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.