a local police officer, and "Uncle Monty" is arrested and the truth comes out.

As a reward Di's father decides to give the Bob-Whites (well, Mart and Trixie anyway) the red trailer. THe Bob-Whites decide they can't accept such a big reward but decide that they could give it to Celia (the maid) and that way they can keep the clubhouse! Yay, everything works out in the end.

Oh and the police discover that Fake Uncle Monty knew so much about the Lynch's because he'd met the REAL Uncle Monty in Arizona and Mrs Lynch finally gets in contact with her real brother :) And because it's all thanks to the Bob-Whites, Real Uncle Monty invites them out to Arizona to his dude ranch during the christmas holidays, thus setting things up for book 6 - The Mystery in Arizona. But before that we've got book 5 coming up :)

Di Lynch. Hmmmm... What is there to say about Di? Well, she's apparently very beautiful and has blue-black hair and violet eyes, and this is apparently because Elizabeth Tailor was such a prominent actress at the time (1954 was the first publication) that Di was modelled after her in looks. At first glance Di seems to be suffering from a variety of problems, low self esteem, some kind of bi-polar maybe? But really I think she's just a very nervous and insecure young girl who isn't really the sharpest tool in the shed either. Despite her problems and the fact she's a bit gullible, Di is a sweetheart and fits in well with the other Bob-Whites. There seems to be no glimmer here of the feelings i remember being between Di and Mart but maybe because it's too soon. Maybe Mart having such an active role in the climax is an indication that he wanted to be part of this one especially.

Also, at one point Trixie tries to use portraits of Mrs Lynch's parents to prove that Fake Monty couldn't be their son if they both had blue eyes and his are brown. I remember this helped me know a bit more about recessive genes and things before we did them in school :)

Next up - The Mystery Off Glen Road! Which is when I think Mr Maypenny, the gamekeeper is introduced :)

BTW - Here is the cover for the "ugly" version (as collectors tend to call this set of hard covers). This is the cover I remember having my first read through all those years ago. You can see Trixie is wearing her red Bob-White jacket. In earlier publications these seem to be nice, almost formal jackets by todays standards but I remember thinking of them rather like sports jackets or more like letterman jackets (is that the word I'm thinking of, "letterman"?). Anyway, just wanted to include it because it brings back memories.

Book 3 - The Gatehouse Mystery

From the back of the book - "A thick wall of blackness surrounded her on all sides and Trixie felt as though she couldn't breathe. She could only stand there, listening for someone was coming quietly down the back stairs. Now he was pushing open the swinging door. The beam of a flashlight cut through the darkness and Trixie whirled around, stifling a scream..."

So, I made quick work of book 3 and enjoyed every minute of it. While I remembered the basics I'd forgotten most of the details so it was a lot of fun to read it. Trixie and Honey set out to explore an old run down, abandoned gate house on the Wheeler property and there (mostly thanks to Bobby) they find a large diamond in the dirt floor. Rather than hand it over to the adults or the police Honey and Trixie (well, mostly Trixie) decide that because of the circumstances that the diamond must be stolen and fairly recently too so they'd better try solving the mystery themselves. Despite wanting to keep it to themselves Jim soon discovers what's going on and then Mart and Brian arrive back from camp and soon all five of them have formed their own little club (the Bob-Whites of the Glen or B.W.G. for short), decided they're going to all earn money to fix up the gatehouse for a clubhouse AND they're all going to help try to figure out where the diamond came from and who originally stole it before losing it in the gatehouse. Is the thief the new, shrivelled, old gardener, could it be a passing tramp or is it the Wheelers new chauffeur who seems to be nice to everyone except Trixie who he's exceptionally rude to?

Along the ride the diamond disappears, only to reappear in the spot Honey had been hiding it (thanks to a trip around the Belden and Wheeler properties in Bobby's pocket) and ends up being sewn into a strawberry shaped pin cushion and hidden in Mrs Belden's sewing kit.

In the end Trixie puts everything together and solves the case just in time and ends up putting herself in a lot of danger and is rescued by Jim and Regan (the groom). Of course the others realise that Trixie's intuitions were right all along and they should have listened to her but then of course, they don't listen to her the next 30 books either lol.

Mart was as funny and cool as I remember him, I loved that he got so upset when the chauffeur was rude to Trixie. Regan was awesome, I can't believe he's only like 22, I remember thinking he was a lot older than that.

Something to note - this is the book that taught me how easy it is to forge a signature when you know no one is going to look at it too closely. Thanks to this book I believe that my high school had a lot of notes signed by my mum that weren't really LOL! Putting the things I learnt from Trixie to evil uses, I'm so bad!!

Next up... The Mysterious Visitor!!! One of my favourites, we get impostors, Di joins the Bob-Whites, the Robin (the red trailer from book two) makes an appearance, Mart and Trixie put their physical similarities to good use, Trixie gets kidnapped and it sets things up nicely for book 6 with the trip to Arizona. (also I think book 4 has the first appearance of Spider Webster? Maybe?) Anyway, I'll be back with more soon!!

Things I'm looking forward to in book 3

Well, I'm about to start book 3 (after I do a little housework and see to the puppies) and I thought I'd just say the things I'm looking forward to because book 3 is a pretty significant book...

Mart and Brian returning. You know I have to think that despite the fact I loved all the bob-whites and the fact it was Jim and Regan I had crushes on (and Dan too) it was Mart who was always my favourite of the main characters. He made me laugh, he was cool, he was obviously in love with Di (who I think was equally smitten), he teased Trixie mercilessly (I seem to recall him making her cry on at least one occasion) but he was fiercely loyal and it was obvious he would die for his "almost twin" sister (Mart and Trixie are 11 months apart). I can't wait for him to return from camp. As for Brian, I remember he wanted to be a doctor and he was always the goody-goody of the group (they were all good guys but Brian was always the one that wanted to go to their parents about everything and stuff) but not overly much else. OH! Brians jalopy!!! That's like book 5? Right? I can't wait!

The Bob-Whites of the Glen - Oh man, the group forms the Bob-Whites in book 3, with the gatehouse for a clubhouse, their own secret whistle, their own jackets. I remember reading those books and wishing I was a Bob-White or at least belonged to a club that was even half way as cool. lol!

Book 2 - The Red Trailer Mystery

From the back of the book - "The clouds of dust created by the struggle made the air in the loft almost unbearable. If I can't cough or clear my throat soon, Trixie thought in agony of suspense, I'll choke to death. And then Honey sneezed. Frozen with fright to the edge of the loft, the girls stared downward as the man's bushy-haired head fell back and his foxlike face turned up to meet their gaze..."

So, book two takes off not long after the end of book one, the Mansion at Ten Acres has burnt to the ground, Jim has run away and it's up to Honey and Trixie to track him down. Under the eyes of Miss Trask (Honey's governess) they set off in the Silver Swan, a luxury trailer home, to investigate some boys summer camps that Jim had mentioned hoping to get a job at. Along the way they run into the Darnell family who have "borrowed" the Robin (the eponymous Red Trailer) and are there when Joeanne Darnell runs away. Now they've got Jim to track, Joeanne to track, the Darnell family to find again not to mention trailer thieves to foil, a stolen locket to find and all that, plus dealing with a pair of unruly dogs all to do in just a few days.

At the end of Red Trailer we find that it's almost comical in how close people came but just missed each other the whole way through the book until the very end.

Once again the book puts in place a number of things for the coming books - Brian and Mart returning is mentioned (book 3), the Robin belongs to Di Lynch, a girl Trixie knows (book 4), Ben Riker, Honey's cousin appears (book 5), the Robin is the trailer Trixie gets kidnapped in (book 4), the overgrown gatehouse on the Wheelers property is mentioned (book 3).

Of course at the end of The Red Trailer Mystery we get to finally meet Honey's parents and Jim finally finds himself a new home with a little sister (here it finally gets mentioned that Matthew Wheeler and Jim have similar colouring). Even Honey's mum seems to be happy with the arrangement for Jim to become part of the Wheeler family and both parents seem to be quite happy with the effect Trixie and Jim have had on Honey.

Oh, also the traile rthieves get foiled, Joeanne is reunited with her family and everyone gets the ending they deserve.

One more thing before I move on and start reading book 3 later today - Until Donna mentioned it in comments I had forgotten all about the crow but once she mentioned it I was like "Oh, wow, how did I forget that?" and a few pages later in the book, there he was. But, seriously, I get that the book was first published in like 1950 or something but "Jimmy Crow" SERIOUSLY? Wow. This was within the lifetime of our parents (or mine at least) and this sort of thing wasn't even commented on as being racist, in fact it was in a kids book! Now I have no problem with the book but it just made me think how recent things really are in some regards.

Anyway, I'll catch you all back here when I finish The Gatehouse Mystery. or maybe beforehand if I have more random thoughts :)

Random Trixie thoughts...

So, just a couple of quick thoughts before I do my Red Trailer blog...

Jim - His attitude in the first book is very different to what I remember. I always remember him to have a quick temper but in book one he seems a little more sullen and ragey than normal. BUT I think this is understandable with the abuse that he had from Jonesy before Trixie and Honey met him. I never really thought about that abuse when I first read the books and the effects it would have on Jim in later life but this time around it saddened and shocked me. At one stage Jim tells of Jonesy tying him, hand and foot to a bed to keep him there after his first run away attempt. It makes me like his character more that he can go through that and still be the honourable, kind person he is at his core and it makes me happier for the life he ends up having.

Bobby Belden - I never realised it before but the age difference between Bobby and Trixie is almost the same as between me and my sister, Donna (the one who introduced me to Trixie). Add to that I'm the baby in a family of four :) I wonder if my sister ever felt as exasperated with me as Trixie got with Bobby? It helps me "get" Bobby a little more understanding that :)

Anyway, the Red Trailer....

Current thoughts...

So, I've had The Red Trailer Mystery sitting here beside me for a while now and on one hand I really want to pick it up and read through it because I'm excited to get to number three for Mart and Brian to get home and for them to form the Bob-Whites and then to get to number 4 for Di to join, and then to 7, 8 and 9 for the stick man code, Dan to arrive and the flood and then 11 and 12 and... well, I think you get the point by now. What's holding me back? I want to enjoy the read, to savour each book that little bit extra because it's almost as if I'm reading them again for the first time, though I remember a lot of important bits, there's so much I don't remember :)

Ah, stuff it, I'm off to read at least a few pages of the Red Trailer Mystery right now!!!

Book One - The Secret of the Mansion

From the back of the book - "Trixie sucked in her breath. In the bright moonlight, she could distinctly see the head and shoulders of a man rising above the thicket. He was moving stealthily across the clearing, like a cat stalking it's prey, and she felt a little shiver run up and down her spine..."

So, this book introduces us to Trixie, Honey and Jim (who are really the core of the main group of characters) and of course most of the major supporting characters of the series like Ms Trask, Bobby, the Belden parents, Regan, Reddy, Mr Lytell etc.

What do I remember from my last reading of it YEARS ago? I remember Trixie being bored because Mart and Brian are away at camp, I remember the snake bite, the "mad dog" and the fiery climax. I also remember the basics - Jim has run away from his cruel stepfather to find his uncle who is his only living relative but Mr Frayne (Jim's Uncle) is an old miser who is laying in hospital, unconscious and almost dead. Trixie and her new friend, Honey meet Jim and believe the local tale of half a million dollars is hidden in Mr Fraynes run down mansion. And that really is the basic plot.

So I started reading the book this morning and am already done. They really are fairly small books when you're used to much bigger "adult" sized books but even in the short tale that it is it manages to fit in a whole lot of story. Aside from being fairly fast paced it actually gives you some character development, especially for Honey, who starts out as a poor little rich girl but quickly grows beyond that thanks to Trixie and Jim. I remember Trixie and Jim being my favourites but this time it was Honey, she really was just so much more than I remember her being and so willing to try out new things and face her fears. At first it seemed that Trixie was a bit meaner to Honey than I remembered but then I thought about it and Honey's world and attitude and stuff is probably as alien to Trixie as Trixie's is to Honey so it's no wonder there's that bit of misunderstanding at first but because we only see things from Trixie's side really we don't get the same insight into what Honey is thinking about Trixie :)

Couple things I found strange - I remember that in the books it gets commented on later on that Jim and Mr Wheeler have such similar hair and eye colour (red/green) that they are easily taken for real father and son but at no time does Honey mention to Jim that her father has red hair and green eyes too and Mr Lytell doesn't mention it either when he runs into the three of them out riding. Also, I seem to remember Regan having red hair but this wasn't mentioned either.

This book ends with the setup for the next book - Jim's run away again and Trixie and Honey are going off to find him and tell him he doesn't have to go back to his cruel stepfather and that he really has inherited half a million dollars. Coupled with the fact that this book establishes Mart and Brian as future characters and I remember in the next book the Red Trailer belongs to Di Lynch's family it really is obvious that the first lot of books (1-6) were written by the original author (Julie Campbell Tatham) and she obviously had a general idea of where the story was going for those books.

Anyway, next I'm on to the Red Trailer Mystery and I'll post more after I have at least made a start on it