Trixie Seeks to Bring a Family Together in The Mystery of the Castaway Children

A baby turning up in a doghouse is an inherently peculiar situation. When that doghouse happens to belong to the family of teen sleuth Trixie Belden, it’s the beginning of another mystery. Was the baby kidnapped? Abandoned by his parents? Could there be some other explanation? In between taking turns caring for the infant that has charmed them all, spunky Trixie and her fellow Bob-Whites are determined to find some answers in The Mystery of the Castaway Children, the 21st book in the Trixie Belden mystery series.

This book, written by a ghostwriter under the name of Kathryn Kenny, is especially warm-hearted as Trixie and her friends and family rally around this infant, growing more attached all the time but also yearning to reunite this wayward child whom they have dubbed Moses with his parents. It’s a mystery in several steps, and Trixie is very methodical about gathering new clues as parts of it are unveiled. While she throws caution to the wind a couple times, her dedication to the case is admirable, and some of her deductions are quite clever.

As is generally the case, Trixie’s best friend Honey is right by her side to help her, and this time, they have an unusual ally in their efforts. Usually, Sergeant Molinson of the local police department warns Trixie off of her sleuthing, but this time, he actually requests that she and Honey work with him. This adds a neat twist to the story and makes Trixie feel like her dream of being a professional detective is more within reach than ever. It also allows readers to see this frequently antagonistic side character in a more encouraging and kind-hearted light.

All seven of the Bob-Whites – the others being Trixie’s older brothers Mart and Brian, Honey’s adopted brother Jim and their friends Diana and Dan – are involved in this story and eagerly share the responsibilities of caring for a baby. It’s fun to see them all turning to mush over this newcomer, even the normally snarky Mart. Of course, the title indicates more than one castaway, and when Trixie and her friends learn of a second missing child, it adds a whole new dimension to the mystery and allows for her little brother Bobby to have a key role to play in the proceedings.

Woven throughout the story is a lesson on the importance of financial responsibility, as well as several pointers on how to take care of a baby. Mostly, though, this is just a solid story of teamwork and ingenuity as a close-knit group of friends try to figure out how an infant ended up in their care and how to reunite his broken family.

The Maccabeats Call For Introspection and Outward Action in Book of Good Life

Shana tova! Tomorrow evening, Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, starts. In preparation for this time of reflection and renewal, the Maccabeats, the Jewish a cappella group from Yeshiva University, have put together a third video. Like their videos for Hanukkah and Purim, they based it on a popular contemporary song that I’d never heard of before (though since the release of the Purim song, it seems like I’m encountering Pink’s Raise Your Glass everywhere).

This time, the source is OneRepublic’s Good Life, an ode to youthful wanderlust. Once again, the lyricists are Immanuel Shalev and David Block, and the video director is Uri Westrich, and further continuity with previous videos is found in little visual nods such as the appearance of the orange NASA suit in one young man’s closet and the bumbling confusion of the toga-clad frat boys – the Greek bullies from the recounting of the tale of the Maccabees in Candlelight – as they struggle to read Hebrew songbooks. As before, the song by itself is wonderful, but the video adds another dimension of fun and, at the same time, reverence.

Released on September 22, Book of Good Life finds several contemporary young Jews feeling a bit uninspired by the idea of having to spend several hours in a synagogue. Gradually, however, their enthusiasm builds as the holiday helps them to do some real soul searching and look at the world with a fresh perspective. While this video celebrates a Jewish holiday just as exuberantly as the previous videos do, there is a fairly significant difference here in that the first two are fairly insular, while the third focuses largely on engagement with the world outside the Jewish community.

Although several scenes take place in shul or a synagogue, several others occur out on the city streets, where the apathy of the song’s beginning gives way to the activism of the second half. Hence, despite the presence of numerous Jewish images and terms such as yarmulkes, the traditional apples and honey eaten during this time, the “book of life” mentioned in Psalm 69 and the phrase “Days of Awe,” the song feels more ecumenical. What’s more, the focus on caring for one’s neighbors and being good stewards of one’s habitat make it widely applicable. Being less familiar with Rosh Hashanah than Hanukkah, I missed several specific references the first time I listened to it, and at first, I wasn’t sure if this was a holiday video or simply a general call to engagement with society at large – sort of a Jewish We Are the World. It does have that epic scope.

Another thing that’s interesting about this is where it stands in relation to the song that inspired it. With the first two videos, the originals are pretty much just party songs, and the new videos retain that celebratory focus but put a sacred spin on it. In this case, however, Book of Good Life feels like a direct counterpoint to Good Life. Whereas the original song is one of rugged individualism and getting all the kicks you can while you can, the Maccabeats present a different model – a life lived in community, where helping others is both a duty and a joy. The tension reminds me very much of the fundamental debate driving The Mystery of the Vanishing Victim, the 33rd book in the Trixie Belden series. Early in that book, conscientious Brian, my favorite of the Bob-White boys, stalwartly declares, “We happen to believe that getting involved with other people is what life is all about.”

Clearly, so do the Maccabeats. The later portion of the video is filled with short vignettes of the group’s members acting in ways that benefit others, from giving up a seat on the subway to another rider and tossing a tip to a street corner musician to throwing trash in the bin instead of leaving it on the sidewalk and helping a man carry his daughter’s stroller up a flight of stairs. It also extends to showing simple respect in ordinary interactions.  One young man takes the time to have a real conversation with his housemate instead of tuning her out; another, previously slumped over his desk in shul, offers an enthusiastic answer, or perhaps a question, to his rabbi.

As with the previous videos, the biggest lyrical similarities come in on the chorus. Instead of “I say, oh, got this feeling that you can’t fight, like this city is on fire tonight. This could really be a good life, a good, good life” we’ve got “Say oh, we've got feelings that we should fight. Make sure that we're choosing right. Gotta earn my own place in the book of good life.” Meanwhile, the contrast is most striking on the bridge. Instead of repeating the word “hopelessly” and pairing it with rather hedonistic expressions, the key word here is “hopefully,” and each phrase addresses a desire to be a more thoughtful, considerate person this year than last.

Of course, an a cappella group is ideal to express such a sentiment, since the power of their vocals lies in their ability to harmonize with each other. The harmonies on the bridge are richest, but I found myself moved by them throughout the song, particularly at points in the video when we see them singing as a group in their coordinated white shirts and black ties. Meanwhile, perhaps the single most striking image in the video is the one of four Maccabeats, each in very different garb, converging upon a vibrantly colored sidewalk drawing reading “Open Your Eyes” – then scattering again as they realize missteps they made earlier in the day and move to correct them.

That’s not to say that there’s no room for silliness in the video. One guy – the same one with the NASA suit – has an autographed Justin Bieber poster hanging on his wall. Another – who has a Maccabeats poster over his dresser – wears a bright red Trix t-shirt throughout much of the video. The lyrics to the original song reference Abbey Road, and in this video, four of the guys cross the street in imitation of that famous Beatles album cover. Then, of course, there are the earnest but clumsy Greeks, who have become increasingly more sympathetic with each video.

Silly or somber, Good Life is a wonderful celebration of an important Jewish holiday and an invitation for people from all backgrounds to reflect upon their lives and how they might have a more positive impact upon the world. At this point, the song is not for sale, but anyone can download it free of charge by following the link under the YouTube video. Meanwhile, those who want to help support future releases from this talented group can do so through a donation box on that same page. I’ve been a fan of the Maccabeats since I discovered them last December, and this is my favorite video yet. I hope that they will celebrate their heritage with many more videos showcasing their distinctively infectious style.

The Bob-Whites Rally to Help the Art Department in The Mystery Off Old Telegraph Road

My brother Nathan, who turns 23 today, graduated from college in May with a Fine Arts degree. Ever since kindergarten, Nathan’s school days were filled with as much artwork as possible, from the doodles that covered his worksheets to the cardboard stand-ups he created in middle school and the complex ceramics projects he undertook in high school. All along the way, he was fortunate to encounter teachers passionate about the arts and determined to give their students as many opportunities for growth as possible. Naturally, Nathan is very frustrated by the tendency of schools to cut art department support when funds are dwindling, so I thought of him as I read Kathryn Kenny’s The Mystery Off Old Telegraph Road, the twentieth book in the Trixie Belden teen detective series.

I knew a bit about this book going in because Nick Roberts, one of the chief characters, resurfaces in the 35th book, The Mystery of the Memorial Day Fire. One of the other major characters is Ben Riker, who appeared in two previous volumes. In the fifth book, Trixie made an exaggerated show of pretending to have a crush on him, while in this book, she makes no secret of the fact that she can’t stand him. He has gone from being a fun-loving prankster of the Fred Weasley variety to reminding me more of a thuggish Dudley Dursley or disdainful Draco Malfoy. Boarding school has not done his personality any favors, and now that he is attending public school in Sleepyside, the Bob-Whites – the semi-secret club of which neighbors Trixie and Jim Frayne are co-presidents – have to put up with him.

Jim’s adoptive sister Honey Wheeler is Ben’s cousin, which puts the mild-mannered teen in a tough spot because she wants to support him and help him feel welcome while he is a guest in her home, but she is as appalled by his rudeness as her friends are. The most striking thing about this book for me is the fact that Trixie and Honey have a fight that leads to a brief estrangement. It only lasts a couple of chapters, but it seems to drag on much longer because it is so painful to see these incredibly supportive friends so distanced from each other. It caught me by surprise, but it still feels realistic, with each girl lashing out in frustration stemming from outside pressures. I know what it’s like to fear the loss of a friendship because of a communication breakdown and to be afraid that any attempt at apology will only make things worse, so I really felt for the friends here, especially Trixie, since she is the primary one at fault.

While Ben is important to the plot, Nick, a surly artist from a poor family who fears he will not be able to attend college, fuels the story to a greater degree, as he is the one who inspires Trixie to suggest that the Bob-Whites organize a bike-a-thon to raise funds for the school’s art department. With enough money for decent supplies, Nick and other students like him should be able to produce works of art of high enough quality to allow them to put together portfolios to accompany their college applications. The other Bob-Whites – Trixie’s brothers Mart and Brian and their neighbors Dan Mangan and Di Lynch – warm to the idea quickly, but when mysterious threats surface, they begin to wonder who could be behind them and whether it is safe to proceed with their event.

This book casts both Ben and Nick in a suspicious light while leaving room for other possible culprits as well. Trixie’s curiosity and determination land her in a dangerous situation before the mystery is solved, but in the midst of the peril, there is the satisfaction of the Bob-Whites working together for a worthy cause and making plans to share the bounty of their hospitable friends with the rest of the town. Good food is usually a part of these books, but it seems especially abundant here, with several picnics and sit-down dinners, all culminating in a grand repast at the bike-a-thon courtesy of Mr. Maypenny, the kindly but reclusive old man who tends the Wheeler grounds. A great school-related read that makes you appreciate the value of a well-stocked art room and passionate students, Mystery Off Old Telegraph Road gets an A from me.

A Sleepyside Antique Pulls a Vanishing Act in Mystery of the Phantom Grasshopper

I started reading the Trixie Belden teen mystery series in January. When I glanced through a list of titles to see what was coming up, one that really leaped out at me was The Mystery of the Phantom Grasshopper. “Phantom grasshopper???” I wasn’t sure just what that meant, and I looked forward to solving the mystery of what exactly a phantom grasshopper was. And how would just a small insect provide enough intrigue to sustain an entire novel? I have finally read this 18th volume in the series, which was written by a ghostwriter under the name of Kathryn Kenny, and I now have the answer to that question.

Phantom Grasshopper is another hometown mystery for the Bob-Whites, who had some pretty wild out-of-town adventures in volumes 11 through 15 before settling down to more ordinary exploits in Sleepyside, NY. This time around, 14-year-old Trixie, her best friend Honey, Trixie’s older brothers Brian and Mart, Honey’s adopted older brother Jim and their neighbors Dan and Di are back in school after a seemingly endless summer, and they’ve made the acquaintance of Miss Lawler, a young woman who is helping out with history classes by showing off the coin collection in her care. Kind but reclusive, she seems as though she may have a secret of two to hide.

Thanks to that coin collection, this book incorporates the word numismatist, which is another term for a coin collector. It’s one of several interesting tidbits sprinkled throughout the novel, which also includes references to Benjamin Franklin, old-timey music and a movie that I can only assume is King Kong. In addition to having my favorite title in the series, Phantom Grasshopper also boasts what may be my favorite chapter title: A Squirrel Gives a Clue. Given my lifelong fascination with those bushy-tailed creatures, that one gave me a big smile.

As someone who doesn’t drive, the discussion of the peculiarities and challenges involved with being an adult non-driver struck a chord with me, and as someone who has always wanted a tree house, I loved seeing the “see-crud” arboreal hangout belonging to Trixie’s little brother Bobby. It also made me happy to see that Regan, the horse expert who works for Honey’s parents and is my favorite regular side character in the series, has a fairly large role to play here, mostly because of an adorable little horse named Mr. Pony who he is teaching Bobby how to ride.

The mystery itself does not, rather to my disappointment, involve an actual grasshopper but rather a local artifact in the shape of a grasshopper that disappears after a wicked storm. Trixie’s fondness for this piece of local history drives her interest, which leads to an investigation as well as a chance for the Bob-Whites to take to the radio in an appeal to help them find the missing Hoppy. The intensity of her investment in this object seems a little goofy, especially since it hasn’t come up in previous books, but then it does seem in her nature to throw herself wholeheartedly into things once she has latched onto them.

Unlike with some of the books in this series, nothing in the writing style really stood out to me. The characters seem themselves, and there seems to be a good balance of dialogue and narration, but the quirkiest thing about the book is the title object. It’s not an especially memorable entry, and none of the dialogue particularly jumped out at me as being quote-worthy. Still, I found the story fun, and it has some moments of real peril. While I think the book is ultimately a bit more mundane than the oddball title suggests, it still offers an excellent chance to see the Bob-Whites at work on their home turf.

Mark Twain and Hannah Montana Merge in Princess and the Pop Star

More than a decade ago, the Christian computer-animated video series VeggieTales introduced LarryBoy, a cucumber superhero who has since gotten three full-blown videos, along with several lower-quality videos and a number of tie-in books and toys. With action-packed storylines appealing especially to boys, the LarryBoy videos have found an honored place in Veggie lore and helped pave the way for more cinematic side-trips like the expeditions of Minnesota Cuke, an adventurer whose exploits offer a tip of the fedora to Indiana Jones.

With last year’s Sweetpea Beauty, VeggieTales began branching off into videos specifically aimed at girls. While previous installments have featured female protagonists, never before had the packaging and merchandising so thoroughly indicated that particular focus. This summer, we have Princess and the Pop Star: A Story of Trading Places. When LarryBoy first appeared, we were merely getting Larry dressing up in a costume. He didn’t want to be plain old Larry; he wanted to be special. He wanted to be a superhero. There are some echoes of that in this video, in which Princess (a name, not a title) Poppyseed (Laura Carrot) dreams of meeting her lookalike idol, Vanna Banana, and of becoming a pop star like her.

Princess lives on a humble farm with her inventor father, practical mother and chaotic siblings, and she resents her chores and her lack of glamour. Mostly, though, it drives her crazy that she can never get any privacy. The biggest offender when it comes to infringing on her space is her adoring little brother Pepper. When his exuberance causes Princess to miss out on the chance of a lifetime, she reaches a breaking point. Meanwhile, Vanna is unhappy too. Shuttled here and there by her manager mother (Madame Blueberry) and a gaggle of personal assistants, she yearns for the life of a regular kid. She wants some time away from the spotlight. Most of all, she craves the warmth of a loving family. When the two girls bump into each other on the playground, they compare sob stories and notice their striking physical similarities. If each wants exactly what the other one has, why not trade places?

This is an upbeat video that marks the first time that the main storyline stars a character who is a female child. For the third time in the past year or so, childlike Larry the Cucumber is cast in the role of parent; it seems like they are trying to mature him a bit, or at least the characters he portrays; he’s still pretty silly in the countertop scenes, though at least he is attempting to proactively answer a youngster’s question. Aside from Larry and the double Lauras – one of whom is played by a different actress with much more of a pop star sound – the only other major Veggie characters to make an appearance in this story are Madame Blueberry and Jimmy Gourd, who plays a television personality, though Pa Grape has a cameo on a charming Little House on the Prairie parody that I especially appreciated since I recently watched the first season of that classic 70s show on DVD.

I think the theme is generally well done. Both girls are likable but not entirely contented. Of the two, Vanna seems more serene and wise, while Princess is a bundle of angst and ambition. While Vanna is the one who comes up with the switcheroo to begin with, Princess is the one who is unwilling to let go of the ruse when the jig is up. Presumably the intention was for this to be a short-term thing, just a couple of days that would allow Vanna a break and Princess a shot at her dream, but the corn-fed youngster seems to think that filling Vanna’s shoes permanently is an actual option. As much as anything else, this is a video about contentment with one’s circumstances, which makes it a tad repetitive since we got that same theme only two videos ago with It’s a Meaningful Life. Princess needs to realize how blessed she is to have such a large, loving family and appreciate her unique place in it. Vanna, on the other hand, could use a reminder of what a privilege it is to have her life and of the capacity she has to touch people’s lives as a result.

On the other hand, especially after watching the special feature in which Mike Nawrocki talks about how they were trying to convey an idea that God has a special plan for each person, I wonder if the message is a bit mixed. The lesson as stated on the cover is “being yourself,” and both girls have legitimate complaints about their lifestyle. Vanna wants to feel like a beloved daughter instead of a commodity; Princess wants a little space to dream her big dreams. I think part of being yourself is realizing where changes might be made and acting on them. That’s not to say the video discourages this; it does encourage clearer communication with one’s parents, especially on Vanna’s end. But I do think there’s a danger of confusing contentment with complacence. It seems to me that following God’s will often requires stepping outside of one’s comfort zone. For the target audience, it’s appropriate to urge them to simply count their blessings and try to be the best they can be right where they are, but I don’t think kids should feel pigeonholed either. With enough practice, Princess could grow up to become a singer, and Vanna could hang up her microphone and raise a family out in the country. However, that would be years down the line, and it would have to be the result of conscious decisions rather than insertion into another person’s life.

I love the cozy Poppyseed farm, which has a rambling, lived-in appearance. This is not a rich family, but neither would I call them poor. They have enough, and their land looks like a marvelous playground. I’m less enamored with the flashy Vanna segments. Obviously, this video takes its inspiration from two major sources: Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper and the mega-popular Disney Channel series Hannah Montana. Twain’s tale is a classic that has been adapted time and again, but I have my doubts that Hannah Montana, the saga of a pop star trying to live like both Vanna and Princess without mixing up her very different identities, has that kind of staying power. With that show having concluded in January, it’s already moving into the realm of yesterday’s news, since its trendiness was its main draw. Because of that, this video feels just a bit dated right out of the gate, which is not a complaint I have had about any previous VeggieTales videos. I just wonder if they were trying to be a little too topical.

Like most of the videos in the series, this one has a Silly Song. Entitled Astonishing Wigs, it allows uppity Archibald Asparagus the opportunity to expound upon the history of wigs as fashionable items. Archibald is one of my favorite characters, and given his absence in the story, I’m especially glad to see him here, and his extravagant style cracks me up as always. As a song, it’s decent but not that melodious. My main complaint, though, is that at one point, a trio of bewigged pigs gets up and sings. Aside from Barbara Manatee, a television character within the world of VeggieTales who we hear but never actually see, and a couple of invertebrates, I can’t recall any instance of talking animals in this series, and the pigs just feel out of place. Dozens of children’s stories involve talking pigs; including them here just feels old hat and not really VeggieTales’ style. I doubt I would have objected to their presence if they had just acted like regular pigs wandering around in mild confusion over the heavy objects on their heads; it’s the singing and dancing that annoys me. Otherwise, though, the song is enjoyable.

Naturally, with two main characters who love to sing, this video is heavy on the music, and while we maybe hear one of the songs a couple more times than necessary, Vanna’s hits are very catchy and definitely have the Hannah Montana sound to them. At the same time, they don’t feel out of place in a Veggie video. The girls’ individual songs asserting their longings both establish the characters well, and Vanna’s is quite poignant. Meanwhile, the final song ties the video together and expresses the main theme well. With as many times as it gets repeated in the video, I suspect that Vanna’s most popular song will get firmly lodged into the minds of many young viewers. I know I can’t get it out of my head.

I bought my DVD at Walmart, where it came packaged with a bonus DVD entitled Girl Power! This DVD includes the contents of three older videos with female leads: Madame Blueberry, Duke and the Great Pie War and Esther: The Girl Who Became Queen. While the latter two feature heroic characters, Madame Blueberry is petty and greedy at the beginning of her tale, not to mention too easily manipulated. She does eventually come to her senses, but I’m not sure the video is really an example of “girl power.” However, the only other video that would really fit is Sweetpea Beauty, which presumably is too new for them to want to put in a package DVD.  Besides, Madame Blueberry also includes Annie, the soft-spoken, bespectacled young leek who is the one Veggie who reminds me most of myself, and her role, while small, does fit the theme better than the title character’s. Incidentally, if these female-focused videos continue, I hope Annie gets a starring role soon.

For longtime Veggie fans, this bonus DVD will most likely be superfluous, though even if you weren’t getting a bonus, you’d probably still pay less at WalMart than just about anywhere else. For those new to the series, however, this is a great way to get acquainted, as you’re basically getting four videos for the price of one. While VeggieTales has a number of female side characters, Madame Blueberry and Petunia, from Duke and the Great Pie War, are really the only fairly major characters aside from Laura and perhaps Mom Asparagus. While an oddball female character from Esther has made appearances in subsequent videos, Esther herself hasn’t, and I wonder why that is. I would think she could be a valuable addition to the ensemble.

Princess and the Pop Star isn’t perfect, with its excessive trendiness and its mildly mixed message. Nonetheless, the video is fun and heartfelt, and the relationships between Vanna and her mother and Princess and Pepper are particularly touching. Having immersed myself in the Trixie Belden series this year, I found that Princess’s boisterous home life, complete with a plethora of chores and a tagalong little brother, made me think of Trixie, while Vanna’s longing for a deeper connection with her mother reminded me of Trixie’s best friend Honey. One hopes that after the events of the video, these girls will remain friends and share their worlds with each other, even as each becomes more satisfied with her own. There’s nothing wrong with a healthy curiosity about how other people live, but perhaps after watching this video, young viewers might be more inclined to look at their own lives from an outsider’s perspective and see the advantages familiarity has caused them to overlook.

Trixie's Most Pressing Enigma in The Mystery of the Uninvited Guest Is Herself

When I started reading the Trixie Belden teen mystery series in January, I took the first two books out at the same time, and I was glad I did, since the first ends on a pretty major cliff-hanger. Meanwhile, the third introduces Trixie’s older brothers Brian and Mart and includes the formation of the Bob-Whites of the Glen, the club headed by then-13-year-old sleuth Trixie Belden and her neighbor Jim Frayne, and the fourth brings a sixth member, Di Wheeler, into the group. After that, order isn’t quite so important, as events from one book rarely carry over into the volume immediately following it. I was a little surprised, then, to get warned off of reading the seventeenth book, which is in my library system, before the sixteenth, which isn’t, but I held off until I got my hands on the missing installment, and it was worth it.

The Mystery of the Uninvited Guest brings back several characters from the preceding novel, most notably Jim’s cousin Juliana, whose August wedding among her new friends in Sleepyside, New York, is the event around which most of the book revolves. The title pulls double duty as it refers to both Miss Ryks, an elusive elderly woman who wrangles her way into an invitation by claiming a close connection to Juliana and her fiancé Hans, and Hallie Belden, the spunky cousin who arrives at Crabapple Farm for an extended visit, much to Trixie’s aggravation. While Miss Ryks is one of the key players in the mystery, Hallie becomes a shadow detective, often adding valuable suggestions that aid Trixie and her gentle best friend Honey Wheeler in their investigation.

Hallie’s presence helps to make this one of the most introspective books in the series thus far as Trixie is forced to examine her attitudes about her younger cousin and contemplate the ways in which both of them have grown up recently. “It’s hard being a teen-ager, isn’t it?” she confesses at one point during a fairly deep discussion, and I suspect that most of those who have navigated the rocky roads of adolescence could agree with that. While Trixie’s argumentative nature in the first few chapters is a bit grating, it allows for growth later on as she allows herself to make a fresh start with Hallie, leaving old squabbles in the past.

Ultimately, I think the dynamic between these two may be my favorite element of the book, though I also love being able to see them participate in an intimate outdoor wedding, a lovely ceremony that reminds me of the golden nuptials that precede the chaos and darkness marking most of the final Harry Potter book. It’s fun to watch the girls help with the preparations, enlisting the aid of both kindly Dutch widow Mrs. Vanderpoel and practical Miss Trask, who helps run the Wheeler estate. The elegant simplicity of the wedding and the obvious affection the bride and groom have for each other casts a warm glow over the whole book, particularly for those who got to know Juliana over the course of the previous volume.

But all is not happiness and light here. Curious circumstances begin piling up, reaching a crisis point when Juliana’s ring vanishes and Dan Mangan, the seventh Bob-White, disappears shortly thereafter. Dan often takes a backseat, so it’s nice to see him so integral to the action here, even if he does spend several chapters missing. Meanwhile, Trixie’s mischievous little brother Bobby gets caught up in the mystery as well, becoming a more centric character than he usually is. In fact, he has a bigger role to play here than the older Belden boys, though they maintain a prominent presence, as does Di, whose family suffers a shocking blow toward the beginning of the book that helps set the mystery into motion.

While Uninvited Guest is clearly a sequel to The Mystery of the Missing Heiress, the writing style is very different. Instead of being dialogue-heavy, this book is more focused on narration, and there’s an artistic flourish to the descriptions that impressed me. This particular ghostwriter has a knack for metaphors and for finding new ways of expressing ideas that are present throughout the series. For example, she makes several comparisons between Trixie’s brain and a computer, a tribute to her tendency to process information quickly and make great mental leaps. Additionally, while I’m not sure if this was intentional, I like the fact that in a book in which a wedding is the focal point, the hotel room around which much of the mystery centers is number 214, as in Valentine’s Day.

I wouldn’t exactly call the ending of the sixteenth book a cliffhanger, but it does set readers up for the idea of Trixie and the rest of the Bob-Whites participating in a summer wedding, and I’m glad that whoever was in charge of these decisions felt that this event merited a book of its own. The mystery is intriguing, particularly Dan and Bobby’s roles in the strange events that unfold, but it’s the changing relationship between Trixie and Hallie, a great new character in her own right, and the joint effort to prepare a beautiful wedding for a deserving couple that made Uninvited Guest such an enjoyable read with which to begin the month of August.

New Friends and Relatives Occupy the Bob-Whites in Mystery of the Missing Heiress

I’ve reached the midpoint in my consumption of the Trixie Belden teen detective series, which has dominated my reading list since January. My latest was The Mystery of the Missing Heiress, the sixteenth book and the tenth written by a ghost-writer under the name Kathryn Kenny. This particular writer was also responsible for the seventh book, which of all the ones I’ve read thus far was the hardest for me to get into. I eventually succeeded, and while there are some great moments in that book, I much prefer this one, as it seems she settled into a more comfortable rhythm with the characters.

This volume brings exciting news for Jim Frayne, who thought that the last of his blood relatives died with the great-uncle who left him his fortune. When a factory construction project kicks up a search for the rightful owner of a local marsh, the co-president of the Bob-Whites of the Glen finds out that he has a cousin he never knew existed, and his fellow club members – Trixie, her brothers Mart and Brian, her best friend Honey and their friends Dan and Di – can’t wait to meet her. When Juliana arrives, however, her erratic and sometimes downright rude behavior confuses and disappoints them.

Meanwhile, a young woman who loses her memory after being the victim of a hit-and-run occupies much of the Bob-Whites’ time, especially after she temporarily moves into Crabapple Farm, the cozy Belden residence. Why is Juliana acting so strangely? What is the true identity of the girl they call Janie? Who is the strange man Trixie has seen skulking about? It’s all so mysterious…

Trixie is a super sleuth, but she is a little slow to catch on in this book. My guess is that most readers figure out at least part of the mystery before she does. Nonetheless, that didn’t bother me all that much. I was more annoyed by the peculiar premise and uneven characterization in Mysterious Code. Here, the established characters all seem more or less right. Bobby, the youngest Belden, and Mart, the second-oldest, lack the distinctive speech patterns they have in many of the other books, but otherwise the personalities seem pretty intact. This book also marks the return of several characters from the seventh, most notably Mrs. Vanderpoel, a cheerful Dutch widow, and Spider, a helpful young cop, and I enjoyed them even more this time around.

Other traits I noticed with this author before come to light again. We spend a lot of time in Trixie’s head, sometimes reading several paragraphs of her thoughts in italics. The added perspective is nice but often unnecessary. Similarly, the author seems to spend a lot of time on exposition and often repeats herself. For instance, more than once, she refers to Brian as a future doctor, seemingly for purely explanatory purposes. That gets a bit redundant. On the other hand, I like the continued prominence of Reddy. This author must have been a dog person because the Beldens’ Irish Setter has a major part to play in both the seventh and sixteenth books.

While we don’t spend as much time with Juliana as one would initially guess, Janie becomes almost like an eighth Bob-White here, and her sweet disposition makes her plight the most engaging part of the book for me despite the fact that I had a pretty good guess as to where she might belong early on. I also enjoyed the fact that this is the only book in the series thus far to involve my home state of Pennsylvania. Granted, we don’t actually spend any time there, but a family vacation in the Poconos is mentioned several times. Now if they’d just opted for the Appalachians in Little Pine Valley, the sense of familiarity would have been overwhelming.

Missing Heiress is not among the most mysterious books in the Trixie Belden series. To my amusement, it does include the classic line that concludes nearly every Scooby-Doo villain’s confession: “And I would’ve gotten away with it, too…” However, the real appeal of this book lies elsewhere. While the enigmas – and Trixie’s sleuthing skills – are a bit weak, it is an enjoyable read that demonstrates the Bob-Whites’ commitment to teamwork and helping others and introduces a truly lovable new character who I look forward to encountering again.

The Bob-Whites See Red in The Mystery of the Memorial Day Fire

The other day, a hefty box of books arrived on my doorstep. Its contents: 25 Trixie Belden books. While not every book I have yet to read is among them, I can go back to reading in order, and it will be a while before I might have to skip one again. While I waited for the spoils from my eBay victory to arrive, however, I read the last book in my library system: The Mystery of the Memorial Day Fire, the 35th book in the series and the 29th written by a ghost writer under the name Kathryn Kenny.

This book opens with 14-year-old Trixie, her brothers Mart and Brian, her best friend Honey Wheeler, Honey’s adopted brother Jim and their neighbors Di Lynch and Dan Mangan eagerly awaiting the titular parade. While they wait, they make the acquaintance of Jane Dix-Strauss, a rather pushy reporter who snaps a photo of the septet, collectively known as the Bob-Whites of the Glen. Jane’s brusque manner irritates Trixie, while the others are just tickled at the prospect of a group photo, which apparently nobody has ever bothered to take before, though I must say that as much time as they spend together, you would think someone would have thought to do that before. At any rate, photos and reporters are soon driven from their minds when a nearby building explodes. They all make it home safely, but who could have caused such a thing to happen?

This is one of the last books in the series, so I wasn’t too surprised to see that, like the 33rd book, it contains references to a previous mystery. In this case, I couldn’t tell which book it was right off the bat, but they spend so much time discussing the backstory of a supporting character that I figured they must be rehashing a previous plot. A little sleuthing of my own led me to discover that Nick Roberts, the boy whose father is both prime victim and suspect in this case, was introduced in The Mystery Off Old Telegraph Road. So prominent is his role here that it seems this book could be considered a direct sequel, and it makes sense that both were reportedly written by the same ghost writer.

As with many books in the series, this one has the Bob-Whites putting their energy into a charitable project, though in this case, they too stand to benefit. To help boost the morale of Nick’s father, whom they believe to be innocent, and increase his business while he figures out his next move in the wake of his store’s destruction, they sell custom t-shirts and caps for his company, taking a commission from the sales to build up their sadly depleted club fund so they can repair their winter-battered clubhouse. At one point, Mart goes through the treasurer’s report, and considering that each of the Bob-Whites earns money weekly and that the group often receives bonuses related to the solving of mysteries, it doesn’t seem as though they spent nearly enough to be so bankrupt. One also wonders why they waited until late May to think about fixing the clubhouse up, though I suppose they may have just preferred to have school out of the way so they could devote several hours a day to the cause.

Once the mystery gets cooking, it’s pretty engaging, with more mysterious happenings, some false trails and a rather clever, if overly convenient, clue. It’s always nice to see the Bob-Whites working together for a good cause, and they’re all fairly integral to the process. While Trixie and Honey are the ones most intimately involved on the mystery end of things, the others have a role there as well. It’s also fun to see Trixie really stirred up about something, and she gets a great line that resonates with a starry-eyed dreamer like me.  On the other hand, while the characters mostly seem themselves in the later part of the novel, there are moments that seem off, like Honey going into hysterics over a cancelled t-shirt order or Trixie saying that there hadn’t been an arson in Sleepyside in recent memory when several books set in the Bob-Whites’ hometown incorporate the intentional starting of a fire.

Mostly, though, it’s the beginning that bugs me, and that’s because the Bob-Whites, but especially Brian and Mart, come across as so self-righteous. When the building explodes, they high-tail it home, but a majority of the spectators gathered for the parade remain where they are long enough to become an obstruction to the fire department. The Bob-Whites spend several pages railing against the crowd for their rudeness and stupidity, and while I agree that getting out of the way was the right call, not everyone can think so clearly in a crisis, and it isn’t as though the Bob-Whites pulled out a bullhorn and shared their wisdom with the rest of the community. Moreover, it’s a natural impulse to want to know what is going on. I appreciated the little speech Trixie’s dad gives defending those in the crowd, though it doesn’t quite put a stop to the griping. While I understand their malaise over the fact that further damages might have been prevented if the crowd had dispersed immediately, it doesn’t seem very fair to keep talking as though every person wandering around in confusion had malicious intent.

Once the book progresses past the immediate aftermath of the incident and the Bob-Whites stop seeing red, it becomes a much more pleasant read. There’s enough fire to stir up trouble in this book; we really don’t need the Bob-Whites on the verge of spontaneous combustion.

Cars and Compassion Come to the Forefront in The Mystery of the Vanishing Victim

Two weeks ago Cars 2 arrived in theaters, so I already had cars on the brain when I cracked open The Mystery of the Vanishing Victim, the 33rd book in the Trixie Belden series of mysteries. In this installment, written by a ghostwriter assuming the name Kathryn Kenny, 14-year-old amateur detective Trixie and the other six Bob-Whites of the Glen – her best friend Honey Wheeler, her older brothers Mart and Brian, Honey’s adopted brother Jim Frayne and their friends Di Lynch and Dan Mangan – are preoccupied with cars because they are organizing a rummage sale, and the most generous donation they receive is a Model A Ford in pristine condition. The donor, kindly Mr. Burnside, suggests driving the car around town all week to help drum up business for the sale, and it seems like a wonderful plan, but little sooner do they have the antique in their care then it conks out on them on the side of the road, leading them straight into another mystery.

Brian is the eldest of the Bob-Whites, and one of his distinguishing characteristics is his love of cars; his rattletrap old jalopy is one of the most iconic props in the series. Mr. Burnside entrusts the care of his Model A specifically to Brian, who is awed by the privilege and responsibility. Thanks to Mr. Burnside, Brian and the enigmatic title character, who stops to help the Bob-Whites when the car stalls on their way home, the book includes a lot of shop talk about the making and history of various models of cars, so it’s one of the more educational volumes in that regard. Moreover, although Trixie and Honey are more immediately involved in the mystery that follows, Brian is in many ways the standout character here, both because he and the Model A are virtually inseparable throughout the week and because, in a discussion with the “vanishing victim,” he provides the most succinct description of the Bob-White philosophy that I have encountered in the series.

That conversation becomes the cornerstone for the book as Trixie tries to figure out the motivations of their surly savior, who insists that it was interest in the car alone that compelled him to stop and offer aid, something he normally wouldn’t do. After the anonymous man is the victim of a hit-and-run, the question of his willingness to put himself at risk to help a stranger deeply concerns Trixie, who feels compelled to defend him against the accusations that come his way when he disappears and his identity comes to light. The book ends up being an interesting meditation on the balance that must be achieved between caution and compassion.

I enjoyed the sense of friendly competition that arises when Trixie suggests they break up into teams and see who can collect the most donations for the sale, though Honey seems uncharacteristically harsh on their first outing as she scolds Trixie for chatting with donors, thus wasting valuable gathering time. She even gets in a jab at her in the presence of the other Bob-Whites, which seems rather uncalled for, especially since Trixie only converses out of politeness. It’s only in a couple of chapters that Honey seems a bit off-kilter, however. She’s quite herself throughout the rest of the book, as is everyone else, though this writer seems to have gone a little overboard with Mart; practically every sentence he spews contains at least three or four advanced words, and even I found myself scratching my head a few times over his intended meaning.

This is very much a summertime book, as evidenced by the Bob-Whites’ ability to spend several full days soliciting items for the rummage sale. Hence, I found it easier to slip into than the previous book, which takes place in November. However, despite the early summer setting, Trixie makes two separate references to Christmas, and so does a nefarious character with whom she later tangles. Of course, this isn’t the first Trixie book to mention Christmas in the middle of summer; one of my favorite moments in the series is the impromptu Jingle Bells sing-along that occurs when the Bob-Whites stumble upon a sleigh while exploring a barn on Cobbett’s Island. Still, it made me chuckle to find Christmas come up so often in such an unlikely context at a time when I too have the holiday on my mind despite the soaring temperatures.

The book also includes what I take to be fairly spoilery references to a previous Trixie book that I haven’t read, but hopefully by the time I get around to reading The Mystery of the Ghostly Galleon, I’ll have forgotten most of the contours of that conversation. In any case, that’s the risk you run when you decide to skip around in a series. In this case, I’d say it was a risk well worth taking, leading me to a timely tale that encourages readers, while exercising a modicum of common sense, to follow the Bob-Whites’ lead and love boldly.

Trixie and Honey Get a Little Spooked in The Mystery of the Whispering Witch

When I think of mysteries involving haunted houses, the team of teen sleuths most likely to pop into my head is Scooby Doo and the human quartet accompanying him. However, Trixie Belden and her fellow Bob-Whites of the Glen are the ones on the creepy case in The Mystery of the Whispering Witch, the 32nd book in the series started by Julie Campbell and continued by several ghostwriters using the pen name Kathyrn Kenny.

This isn’t the first time that ghosts have been a part of the Trixie Belden series. Spirits allegedly roamed free in the Ozarks in the 11th Trixie adventure, and based on the titles of some of the Trixies I’ve temporarily skipped over, they seem to have made appearances in a few other books as well. In fact, recollections of some of these adventures surface here when the fear of supernatural entities becomes acute. However, this was the first book in the series that I have read in which the predominant focus is upon the possible existence of ghosts. Specifically, some worry that Sarah Sligo, an 18th-century woman burned alive inside her mansion by townspeople who branded her a witch, is haunting the house now that it is occupied by a single mother, Mrs. Franklin, and her daughter Fay.

The last several Trixie mysteries I’ve read have taken place in the summer, so it was a bit startling to crack this one open and find myself in late November. The setting is the week before Thanksgiving, which turns out to be a significant date in Sarah’s life. It also means that all but one of the Bob-White boys are involved in a school Thanksgiving play, though, to my disappointment, this doesn’t really come into the story. As is often the case with Thanksgiving tales, Christmas comes up, since Trixie’s younger brother Bobby goes to visit Santa Claus, prompting a discussion demonstrating that the Christmas Creep isn’t exactly new. Mostly, though, the book feels like a Halloween story, with all its talk of hauntings and possessions.

It’s the latter that makes the mystery especially ghoulish, as Fay, who is about the same age as Trixie and her best friend, Honey Wheeler, truly fears that Sarah is taking over her. There are moments when the story almost seems to veer into the territory of Poltergeist and The Exorcist. Even though I was pretty confident that it would all turn out to be smoke and mirrors and end with an unveiling of the “And I would’ve gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for those darn kids” variety, I found some of the scenes quite unsetting. In The Mystery at Bob-White Cave, I often got the feeling that locals attributed strange weather and other natural phenomena to ghosts, but in this case, it’s clear that some real malevolence is afoot, and it could have lasting psychological consequences. What’s not entirely plain is who is behind it.

The author does a good job of introducing several characters who could potentially be responsible for the enigmatic events at the house. I changed my mind a couple of times as I tried to figure out what was going on. I found Fay a mostly likable chum for the Bob-Whites, though she’s incredibly jumpy, and it almost seems to rub off on Honey. While she remains consistently kind throughout the book, her nerves often get the better of her and she isn’t much help in calming Fay down. It’s a little odd to see Trixie trying her best to be tactful for Fay’s sake while Honey keeps blurting out any dismaying thought that pops into her head.

While all of the Bob-Whites – including Trixie’s brothers Brian and Mart, Honey’s adopted brother Jim and their neighbors Dan and Di – appear in this book, Whispering Witch feels mostly like Trixie and Honey’s story, one that they must share with Fay as they try to relieve their new friend of her jitters – or determine whether her fears are even genuine. I enjoyed the camaraderie among the three girls, and I found it oddly appropriate that a week after my mom’s hip surgery, I happened to pick up a book in which one of the major characters winds up in the hospital with a broken hip. While a few scenes didn’t sit that well with me, this is still a mostly fun installment. You just might want to save it for Halloween.

Mart Helps Trixie Solve a Hometown Mystery in The Secret of the Unseen Treasure

In January, I began reading the Trixie Belden series, written first by Julie Campbell and then by a number of ghostwriters using the pseudonym Kathryn Kenny. My library served me very well for the first fifteen volumes, but then I found I had to skip ahead until I get my hands on some of the later books myself, something I hope to do at the week-long city book sale that starts on Sunday. The first Trixie book I read out of order is the nineteenth, The Secret of the Unseen Treasure.

Fourteen-year-old sleuth Trixie Belden is an ordinary teenager, but she leads a pretty exciting life, especially in volumes 11 through 15 of the series. In each of these books, she embarks on a thrilling out-of-town adventure, along with her best friend, demure Honey Wheeler; her brothers Brian and Mart; Honey’s adopted brother Jim; and sometimes their neighbors Dan Mangan and Di Lynch. The last one I read was not only a lit geek’s delight, as they wandered through areas referenced by Mark Twain in his books, it featured perhaps the most harrowing encounter yet between the intrepid detectives and a nefarious criminal.

I took a bit of a break from the series for most of May as I poked my head in thrift shops to see if I could find any of the missing volumes, so when I returned to it, I found it rather refreshing to see Trixie and her friends enjoying some summer tranquility in their own hometown of Sleepyside. While the story lacks some of the excitement of their various vacations, they still find themselves with a puzzling situation before them, and side characters like Trixie’s parents and younger brother Bobby and Regan, who takes care of the Wheelers’ horses, have prominent roles in the story again.

In this book, summer vacation has just started, and that means having long days to spend with her friends and older brothers, who collectively refer to themselves as the Bob-Whites of the Glen. One thing they’ll be doing a lot of is exercising the Wheelers’ horses, and it’s one such trail ride that leads them directly into a mystery. As they approach the farm of elderly Mrs. Elliot, a shifty-looking man flees the scene, leaving behind the remnants of what looks like intended arson. Who would want to set fire to Mrs. Elliot’s property, and why? And could it have anything to do with the social security checks that recently failed to turn up in several Sleepyside mailboxes?

I like the fact that Unseen Treasure allows the Bob-Whites the freedom of summer vacation and the familiarity of home. Granted, the kids have responsibilities, ranging from camp counseling jobs to babysitting and household chores, but there’s still a lot of free time for fun stuff like horseback riding, picnicking and swimming. Of course, once Trixie realizes that there is a mystery afoot – and that solving it could save the livelihood of Mrs. Elliot, who is teetering dangerously close to bankruptcy – she wants to devote as much of her time to the case as possible, despite warnings from perpetually cantankerous police sergeant Molinson. She does find a more sympathetic listener in the form of Charles Hartman, a crusty retired cop who is probably my favorite new character in the book, but she and her friends have to do a lot of legwork on their own.

Trixie’s charitable intentions in this book make me smile, and it’s nice that all of the Bob-Whites have a hand in the story, though Di’s involvement is minimal. Mart, on the other hand, really has a chance to shine, showing a knack for photography and putting his botanical knowledge to work at the farm, which features a peculiar array of vegetation. He’s also his usual verbose self, and because he proves such an important member of Trixie’s sleuthing team this time around, he has even more opportunity than usual to show off his fancy vocabulary. “Indubitably,” “eschew,” “predilection,” “atrophied,” “soporific” and “syllogistics” are just a few extravagant words that he uses over the course of the book.

I’m not sure which Trixie book I will read next, but The Secret of the Unseen Treasure was an enjoyable way to dip my toes into the later portion of the series. While I’ve been warned about the inconsistent quality of the last 20-some books, I am still looking forward to finding more Trixie treasures.

The Bob-Whites Enter Mark Twain Country for The Mystery on the Mississippi

Since I started reading the Trixie Belden series in January, one thing I’ve enjoyed looking out for in each volume is literary references. Usually they’re sprinkled in here and there, bearing little importance to the overall plot, but in The Mystery on the Mississippi, the fifteenth book in the series, they’re a bit more integral.

In this volume, the ninth written by a ghost writer under the name of Kathryn Kenny, 14-year-old sleuth Trixie and her closest friends, collectively known as the Bob-Whites of the Glen, are on vacation for the fifth book in a row. Six of the seven Bob-Whites are able to participate in this trip. Naturally, Trixie’s best friend, Honey Wheeler, and her adopted brother, Jim Frayne, are along; after all, the primary reason for this vacation is business that Mr. Wheeler must attend to in Missouri. Also joining them are Trixie’s older brothers Mart and Brian and their neighbor, Dan Mangan, who doesn’t usually get to go on these trips. The only one missing is their neighbor, Di Lynch.

Any chance to go out of town is exciting for the Bob-Whites, but they have to reasons to be especially interested in this particular excursion. For one thing, they expect to be able to catch an exhibition of spaceships in St. Louis. For another, they will be in Mark Twain country. All of the Bob-Whites, it seems, have read and enjoyed the tales of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, particularly the Belden boys, and the thought of being able to see some of the places Tom and Huck visited makes them wild with excitement. The adventure abounds with nods to Twain’s classic companion books, particularly once the Bob-Whites finally make it to the town of Hannibal, the boyhood home of Twain and of the fictional Tom and Huck.

I think my first exposure to Mark Twain came in second grade, when my class staged a short play based on the scene in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in which Tom cons several of his friends into whitewashing a fence for him. That fence plays a fairly significant role in the story, and several other landmarks make an appearance as well. What captures the imaginations of the Bob-Whites most of all, though, is the idea of traveling along the river in a steamboat like the one that inspired Twain’s pen name. In fact, they end up spending almost as much time on the water as on dry land in this outing, though it's not always as enjoyable as they expect…

Of all the Bob-Whites’ trips, this venture into Twain country is, perhaps appropriately, the most harrowing. Like Tom and Huck, the teens face genuine danger on and alongside the Mississippi River, thanks to some bad timing and a bit of poor decision-making. Trixie and Honey find themselves in some truly terrifying situations here, making for intense reading. Though they are in fundamental disagreement when it comes to their perception of certain secondary characters they meet in their travels and this leads to some problems, for the most part, Trixie and Honey support each other fiercely throughout their ordeal, and their devotion to each other is one of the most enjoyable elements of the book. They really have to be a team here, and their deep friendship serves them well.

It’s fun to watch the Bob-Whites geeking out over the opportunity to see Mark Twain territory for themselves, particularly during their time on the steamboat and in Hannibal. I did find Mart getting on my nerves a bit in this one, as he always seems to be impatient or complaining, though Trixie’s knack for stumbling into trouble does leave less time for simple sight-seeing so some frustration is understandable. All of the boys get a bit agitated at the thought that they might not be able to ride a steamboat – which doesn’t have anything to do with Trixie – but Mart seems to go above and beyond with his grousing. Also, this Star Trek fan feels compelled to point out that the narration incorrectly refers to a light year as a unit of time rather than distance, though we’re basically in Trixie’s head at that point, so perhaps it’s her mistake rather than the author’s. If she’d said it aloud and Mart had been there, no doubt he would have corrected her.

We seem to spend a lot of time in Trixie’s head in this book, with paragraphs of italicized text as Trixie has opportunity after opportunity to reflect on her missteps. Of course, this always comes after the fact; in the heat of the moment, when a decision must be made, she usually doesn’t have much time to think, and sometimes she’s not too bright. Then again, sometimes her companions aren’t either. Most of their mistakes in this book, however, come down to being too trusting, which is a reflection of their generous natures. This is especially true of Honey, though I was gratified to see her faith in the goodness of one of the characters ultimately be somewhat justified.

It was with some dismay that I discovered that I have come to the end of my steady stream of Trixie books from the library. Our system has only half a dozen of the remaining 24 books, so I will no longer be reading them in order, at least for a while. With book sale season upon us, I’m hoping to fill in some of those gaps before long. For now, though, The Mystery on the Mississippi is an adrenaline rush of an adventure that makes a nice conclusion to this stage of my Trixie immersion. With its scenic excursions, a ferocious villain, an oft-excluded Bob-White and more Mark Twain references than you can shake a whitewash-covered paintbrush at, I assert that missing The Mystery on the Mississippi would be a mistake.

Poetry Helps Kevin Navigate Adolescence in Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs

“Boys don’t write poetry. Girls do.” That’s the complaint early elementary schooler Jack lodges at his teacher when she gives her students poetry journals in Sharon Creech’s Love That Dog. Despite his misgivings, he gradually comes to appreciate poetry, expanding his knowledge and practice of it in the sequel, Hate That Cat. If he were to continue his experimentation with verse, I imagine he might end up rather like Kevin Boland, the eighth-grade narrator of Ron Koertge’s Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs.

Like Jack, Kevin keeps a poetry journal, but it’s not for school. It’s just a way for him to settle his thoughts. “All writers need journals,” his dad explains to him when he gives him the blank book. This novel is that journal, a collection of mostly free and blank verse poems but also several formal poems, including a pantoun, a sestina, a villanelle, several haiku and imitations of Edgar Allen Poe’s The Raven and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s The Song of Hiawatha. “Hilarious, but Hiawatha really got into / our cells,” Kevin says, commenting on the distinct rhythm of the resulting poem, the two-page On the Shores of Gitchee Gumee Middle School, perhaps my favorite of Kevin’s efforts. “It was two days before we could talk / like normal human beings.”

Shakespeare is the nickname that Kevin earned as a poetry-penning little leaguer in Shakespeare Bats Cleanup, which preceded this novel. I picked this one up when it jumped out at me in the Young Adult section of the library and was dismayed to realize that the original book is not in our system. One of these days I would like to read it, but the sequel provides enough background information to make it a stand-alone read. We know that he lives in Los Angeles. He recently lost his mother to illness, and his father is beginning to explore the dating scene. We know that Kevin has a cute girlfriend named Mira; we don’t get the details on how they hooked up, but at this point, their relationship is faltering. He loves poetry and baseball; she is a budding environmentalist. Neither has much knack for pretending to share the other’s passions.

Baseball doesn’t figure as prominently into the book as poetry does; I get the sense that it is a bigger part of Shakespeare Bats Cleanup. Kevin shares the exhilaration of making a great play and the aggravation of having to deal with an equal-opportunity heckler. Still, his primary focus is on poetry, particularly once he meets Amy, the offbeat daughter of an independent bookstore owner. (When she introduces herself at the shop’s open mike night, she implores him to call her Trixie but never explains her preferred pseudonym; might this avid reader be a Trixie Belden fan?) Amy understands him in a way that Mira doesn’t, and while he’s begun to dread his phone conversations with his girlfriend, he eagerly anticipates e-mails from Amy, who proposes that they become online poetry pals.

Kevin is a very likable narrator. He’s a kind boy with deep thoughts who’s still struggling to adjust to a world without his mother in it. He worries that when he moves on to high school next year, he might not be good enough to make the baseball team, and even if he does, it will become a much more high-pressure sport. He mulls over Mira and wonders whether they are naturally drifting apart and what he should do about it. He pours out his angst sometimes, as in the “poem” What Was I Thinking?, which is simply the title repeated ad nauseam. Kevin comes to really rely on his poetry journal as a place to work out his conflicted emotions, allowing him to spew venom on the page when he needs to instead of launching it at the object of his ire. Perhaps his father anticipated the anger he would stir up by dating again, and that motivated him to give his son an outlet.

Kevin’s voice is realistically earthy, but with an artful edge demonstrating that he is in love with words. I especially like his metaphors, which draw from his everyday experiences with quiet grace. “The sky / is all eyes-down like it’s just been yelled at / unfairly.” “Sadness is a big dark bus / with a schedule of its own. / But when it pulls up and the door / opens with a hiss, you pretty much / have to get on.” “I love my thesaurus. I like / to think about all the words / in there, cuddling up together / or arguing. Montagues on / one side, Capulets on the other. / Synonyms and antonyms.”

Along with providing an engaging story of grief management and budding romance, the book invites readers to craft poetry of their own. Kevin discusses the various poetry forms in such a way that giving it a go feels natural and almost irresistible. It certainly made me want to flex my poetry muscles again. Meanwhile, Kevin’s reflections on the art of poetry are as insightful as any I’ve read from established poets. “I’m basically a good kid,” he writes. “But imperfect / enough to be interesting. // Like a good poem.”

He thinks a lot about poetry, learning from the masters and adjusting for a modern era. “It’s one of those almost-summer evenings / when the moon comes up a little before the sun / is down. ‘O impatient orb,’ the old poets / would say. // But I’m a new poet, so I’d say, ‘What are you / doing here so early? The party doesn’t start / until nine!’”

While he wrestles with a lot of it on his own, he listens intently to his eclectic English teacher, Mr. Beauclaire, and incorporates his wisdom into his writing. “He calls rhyme a benevolent bully because it’ll make a poet / look hard for just the right word and then maybe he finds / an even better one!” Mr. Beaclaire also advises, “’Don’t worry so much / about what it means. Pretend poetry is chili / and you’re starving. Would you ask what chili means? / Just eat it up.’” Kevin likes this, but he also qualifies it later during his correspondence with Amy. “Sometimes I read poems and I don’t get them. // I might not totally get yours, but it’s not like / it could mean anything anybody wants it to. // I hate it when people say that. A poet works / a long time on something. Then some bozo reads / it and says, ‘Boy, that sure reminds me of the time / I detached my retina.’”

Words matter to Kevin. If they matter to you too, I highly recommend Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs, whether you’re 14 or 40. Sink into the unvarnished artistry of his words, and who knows? You may just be inspired to put pen to paper yourself.

Trixie Tries to Solve a Hundred-Year-Old Case in The Mystery of the Emeralds

I’ve always been intrigued by attics and thrilled at the idea of exploring one filled with long-forgotten treasures. In The Mystery of the Emeralds, 14-year-old detective Trixie Belden doesn’t need to go far to make a fascinating attic find. After stumbling upon a hidden crawl space, Trixie finds a Civil War-era canteen, along with a letter in a coat pocket. The canteen will be an excellent addition to an upcoming charity sale, but what really captures Trixie’s imagination is the letter, which mentions a hidden emerald necklace. The problem? The letter was written in 1861. What’s more, though the letter gives a clue as to where to start looking, Trixie has no idea where Rosewood Hall is. Is this mystery worth pursuing, or is it too far beyond her reach? Anyone coming into this volume as an established reader of the series would be able to tell you that Trixie is far too persistent to be deterred by a seemingly cold case.

This is the 14th book in the Trixie Belden series and the eighth written by Kathryn Kenny, a catch-all pseudonym for a number of ghost writers who continued penning adventures for Trixie and her friends after original author Julie Campbell tired of the characters. Along with Trixie, the intrepid blond tomboy with such a knack for attracting mysteries and following them to a satisfying conclusion, the main characters include the rest of the Bob-Whites of the Glen, a tight-knit club Trixie co-founded. Her co-president is Jim Frayne, the adopted brother of Trixie’s sweet-natured best friend Honey Wheeler. Other members include Trixie’s older brothers Mart and Brian and their neighbors, Di Lynch and Dan Mangan. At home or on one of their many group vacations, these friends always manage to work together to crack puzzling cases and have a lot of fun in the process.

The circumstances that set this mystery into motion are almost too coincidental. Trixie finds this letter that has been languishing in the attic for nearly a century, and as soon as her local detective work leads her to the disheartening discovery that Rosewood Hall is hundreds of miles away, Di announces that her parents just happen to be leaving imminently for a destination within easy distance of that stately manor. Then again, luck often seems to be on Trixie’s side in her investigations. If it weren’t for her initial skill in focusing on the right details to lead her in the proper direction, they never would have realized that the Lynches’ trip could have any connection with this long-concealed treasure.

Although the first five chapters take place in the Bob-Whites’ town of Sleepyside, New York, this is primarily another away-from-home adventure. I confess I’d hoped to see the Wheelers’ cheerful groom Regan in this installment, since he’s my favorite side character and we haven’t seen him since the tenth book, but it was nice to spend a bit of time with the rest of the Belden family, which includes Trixie’s supportive parents and her rambunctious little brother Bobby, before heading off for unfamiliar territory. While the previous installment, The Mystery on Cobbett’s Island – which this book references several times – allows the Bob-Whites a true vacation in many respects, Trixie and her friends know from the get-go that this will be a working trip. They have a very definite goal in mind and a limited amount of time in which to achieve it.

Hence, while the six friends – everybody but Dan, who has to bow out because of work – enjoy the sights and sounds of Washington, D. C. and Williamsburg, Virginia, this book has a more frenzied tone to it. Everyone thinks this is their most impossible case yet, and that just seems to increase Trixie’s determination, especially once she finds a few leads. The bulk of the investigation occurs at Green Trees, a home near the dilapidated Rosewood Hall occupied by Mr. Carver, an older artist restricted to a wheelchair.

While the current owner of the Rosewood property is surly, Mr. Carver couldn’t be more congenial. What’s more, he has a family connection to the correspondents, so he soon is as caught up in the search as the Bob-Whites. His stately manners and youthful exuberance make him one of my favorite minor characters yet, and his vivacious friend Miss Bates, who adores flowers and old houses but is deeply suspicious of most men, provides several laughs. The Bob-Whites themselves are well-drawn, and it’s especially nice to see Di playing a fairly major role here. While Trixie is intensely focused, she doesn’t come across as whiny as she sometimes does, and she seems more willing than usual to think the best of people in this outing. It’s also amusing to see her pleased but embarrassed reactions to several pointed compliments from Jim throughout the journey.

In addition to the intrigue of the mystery, which involves careful clue-finding, a spooky graveyard, a secret passage and a race to find the treasure before someone else who has gotten wind of it, the book includes historical tidbits of interest to those fascinated with the Civil War. I was particularly struck by the parts dealing with the Underground Railroad, and I found the reflective moment the Bob-Whites share at the Lincoln Memorial quite moving.

While this Trixie adventure is not as relaxing as the one that preceded it, The Mystery of the Emeralds is an engaging adventure from start to finish. Kinda makes me want to go rooting through my attic again…

The Bob-Whites Get a Real Vacation in The Mystery on Cobbett's Island

“The loneliest place on Earth.” That’s how the first keeper of the Presque Isle Lighthouse in my hometown of Erie, PA, described his post, and in The Mystery on Cobbett’s Island, the thirteenth book in the Trixie Belden series, teen sleuth Trixie postulates that the keeper of the lighthouse there would feel the same way. “You know you’d get bored stiff after the first week without your friends,” she tells her friend Diana, who romanticizes the position. But solitude is one thing Trixie needn’t fear during her sojourn on Cobbett’s Island, a quiet fishing village that reminds me of Passamaquoddy, the quaint town that serves as the setting for Pete’s Dragon.

That’s because she has not only Diana but her older brothers, verbose Mart and responsible Brian, and her neighbors, demure Honey Wheeler and resourceful Jim Frayne, to share her vacation. In fact, the trip comes courtesy of Honey’s parents, who have rented a summer house on Cobbett’s Island. Six of the seven Bob-Whites, the club that also includes former gang member Dan Mangan, will have ten days to relax, soaking up the sun and surf in what even Trixie hopes will be a true vacation, free from any preoccupying mysteries.

“Well, I think my girl deserves a vacation, and the boys too,” Mr. Belden says warmly when he finds out about the invitation, since apparently we are not supposed to think of Trixie having just returned from a vacation in New York, and a vacation in the Ozarks before that. At any rate, despite the fun of those trips, the stress level was high throughout. What the Bob-Whites need is a chance to simply kick back and enjoy themselves. And despite stumbling upon yet another mystery – and missing one of their members – this feels like about the most laid-back vacation the Bob-Whites could ask for.

The mood in this book is just so carefree. Mart and Brian swap quips with a wit and frequency unseen since they first showed up in The Gatehouse Mystery, and banter in general is at a high level. I found myself laughing out loud several times per chapter. I smiled, too, at the twitterpation that emerged in this idyllic oasis. Jim and Trixie, already thick as thieves, are practically inseparable – and the new bathing suit Trixie uncharacteristically needs causes quite a stir. Diana takes turns batting her eyes at Mart and local boy Peter, who becomes a fast friend to the sextet - and appears to have his eye on Trixie. And my favorite couple, Brian and Honey, whose mutual regard has been understated and rarely hinted at in previous volumes, seem to spend half the book flirting with each other.

The teens swim together; they learn the basics of sailing and experience the rush of racing; they gorge on a clambake feast and listen in rapt wonder as a salty sea dog spills his tales of the open water. The mystery this time feels more like a treasure hunt, with pieces of the puzzle leading them gradually to a thrilling prize; a ruffian skulks about but rarely comes into contact with the friends, and when he does, he’s one of the least intimidating villains to plague the Bob-Whites yet. Even getting stranded while boating and having to wait for rescue from the Coast Guard feels more like an exciting adventure than a fearful experience. The ever-industrious Bob-Whites take over for a wounded groundskeeper, help repair a battered gazebo and serve guests at a tea party, but even when they’re hard at work, it’s clear that they’re having the time of their lives.

Little is known about the individuals who wrote the last 33 volumes in the Trixie Belden series under the name Kathryn Kenny, but whoever penned this tale obviously knew her stuff. The book just bubbles over with exuberance and affection. I get the sense that, free from any truly pressing concerns or responsibilities, they are able to be more themselves than ever before. The characterization feels spot-on, and the dialogue particularly sparkles.

It’s a shame that Dan is excluded yet again; I can’t help feeling like a lot of writers didn’t really know what to do with him so they just wrote him out of the story. But Peter is a great new character, as is his kind-hearted mother; the grateful groundskeeper Elmer, upon whom Brian has a chance to demonstrate his medical expertise; competitive sailor Cap; grizzled Captain Clark; and bubbly baker Ethel, among others. Additionally, readers are likely to pick up a bit of nautical knowledge as they wind their way through this story, and maybe another random factoid or two as well. For instance, did you know that “Blitzen” is German for “Lightning”? I didn’t!

I also didn’t know just how untroubled a Trixie trip could be until this book. Every one of the Bob-Whites’ outings has sounded like a blast, but The Mystery on Cobbett’s Island seems just a notch above the rest. In fact, in the words of Honey, who’s rarely wrong about these sorts of things… I would say it’s perfectly perfect.

The Bob-Whites Hit the Big Apple in The Mystery of the Blinking Eye

I’ve been to New York City a couple of times and spent just enough time there to know that you could stay a year and not get the full experience of everything the city has to offer. Intriguing sights await on every corner. As a vacation destination for a group of chummy teens, it’s “wonderfully wonderful,” to use the phrase favored by Barbara, one of three faraway friends who flies to New York to meet up with the Bob-Whites in The Mystery of the Blinking Eye, the twelfth book in the Trixie Belden series. But just sight-seeing like a typical tourist is not sufficient for intrepid 14-year-old super-sleuth Trixie. She has a knack for stumbling into mysteries wherever she goes, and here in the Big Apple, she blunders her way into a humdinger.

Earlier books in the series have established that Trixie has rather eccentric tastes, so it’s not too surprising when she goes gaga for an ugly Incan idol she discovers in an antique shop. What’s more startling is the fact that her peculiar souvenir has attracted the intense interest of some pretty shady characters. Trixie and her fellow Bob-Whites – sweet best friend Honey, grandiloquent Mart, practical Brian, gallant Jim, elegant Diana and reformed Dan – have all been to New York before, but they’re thrilled to be giving their Iowan pals – twins Barbara and Bob and their neighbor Ned – the grand tour. But whether they’re taking a carriage ride through Central Park, perusing the Museum of Natural History or ascending the Empire State Building, shadowy men lurk nearby, and they clearly want that statue for themselves. Why? And how can Trixie stop it from falling into those nefarious hands?

The questions of what’s so special about this knick-knack and who these men are should pose quite enough mystery for one volume, but the ghost writer adopting the name Kathryn Kenny for this volume decided to make things even more enigmatic by introducing yet another odd element: a prophecy given to Trixie by an elderly fortune teller she assists in the airport. More precisely, the woman gives Trixie a purse, and in the purse is a poem written in Spanish. Trixie’s curiosity consumes her, and she begs Miss Trask, Honey’s former governess who is serving as chaperone on this trip, to translate it into English for her.

When I was in high school, I wrote rhyming poems in French for the school’s literary magazine on two occasions. I then translated them into English. And let me tell you, it was a heck of a lot easier to write the poem from scratch – even in another language – than to translate it and leave both form and meaning intact. But what does Miss Trask do? She sits down with a pen and paper and painstakingly translates that poem. Ten couplets and, for no particular reason I can discern, one set of three rhyming lines. Half an hour later, she has a poem that sounds a lot like gibberish but nonetheless rhymes perfectly and displays nearly seamless iambic tetrameter throughout. Either Miss Trask is some kind of poetry translating savant or this little feat is just as unbelievable as the contents of the poem itself.

Trixie sees the prophecy as a treasure map of sorts, a guide to unfolding events, though it only ever seems to make any sense in retrospect. What the poem mostly does is serve as a structure for the book, with something in every chapter corresponding to a couplet or two. It’s awfully involved for a prediction, and it’s mostly just a series of abstract images. As Miss Trask firmly states late in the book, “A person can twist words to get almost any meaning out of them he wants.” Trixie may have her career path all laid out before her, but if for some reason she decides she’d rather pursue something less harrowing than detective work, she’s got a real future as an English major. She certainly displays an aptitude for making tenuous connections.

Poetry comes into play in a more natural way as Bob and Barbara entertain first their friends, then a wider audience with tragic ballads they wrote themselves. Between the prophecy and the songs, which have a certain folksy charm about them, particularly considering that they were supposed to have been written by teenagers, that’s a lot more rhyming than I’ve seen in any other Trixie Belden book. This leads me to suspect that this particular Kathryn Kenny was a frustrated poet.

Along with the poetry, literary references abound here. Sherlock Holmes gets a nod in almost every book, and this is no exception. We’ve also got Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz and Hans Christian Andersen, and Mart made me chuckle by mentioning the mighty mouthful Mephistopheles, since I imagine that the unwieldy nature of the name is the main reason he brought it up. My biggest smile, though, came early in the book when, during a trip to Central Park, the Bob-Whites-plus-three observe several park-goers floating boats out on the nearby pond. I immediately thought of Stuart Little, so I laughed aloud when, a couple paragraphs down, Honey said, in reference to a boy with a boat, “He makes me think of Stuart Little in E. B. White’s book.” Right there with ya, Honey…

This is the first time that all seven Bob-Whites have taken a trip together. Indeed, Dan, who made his first appearance in the eighth book, all but dropped out of the series for the next three, so it’s nice to see him so involved here. He’s lost the angst that he had when we first met him, but he remembers his street rat days well enough to play a vital role when Trixie tangles with a tough crowd in a scene that makes her ill-advised trip to the Skid Row of Sleepside, NY, in the fourth book look like a cakewalk. Mart treats his buddies to a magic show; Diana shares an unsettling experience with Trixie at the Empire State Building. Everyone has at least one moment in the spotlight.

Other characters still have room to emerge, however. Along with the affable Ned and Bob and the exuberant Barbara, we’ve got Honey’s father and those shifty men who keep tailing Trixie. The most memorable new character is Dr. Joe Reed, a physician and family friend who invites the teens over to have a look at his model railroad. I grinned as I imagined Big Bang Theory’s locomotive-loving Sheldon Cooper geeking out over the intricate display. And speaking of geeking out, I love the way that normally reserved Brian wears his Hippocratic passion on his sleeve when Dr. Reed shows them around the hospital where he works.

For those whose passions include the Bob-Whites, The Mystery of the Blinking Eye is really the first book in the series to integrally involve all seven of them, and certainly the first away-from-home adventure to include them all. Between that and the exciting setting, this is a great installment, even with that absurd prophecy underpinning their New York adventure.

Explore the Enigmas of Ghost Fish and Trixie's Whining in The Mystery at Bob-White Cave

In The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first book in C. S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, a relentless rain leaves the stir-crazy Pevensie children down in the dumps. Little do they know that their ticket to adventure is not the expansive grounds of the stately home in which they are staying but the old wardrobe in the spare bedroom. In The Mystery at Bob-White Cave, rain leads intrepid 14-year-old sleuth Trixie Belden to her next great challenge as well, since it forces her to sit still long enough to read a magazine announcing that anyone who brings three particular specimens of the cave-dwelling ghost fish will receive a reward of $500.

Trixie really wants that money, especially since getting it will be tricky enough that succeeding will bring a real sense of accomplishment. She already knows exactly how she wants to use it. She and her fellow Bob-Whites – her brothers Brian and Mart, her best friend Honey and Honey’s adopted brother Jim, all of whom are with her on this trip to the Ozarks, and her neighbors Di and Dan, who aren’t – have a strong desire to help others, and their latest project is to buy a station wagon to bring disabled children to school back in their hometown of Sleepyside, New York. It’s a noble cause, and Trixie is determined, so even though the other four had hoped for a less goal-oriented vacation, they go along with her plan.

This is the eleventh book in the Trixie Belden series and the fifth written by a ghostwriter under the name Kathryn Kenny. If I had to venture a guess, I’d say that this writer was new to the series, partly because she turns Trixie into a kind of all-American Veruca Salt. That notorious brat from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory kept popping into my head as I read all of Trixie’s interminable foot-stamping “But Uncle Andrew, I want a ghost fish! Now!” moaning. The whining begins with the rain, when she goes into a tirade about the misery of this trip to see her favorite uncle in one of his two (or more?) homes. Uncle Andrew is a wonderful, doting man who clearly thinks the world of his niece and nephews, so such ingratitude is instantly off-putting. Trixie soon apologizes for this outburst, which he fortunately doesn’t hear, but her petulance is almost instantly transferred onto the search for the fish, and anything that gets in the way of her securing that prize is an object of extreme impatience.

A more positive element of this book that seems to distinguish this author from others is her attention to natural detail. For instance, “A wind came up through the silence, a silence more ominous than the rolling thunder which accented it. The sky in the west was a sullen green around the edges.” Clearly, this was written by someone with a great appreciation for the outdoors, as her most colorful writing is reserved for descriptions of the forest, the caves and other aspects of the landscape and weather. Usually this means a paragraph or two at a time, so it never overwhelms the story, and it helped me to get caught up in the setting.

Aside from Trixie, who at least apologizes from time to time for being such a pill, none of the characters seem vastly off to me here, except perhaps Honey, who is often excessive in her fretting. However, she still joins in several dangerous expeditions, so her actions speak louder than her words on the fear front, and apart from some chiding for Trixie’s recklessness, her tactful nature is generally evident throughout the book. Aside from brief mentions by the Bob-Whites, Dan and Di don’t appear in the book at all, nor do any of the Sleepyside supporting characters, as the book takes place entirely in the Ozarks. Because of this, it took me a little while to figure out just when the book occurs, though I figured it must have been early summer if they were out of school but the boys were not away at camp.

For the first time, the author introduces a supernatural element into the stories. Well, the seventh book includes some local folk legends, but they don’t really tie into the main plot. Here, Mrs. Moore and her daughter Linnie, who take care of Uncle Andrew’s Missouri fishing lodge, fervently believe in ghosts, and although the Bob-Whites mostly think that all this talk of spirits is a load of hogwash, some mysterious events seem as though they could point to ghostly intervention. Because of that, this particular outing reminded me a bit of a Scooby-Doo adventure, and I just knew that eventually, the “ghost” allegedly wandering around nearby would be revealed as a perfectly normal, living person. I like the revelation there, but Uncle Andrew and the New York bunch seem a little insensitive sometimes as they openly show their disdain for the ghost legends that fill these hills. Mrs. Moore’s constant attribution of incidents to ghosts does get a little silly, but it seems it would be more polite to let her express herself openly instead of always trying to contradict her.

Mostly, though, the Bob-Whites are helpful and friendly during their stay, and even though delays in her fish mission aggravate her, Trixie happily helps sweet-natured Linnie and maternal Mrs. Moore with a variety of tasks, and it is she who mobilizes the group to save a drowning man in one of the book’s best sequences. The rugged terrain means that most of the danger the teens face in this book is natural. A wildcat and a flood pose serious threats. So does a fire, which is set purposefully but is made all the more dangerous by the surrounding woodlands.

However, there are shady characters lurking about, most notably a scowling, drawling young man named Slim whom Uncle Andrew elects to act as the Bob-Whites’ spelunking guide. Is he merely disagreeable, or could this guy be seriously bad news? And what about all that odd activity up at what the locals refer to as the ghost cabin? What’s more, just about anybody in the vicinity could be a contender for the same prize that Trixie seeks, so even those who aren’t willing to stoop to dastardly means to acquire the ghost fish still potentially stand in the way of them achieving their goal. Time is of the essence.

I’ve always found caves fascinating, so I enjoyed all the spelunking expeditions in this novel, as well as the folksy gatherings of neighbors for some old-fashioned mountain music. It was also great to spend so much time in the company of Uncle Andrew, who is such a kind and conscientious caretaker, and his equally upstanding friend Bill Hawkins. While I wish this author hadn’t turned Trixie into such a twerp, this trip to the Ozarks made for a pretty enjoyable outing.

There's Not Much Sleuthing Needed in The Marshland Mystery

It takes a definite talent to be able to write a good mystery. Plotting has never been my strong suit as a writer, so I certainly appreciate the challenges that must come with weaving a compelling mystery. It seems that the ghostwriter responsible for The Marshland Mystery, the tenth book in the Trixie Belden series and the fourth to be written under the blanket pseudonym Kathryn Kenny, found the task a little too much to handle. While she demonstrates a solid grip on the characters and places them in a pretty engaging story, the word “mystery” really doesn’t belong in the title.

Basically, the book contains two plot elements that could, by some stretch, constitute a mystery, but only by the loosest of definitions. For a while, I thought that the book’s overarching mystery would be the disappearance of Gaye, a sullen violin prodigy who comes to stay with the Wheelers for a short time. This child, who gets off on the wrong foot with Trixie and comes across as disagreeable for much of the book, is not much older than Trixie’s six-year-old brother Bobby, so when she goes missing, it’s great cause for worry. The search for her encompasses several chapters. Nonetheless, she resurfaces halfway through the book, and there isn’t anything all that peculiar about the circumstances of her reappearance. The other mystery is whether there’s anything to the rumors about a treasure hidden on or near the grounds of the home occupied by Rachel Martin, an elderly spinster whose family used to be very wealthy. Hints of this are sprinkled throughout the book, but I guessed the ultimate answer well in advance of its revelation, and there’s only minimal mystery involved there as well.

That’s not really such a bad thing. This isn’t the first time that a Trixie Belden book has seemed more like general fiction than a mystery, and if it gives readers a chance to hobnob with the Bob-Whites – the club that includes Trixie, her brothers Mart and Brian, her best friend Honey Wheeler and her adopted brother Jim, and neighbors Di and Dan – then the genre seems less important than characterization. Still, this is a mystery series, and the title of this book reinforces that, so the categorization is a bit misleading.

Despite the general lack of a mystery, however, I still enjoyed the book quite a bit. It introduces several lively characters. Little Gaye comes across as a spoiled brat, but she becomes more sympathetic as Trixie and her friends realize the kind of pressure she faces as a world-famous violinist, particularly from her stern aunt. Miss Rachel is a feisty woman who, after initial suspicions, quickly becomes a friend to the Bob-Whites. She reminded me a fair bit of Mrs. Vanderpoel, the widow in the seventh book, especially toward the end when Trixie suggests they organize a sale of her furniture to help her raise money to rent a house in town. The other major new character is Paul Trent, a nosy news reporter whose pesky personality and habit of twisting the facts in his stories made me think of Rita Skeeter, the journalist who causes so many problems for Harry and his friends in the Harry Potter series.

Dan, the most recent addition to the Bob-Whites, is virtually absent in this book, as is the Wheelers’ household manager Miss Trask, and Di isn’t very involved either, nor is the Wheelers’ cheerful groom Regan. But those who are in the thick of things have some nice moments. I especially like all the banter among the Belden siblings here. The familial affection is easily apparent, and I got a lot of laughs out of their interaction. Mart’s grandiose speech actually had me running to the dictionary a couple of times in this volume, and I got a chuckle out of the fierce crush Bobby suddenly develops on Gaye.

Meanwhile, it was nice to see so much of Brian, since as the oldest Bob-White, he often is too busy working or studying to spend a lot of time with Trixie and the rest. Of the five original Bob-Whites, Brian seems the most underused, which is a shame since he is probably the most consistently considerate of the Bob-White boys, and when he gets to sparring with Mart, he can be just as witty as his jokey younger brother. Here, not only is he a willing chauffeur, we get a good sense of his skill as an artist, and slight hints of an attraction between him and Honey emerge. While they haven’t had an opportunity to spend much time in each other’s exclusive company, these two seem as compatible in their own way as Jim and Trixie, so it’s nice to see that friendship flourish.

On the whole, then, while The Marshland Mystery is a bit of a misnomer and the book certainly isn’t a standout for that reason, because of all the great character moments, I still found it an easy story to sink into.