tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58876119761745045932024-03-14T00:13:05.712-06:00Brian's JalopyTake a journey through the cheesy and out-dated world of my favorite teenaged girl detective, Trixie Belden. Book recaps and other musings.88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-2194063667653067392011-01-08T10:31:00.014-06:002011-01-11T17:28:59.006-06:00International Intrigue: Trixie Belden #36- "The Mystery of the Antique Doll"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/TSzmCWTZ59I/AAAAAAAAAF8/F3Isu6rXrYA/s1600/trixie%2B%252336.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 211px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/TSzmCWTZ59I/AAAAAAAAAF8/F3Isu6rXrYA/s320/trixie%2B%252336.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5561072567916816338" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Woohoo! New year, new post, and a new Trixie book!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Well, OK; it's not exactly new. But I had never read it before. #36 is one of the much-maligned 80's-era books. I was prepared to hate it. It wasn't as bad as I thought, until the last few chapters, which made me want to scream. But we will get to that shortly.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">For once, the plot is pretty straightforward. The book opens with Trixie and Honey having to accompany Bobby to a check-up at the doctor's office, because he refused to go unless the girls went with him. Way to give in to your six year-old's demands there, Helen Belden. On the plus side, Bobby does talk more like a six year-old in this book, instead of the three year-old he usually sounds like. The doctor asks Trixie and Honey if they will help look after Mrs. De Keyser, a neighbor of theirs who has broken her arm. Always eager to help, the girls agree.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Mrs. De Keyser lives on Glen Road, so the girls stop there after school the next day. They meet her and her rascally dog, Willy. Willy is a kleptomaniac who likes to steal things and run off with them (this will become important later). The girls notice a new shop in front of Mrs. De Keyser's house. It's a small antique store. Mrs. D (sorry, but I'm tired of typing De Keyser over and over) is renting the space to a man named Carl Reid. Trixie and Honey decide to check out the shop on their way home. Inside the shop, the girls see lots of old toys, dolls, etc. Carl Reid finally comes out, and Honey takes the lead for once and starts asking him lots of questions about the merchandise. He doesn't know a thing about any of the antiques, and he seems relieved when the girls finally leave. Trixie thinks there is something fishy about him. What else is new?</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Trix goes back alone to try to interview Mr. Reid for the school newspaper, but he's really mean and yells at her to go away and quit snooping around his shop. . Aren't antique shops kind of made for snooping? The guy isn't going to sell many that way</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">This upsetting incident is quickly forgotten, however, when Honey calls Trixie later that night and invites her to Paris. Yes, Paris! The one in France! Honey's parents are taking her for a three-day weekend trip, and she wants Trixie to go too. Plans are quickly made. Plans which are also discussed the next day at Mrs. De Keyser's house. The girls are out in the yard talking, and Mr. Reid overhears them. Suddenly he is all smiles and politeness, and asks Trixie and Honey for a favor. He wants them to go by a shop in Paris and pick up an antique doll for him. Maybe I've just been watching too much </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >Locked Up Abroad</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">, but this seems like a very bad idea to me. You never, ever transport goods for someone you don't know! Apparently Trixie and Honey have never seen </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:georgia;" >Locked Up Abroad</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">, because they agree to pick up the doll. Why, Trixie, why? When he was so rude and mysterious just a few days ago? Trixie and Honey come across as kind of dumb and naive in this book. All of the Bob-Whites seem a bit off somehow.</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family:georgia;">The trip to Paris goes smoothly, if quickly. Trixie and Honey do go pick up the doll from a shop in a bad looking neighborhood. They note how heavy the doll is. Or at least, the package holding the doll. Mr. Reid asked that they not take the doll out of the box </span><span style=";font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><span>He has the doll.</span> He says a little doggy came by yesterday with the doll, and he took it from him and put it in his room. Trixie says Willy must have ran into the shop (he got away from them the day before), grabbed the doll, and ran back out with it. Really? I find it hard to believe that a) the shop door happened to be open. b) Of all the things in the shop, Willy took that doll (was it lying on the floor?). c) That Willy could or would carry it that far, given how heavy the doll supposedly was.<br /><br /><br />Trixie, Honey, and her brothers examine the doll and find counterfeiting plates inside of her dress. (Am I the only one totally not surprised by that?) But they don't go to the police because Trixie and Brian think the cops will think she had something to do with it. Don't the cops know who Trixie is by now?! Why on earth would they think that? They hold onto the doll, for now.<br /><br /><br />The next day, Trixie and Honey are overtaken by the red-haired man. He's a French inspector who has been watching the Paris end of the counterfeiting racket for a while now, and he tries to arrest them. They talk him out of it, telling him about the doll and Mr. Reid. Trixie says they gave the doll back to him, and Inspector Patou buys their story and lets them go. He's kind of a bumbling, clumsy, Inspector Clouseau type. But he's going to go investigate Mr. Reid.<br /><br /><br />This is where the book really gets bad, in my opinion. Trixie meets with the all of the Bob-Whites that night. All of them tell their parents they are going to the movies. In reality, they are going to return the doll to Mr. Reid. Well, leave it on the doorstep and then watch from the bushes to see what happens. What this is supposed to accomplish, I don't know. And have the Bob-Whites ever flat-out lied to their parents like that?! They all go to the shop and they find Inspector Patou there as well. They tell them what they're doing, and then leave the doll on the doorstep and throw pebbles at the window. The bad guys take the doll and Inspector Patou moves into confront them. Then, for reasons I will never understand, Trixie goes running through the door behind him. All the Bob-Whites follow her. Of course, they're all captured. Trixie wiggles free and tries to escape, but the catch her at the last second. Finally, the deus ex machina- I mean, the police show up out of nowhere to save the day. Mrs. DeKeyser had called them after she saw people sneaking around outside in the bushes. The bad guys are caught, the Bob-Whites are OK, and they never do tell their parents what they were really doing. Apparently lying to your parents is acceptable Bob-White behavior now. Ugh. </span><br /></div>88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-46423103048186225642010-12-03T22:31:00.002-06:002010-12-03T22:41:52.134-06:00Merry Christmas from Brian's Jalopy!I'm sorry for the delay between updates. Real-life drama got in the way for a while. I meant to do one more before Christmas, but it's just not going to happen. So this blog will be on hiatus until the end of the year. Don't worry; I'll be back in January with more recaps, more snark, and all things Trixie! Thank you for your patience. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and a blessed new year.88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-11022500469676313472010-10-05T13:18:00.010-05:002010-10-07T18:59:22.960-05:00The Great Costume Caper: Trixie Belden #29- "The Mystery of the Velvet Gown"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/TK5ej6MzojI/AAAAAAAAAFw/LCVJWXxo7Ug/s1600/Trixie+%2329+b.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 320px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/TK5ej6MzojI/AAAAAAAAAFw/LCVJWXxo7Ug/s320/Trixie+%2329+b.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525457763841581618" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />This isn't a particularly memorable Trixie book, which probably explains why I couldn't remember what happens in it. This was like reading a new volume for me. It's not bad or anything, but it's not super good, either. It's just kind of...there.<br /><br />It's just after New Year's and the beginning of a new school semester. Sleepyside High is getting ready for its annual Freshman Class play. This year's production in "Romeo and Juliet." Hey, we read that my Freshman year of high school, too! The entire Freshman class is involved in one way or the other, and the Seniors act as guides or mentors or whatever you call it. Trixie is a stagehand, Honey is on the costume crew (of course), and Diana is trying out for the part of Juliet (of course). We all know Di is pretty enough to play Juliet, but can she really act? Apparently so, because she gets the part. Of course, not everyone is happy for her. Trixie overhears a girl named Jane Morgan saying that Di didn't deserve the part, and that she would make her sorry, blah blah blah. She and Honey decide not to tell Di what they heard, since she is nervous enough anyway.<br /><br />The play is being headed up by Miss Darcy, a teacher at Sleepyside High who is also a friend of Miss Trask's. Miss Darcy has a lot on her mind besides the play, though. She receives from England that her father has been kidnapped. And on a snowy night as she is driving to The Manor House, Miss Darcy accidentally hits a dog with her car. It's not just any dog; it's Reddy! Poor thing! Bobby is there, and everyone is upset, and it's a really terrible scene, actually. The Belden kids take Reddy to the town vet, Dr. Samet, who also happens to be Jane Morgan's uncle. Reddy has a broken front leg, but he will be OK.<br /><br />Rehearsals for the play start the next day. Miss Darcy is stressed and she snaps at Diana, which doesn't help Di's nerves any. Her fiance, Peter Ashbury, starts hanging around the rehearsals. For once, Trixie doesn't automatically find him suspicious. Honey, however, feels that she has seen him somewhere before but she can't remember where.<br /><br />Rehearsals continue. Di continues to be nervous, Miss Darcy continues to be tense, and Jane Morgan continues to be a jerk to the Bob-White females. There is one bright spot. Valuable, authentic, expensive costumes are being loaned to the school to be used during the play. One of them is the velvet gown of the title. It's jewel-encrusted and it sounds awesome. Both Miss Darcy and Peter Ashbury seem pretty protective of the costumes and nervous about letting the students touch them. Trixie overhears them arguing with each other after rehearsal.<br /><br />Some weird things happen, but really, they are pretty low-key. Miss Darcy gets very possessive of a costume catalog in her office. She doesn't want Trixie or Honey to look at it. She also gives Trixie the wrong envelope at one point. Instead of containing money to pay Reddy's vet bill, the envelope contains a receipt and slip to a safe deposit box, and some photos costumes from a catalog. The school newspaper also has some actual photos of the costumes that they had taken, but the photos disappear. Catalogs, safe-deposit boxes, missing photos...reading back over it now, it's not really that interesting.<br /><br />Slightly more interesting is when Trixie sees Miss Darcy in her office with the velvet gown and scissors in her hand. She tells Trixie that she was sewing the jewels back on because some of them came loose, but Trixie can tell that she is cutting them off. Trixie and Honey decide they have to find out more about Peter Ashbury. They go with Miss Trask to New York City (where he lives). She leaves them at the museum for a couple of hours while she visits her sister. Of course, they don't stay there. They find Asbhury's address in the phone book and track him down and follow him for a bit. They find him with another woman and a couple of small children. He finally sees them and gets mad, but they play it off as a coincidence. On the way home, Miss Trask finds a newspaper article about him. It says that Peter Ashbury was a gemologist for a prestigious Park Avenue firm, but he was fired and will be indicted on charges of fraud. He has a habit of taking real gems and replacing them with fakes ones to sell to his customers. Honey finally remembers that must be where she has seen him before, since her mother buys expensive jewelry all the time. Oh yeah- and that woman he was with was definitely his wife, and the kids were his kids. Miss Trask is upset that her friend Miss Darcy is being played.<br /><br />Things get truly serious when the costumes disappear. Trixie and Diana are accused of having something to do with it. Guess who accused them? Jane Morgan still hasn't given up on her vendetta against them. They both claim innocence, and Trixie promises Miss Darcy that she will get the costumes back by the next day. Maybe not the smartest thing to say when you are claiming you know nothing about their disappearance, Trixie.<br /><br />Trix is sharp, though. She thinks Jane Morgan took the gown so she could blame Trixie and Di for it, and she is correct. Jane actually comes to Trixie for help, admitting that she let things get out of hand. All four of the girls go to find Miss Darcy and tell her what happened, but she's not in her office. They find a paper there, instructing Miss Darcy to remove some of the gems from the gown and place them in a safe-deposit box. Otherwise her father will be killed.<br /><br />Before they can contact Miss Darcy, Peter Ashbury finds them. He forces them into his car at gunpoint. They go to Manor House, knowing that Miss Darcy most likely went to Miss Trask for help. Peter Ashbury waves his gun around and intimidates the women, but he's no match for the male Bob-Whites (minus Dan) and Regan. They overpower him and Sergent Molinson takes him away in handcuffs. (And seriously; where is Dan? He's mentioned in the beginning of this book, then he disappears). The police inform Miss Darcy that her father has been found and he's OK. Another happy ending. But we never do find out how the play goes.88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-26432063979433405502010-09-04T20:55:00.005-05:002010-09-04T21:07:57.600-05:00Cool Trixie Stuff- handbags<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/TIL5lXd3cKI/AAAAAAAAAFo/RhDI6ByV7S4/s1600/il_430xN.60621899.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/TIL5lXd3cKI/AAAAAAAAAFo/RhDI6ByV7S4/s320/il_430xN.60621899.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513243314204668066" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I'm always on the lookout for cool Trixie stuff to share with you all. I've seen these handbags before, on Etsy and on Ebay, but I'm not sure how I feel about them. On the one hand, they're cute and very creative. On the other hand, an old book has to be destroyed in order to make them. Still, I like the idea that Trixie and company are still remembered fondly today. If you'd like to buy this bag, <a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/22036702/trixie-belden-book-bag?ref=sr_list_2&ga_search_query=trixie+belden&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&order=&includes[0]=tags&includes[1]=title">you can find it here.<br /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/Trixie-Belden-Honey-Wheeler-BFF-Classic-Handbag-/290469940460?pt=US_CSA_WH_Handbags&hash=item43a15b8cec">This bag is also cute</a>, and it looks as though no books were harmed in the making. Very retro picture of Trixie and Honey there. Thought I definitely have my own personal view of how Trixie should look, it is interesting to see how the different cover artists drew her. <br /><br />Sorry this update is so brief, but I'm leaving for vacation with my husband on Monday. Expect a proper blog update later in the month of September. Until then!88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-85597367471417831342010-08-10T19:08:00.004-05:002010-08-10T19:16:21.874-05:00Cross-Dressing Wedding Crashers: Trixie Belden #17- The Mystery of the Uninvited Guest<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/TGHqOkpPGpI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/WOVU-11V1LY/s1600/uninvited+guest+%2317.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 209px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/TGHqOkpPGpI/AAAAAAAAAFQ/WOVU-11V1LY/s320/uninvited+guest+%2317.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5503937755699157650" /></a><br /><br /><br />In the past, if I were pressed to choose a favorite Trixie book, it probably would have been this one. Re-reading it solidified that decision in my mind. I love this book. Definitely my favorite. I'm a little surprised that it doesn't score higher on a lot of people's lists. Some say the tone of the book is off, but I think the writing style of this one is great. It's more introspective, contains better dialogue, and the humor is actually funny. Some of Trixie's faults are pointed out and dealt with in this book, instead of being glossed over as they often are. And everybody gets to play a role in this one. Di, Dan, Bobby, Regan, Mr. Maypenny, Mrs. Vanderpool- everyone is invited to this party. Oh, and I like the cover too, except for Jim's fuchsia red hair. Trixie looks really pretty in her bridesmaid dress. <br /><br />I don't mean to sound lazy, but I'm not going to try to recap the whole thing. It's just too involved. This book picks up where the last one left off. It's still summer in Sleepyside, and everyone is getting ready for Hans and Julianna's wedding. They're to be married in the Manor House garden, and all the Bob-Whites will play a part in the ceremony. It should be a happy time, but Trixie is upset by the arrival of her cousin from Idaho, Hallie Belden. Hallie is tall and slender and even prettier than Diana, if such a thing is possible. Trixie and Hallie have never gotten along very well in the past, and this visit doesn't start off very well either. Trix sees someone at the window of the Belden's home, looking down the lane with binoculars. She accuses Hallie of spying on her, but it's actually Bobby who is the culprit. He tells them some jibberish about seeing a wheelchair and someone stealing mail. Bobby actually sounds more grown-up and articulate than usual in this book, but still, no one can make sense of what he is talking about.<br /><br />The wheelchair becomes very important throughout this story. Trixie grudgingly lets Hallie help her investigate. They find that the chair was supposed to be delivered to the Glen Road Inn, but was lost along Glen Road instead. It eventually ends up at the Inn to be used by elderly cripple Miss Ryks. Miss Ryks is staying there along with her nephew, the scrawny Dick Ryks. Miss Ryks manages to finangle an invitation to the wedding, even though neither Hans nor Juliana is really sure who she is or how she knows their families.<br /><br />The wheelchair isn't the only thing that goes missing. The Lynch mansion is robbed while the Lynches are having dinner at their country club. Diana never receives an invitation to the wedding, even though Honey is sure one was sent to her. Trixie thinks that whoever Bobby saw stealing mail must have taken it. <br /><br />Worse yet, Juliana's diamond tulip engagement ring goes missing. (It has to be a tulip, because they're from Holland, see?) Suspicion falls on Dan when the ring is found in his handkerchief, shoved into a drawer in Uncle Regan's desk. Before they can confront him about it, Dan disappears. Some members of his old gang have been seen hanging around Sleepyside. The adults think maybe Dan has gone back to his old ways, but the Bob-Whites are worried that something sinister has happened to him.<br /><br />Food begins disappearing from the Belden house. Moms thinks she is losing her mind. Scooters, bicycles, and wagons disappear all along Glen Road. Bobby is acting strange, too; he's quiet and withdrawn and not nosing his way into everyone's business like he usually is. Something is bothering him, but Trixie is too busy with wedding preparations and the search for Dan to find out what it is. <br /><br />Things start to make sense when a couple of the gang members are apprehended by the Bob-Whites and the police, trying to sell the stolen wheels and the stuff from the Lynch robbery at a big yard sale. It's a pretty funny scene, actually, with the Bob-Whites managing to get in everyone's way and keep anyone from buying the stolen goods. It turns out the gang members had been hiding in the woods and had convinced Bobby to bring food to them by telling him he could be in their "club." When Bobby got suspicious, they told him they would hurt Reddy with their knives. That is big-time creepy, especially for a Trixie Belden book! Poor kid!<br /><br />Even with the gang members captured, there is still no sign of Dan. Trixie and the Bob-Whites still can't figure out who Miss Ryks is or how she and her nephew ties into all the robberies. They have been to the inn to spy on both the Ryks several times, but they never seem to be there at the same time. Usually the only person they see is Dick. Finally, they manage to catch Dick dressing up as his "Aunt Kate." They're the same person! Trixie tells the police, but they are skeptical. They agree to send a couple of officers to the wedding to help guard the gifts, and they will keep an eye on the inn, but that's all they can do.<br /><br />The big showdown happens at the wedding. Hallie goes missing before the ceremony. Miss Ryks shows up, and Trixie manages to show her as a fraud once and for all. He/She/It is actually the person Dan's old gang was reporting to. Dan and Hallie are found tied up back at the Inn, in an upstairs room. And somehow, the wedding goes off more or less without a hitch, and Hans and Juliana never suspect a thing. That may be the biggest miracle Trixie has ever pulled off.<br /><br />Last lines: "No, Hallie, that's not quite right." Trixie did her best imitation of a drawl and linked arms with her new friend. "You're an OK kid yourself!"<br />"Oh, jeeps," Hallie chuckled.<br />"That's <span style="font-style:italic;">"gleeps!"</span> the Bob-Whites chorused.<br /><br />Thank you for your patience- this was supposed to be up last week, but I got sick. Next book will be...well, I'm not sure yet. Guess you will have to wait and be surprised. Thanks for reading!88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-57524750618509955312010-07-08T20:54:00.003-05:002010-07-08T20:56:54.926-05:00Your commentsJust a quick note to say I really really appreciate your comments. I'm sorry I haven't replied much before now. I was trying to, but E-Blogger was giving me fits. I think I've figured it out now. I hope this blog will inspire discussion of the Trixie Belden book series, so by all means, let me know what you think! I'll even throw out a question: What is your favorite Trixie book? Or favorites, if you can't pick just one.88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-15723808330922682932010-06-28T18:42:00.004-05:002010-06-28T18:47:46.321-05:00If You Ain't Dutch, You Ain't Much: Trixie Belden #16- "The Mystery of the Missing Heiress"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/TCkz_051T-I/AAAAAAAAAFI/NTPdPgCw6eU/s1600/Trixie%2316scan.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/TCkz_051T-I/AAAAAAAAAFI/NTPdPgCw6eU/s320/Trixie%2316scan.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5487974792553648098" /></a><br /><br /><br />I chose this book (#16) for recap because I wanted to do a recap of #17, The Mystery of the Uninvited Guest, and I knew this book’s story dove-tailed into that one. I had forgotten most of the events of #16, and I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The continuity is good, Di and Dan are involved, and the characters are actually in-character and well-written. My research indicates a possible author of Nicolete Meredith Stack, but no one really knows for sure. <br /><br />It’s summertime at Crabapple Farm. Does anyone else feel like the books that take place mostly at the farm or the Manor House have a wonderful cozy, homey feel? I want to live on Crabapple Farm in the summer. The Bob-Whites are excited because Mr. Wheeler has given them his old station wagon to use for a club car. (Doesn’t that violate the rule that they can only use things they paid for themselves?) Each Bob-White will own 1/7th of the car. I wonder which seventh Trixie gets. There is no time to try out their new ride, though, because the horses need to be exercised. The Bob-Whites ride through the game preserve to the marsh, which ends next to some very fragile cliffs. There are danger signs all over the place, warning people to stay off them. The Bob-Whites find some men working in the swamp. They say it is going to be drained an a factory built there. The Bob-Whites are upset, as they love the marsh. Trixie sees a “sinister” old man disappear into the woods, but the others don’t see them. The workers say he was asking questions about the marsh as well. <br /><br />The next day, a “mysterious-sounding” man calls Manor House, asking for Jim. He gets Trixie instead. He asks if Jim has an aunt named Betje Maasden. Trix doesn’t know, so the guy gets mad and slams down the phone, saying he will find out some other way. Trixie remembers the name Betje Maasden from a newspaper article about the new factory. Her name is the last one to appear on the title for the marshland, but no one has been able to locate her yet. The Bob-Whites figure this is a job for Mrs. Vanderpool, because she apparently knows everybody who ever lived in the area, and plan to go see her that afternoon.<br /><br />Mrs. V does indeed remember Jim’s Aunt Betje (Betty) Maarsden, his mother’s sister. She says that Betje and her husband Wilhelm and their daughter Juliana died in a car accident years ago. If that is true, it would make Jim the rightful owner of the marshland. Mrs. V has a picture of the Maasdens with an address in The Hauge, in Holland. Trixie writes a letter trying to find more info about the family. She waits patiently for a response. Just kidding! Trixie is never patient about anything. She and Honey pass the time working as candy stripers at the hospital, and the whole gang has to practice riding the horses for an upcoming Turf Show. <br /><br />Finally, the letter comes from someone named Minna Schimmel. She says that Juliana survived the accident and was raised by the Schimmels. The Schimmels daughter, Mrs. De Jong, moved to the U.S. when she married, taking Juliana with her so she could go to school here. They live in the Bronx, and Juliana is engaged to a lawyer from The Hague. Mrs. Schimmel says she will write to Juliana to tell her she has a cousin. Jim is happy and a bit overwhelmed at the news of having a real blood relative. The Bob-Whites find the phone number of the De Jongs in the Bronx, but there is no answer when they call. They decide to take the new station wagon down to the city to meet them in person. <br /><br />When they get there, the De Jongs aren’t home. Bummer. A neighbor tells them that the family is on vacation in The Poconos. Juliana saw the article about the land in the paper and was going to Sleepyside to inquire about it. Then she was going to go on to the Poconos with her family. When the Bob-Whites come out of the neighbor’s house, they find that someone has messed with the station wagon. It won’t run, and they have to get a mechanic to fix it. The neighbor says it must have been some weirdo, but Trixie isn’t sure. She thinks it is the same person she saw at the marsh.<br /><br />Back in Sleepyside that evening, Mrs. Belden tells the Bob-Whites that Juliana is in town already! She is staying with Mrs. Vanderpool while she finds out about the land deal. The gang heads over after supper to meet her.<br /><br />Juliana is tall and beautiful and charming and all that. Jim agrees to drive her to the courthouse the next day to sign the paperwork. But the clerks tell her it might be weeks before her claim is settled. She is frustrated and a bit angry, but the others calm her down. Trixie and Honey tell her about a young woman who is a patient at the hospital where they volunteer. She was in a car accident and now has amnesia. They’ve been calling her “Janie,” because she can’t remember her own name. Juliana seems upset by this news, and she wants to meet Janie and try to cheer her up, so Trixie and Honey take her to the hospital the next day. <br /><br />Against doctor’s orders, Juliana pushes Janie to remember details about her accident, and seems frustrated when she can’t. She gets defensive when the others ask her to back off. Trixie begins to wonder about Juliana, but then feels bad about doubting her.<br /><br />Moms thinks it will benefit Janie to come stay at Crabapple Farm until her memory returns, and the doctor agrees. Juliana is not happy about this. She thinks Janie might be dangerous because of her memory damage. The Belden kids laugh at her, and she gets mad and flounces off. Janie loves it at Crabapple Farm, and who wouldn’t, really?<br /><br />Trixie looks through some newspapers at the library and finds an article about a missing girl from Chicago. She thinks it might be Janie, and they make arrangements to fly Janie out to meet the missing girl’s sister and brother-in-law. What follows is a pretty sad and emotional scene, by children's book standards. As you probably guessed, Janie isn’t the woman’s sister. The Bob-Whites throw a surprise barbeque for Janie back at Crabapple Farm, to cheer her up. There is food and singing and dancing, and the whole thing sounds like a lot of fun. But someone in a green car stops and asks Bobby if he knows where Mrs. Vanderpool lives. The others don’t see him and don’t think much of it. Janie has a moment where she seems like she is about to remember, but Juliana mouths off and breaks the spell. She asks Jim to take her home, and he sees her leaving Mrs. V’s in the same green Buick that drove by the Belden’s earlier. Mrs. Vanderpool says Juliana gets lots of calls and is gone most of the time. The next day, the girls and Jim are worried and suspicious, and wonder if she is seeing someone behind her fiancé’s back. But Moms reminds them that Juliana is an adult and is allowed to have a private life.<br /><br />Janie goes for a walk in the woods, but doesn’t return by 5pm. The gang goes looking for her. She has fallen down the dangerous cliff by the marsh, because someone removed the signs. In a move she picked up in Bob-White Cave, Trixie goes down the side of the cliff to help her. She and Janie are pulled back to safety, and there is much applause for Trixie’s bravery. <br /><br />Juliana stops by when she hears about Janie’s accident. She mouths off and storms out the door, again. Jim sees her getting in the green Buick yet again. Even Mrs. Belden seems a bit flustered at this point. The Bob-Whites have dinner that evening at Mrs. Vanderpool’s, and she tells them Juliana has been working on making dolls to sell at the upcoming Turf Show. The Bob-Whites again think they may have misjudged her, but the whole thing is hard to figure out. <br /><br />That same night, everything comes to a head. The gang finds out that Juliana’s papers from Holland have finally come through and she can settle her claim and move on. In the middle of the night, Trixie sees someone crossing the yard, heading towards Janie’s window. She and Honey go to investigate, instead of doing the sensible thing and waking everyone else up. It turns out to be Jim’s cruel stepfather, Jones, and he is not happy to see them. He had cut the power to the house and drugged poor Reddy the dog, and was going to drug Janie as well. <br /><br />That morning, a call comes through from the De Jong’s neighbor in the Bronx. Juliana’s fiance Hans Vorwald has shown up, looking for her. He is on the bus on the way to Sleepyside right now. The Bob-Whites agree to pick him up and try to call Juliana, but of course, she’s not home. The pieces finally fall together for Trixie, who takes the gang on a wild chase around town. First to the bank, where they find Juliana has already cashed the check for $150,000. The others think Jones must have tried to kidnap her, but Trixie takes them to pick up Hans again. She won’t explain what is going on as she directs them back to Crabapple Farm. In a twist you probably saw coming, Janie gets her memory back as soon as she sees Hans. Janie is really Juliana, and the other Juliana was an imposter working with Jones and some other criminals that Trixie had helped capture before. (Guess they didn’t learn their lesson last time). Jones is the one who caused Janie/Juliana to run off the road and caused her to fall off the cliff. In the end, all of them are apprehended. Mouthy as ever, Jones tells of seeing the article about Betje Maasden in the paper and recognizing the name as his former wife’s sister. He couldn’t cash in himself, so he hired the fake Juliana to take the real one’s place and get the money. In the end, an evil plot is foiled, bad guys are re-jailed, a memory returns, and a wedding is planned, which we will read about in the next book. <br /><br />Last lines- “I’ve never in my whole life been anyone’s maid of honor! I’ve never even been a bridesmaid!” she added. “Gleeps, just imagine! Me!”88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-28113866655586654002010-05-23T20:25:00.005-05:002010-05-23T20:31:00.221-05:00Spelunking Sleuths: Trixie Belden #11- "The Mystery at Bob-White Cave"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/S_nVv05ua0I/AAAAAAAAAFA/JVU-bNdacf0/s1600/Bob+White+Cave+%2311.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/S_nVv05ua0I/AAAAAAAAAFA/JVU-bNdacf0/s320/Bob+White+Cave+%2311.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474641839676877634" border="0" /></a>
<br /><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/ADMINI%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Verdana; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:536871559 0 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:11pt;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:11pt;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Nice cover, and fairly accurate, except that the artist drew a girl with black hair who looks a lot like Diana, even though she’s not in this book.<span style=""> </span>Not sure why Slim is dressed like a detective, either.
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I have to be honest.<span style=""> </span>Upon re-reading it, I did not like this book as much as I remember liking it.<span style=""> </span>This is the first time that has happened, and it was a surprise to me.<span style=""> </span>I will try to be at least somewhat positive, but I’ve given fair warning that this is not my favorite.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The Bob-Whites are visiting the Belden’s Uncle Andrew in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri.<span style=""> </span>No explanation is given as to why they are there, so I guess it’s just a vacation.<span style=""> </span>(I seem to remember Uncle Andrew being in an earlier book, though.<span style=""> </span>The one set in Iowa, maybe?)<span style=""> </span>They’re not having much fun as the story opens.<span style=""> </span>It’s pouring rain and they are stuck in Uncle Andrew’s lodge home.<span style=""> </span>Trixie is throwing a fit about how she’s bored and she hates it here, and the others call her on her rotten attitude pretty quickly.<span style=""> </span>She apologizes and flips through a magazine to kill time.<span style=""> </span>Trix finds an article about ghost fish.<span style=""> </span>They live in the springs that run through the caves in the area.<span style=""> </span>A scientific journal is offering a $500 reward for three ghost fish specimens in various stages of development.<span style=""> </span>Trixie insists that the Bob-Whites have to find the fish and get the reward so they can donate the $500 to buy a station wagon for handicapped children.<span style=""> </span>She is really, really pushy about<span style=""> </span>it.<span style=""> </span>She wants to leave right away (it stopped raining while she was explaining all this), but the others convince her to wait for Uncle Andrew to get back.<span style=""> </span>At the moment, they are at his home with his housekeeper, Mrs. Moore and her teenaged daughter Linnie.<span style=""> </span>They live behind Uncle Andrew in a three-room log cabin.<span style=""> </span>Mrs. Moore’s husband Matthew disappeared when Linnie was four.<span style=""> </span>He went on a fishing and hunting trip and never came back.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;">
<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">After lunch, the Bob-Whites go fishing, though Trix is secretly on the lookout for a cave to explore.<span style=""> </span>Another storm comes up, and they do indeed find a cave to take shelter in.<span style=""> </span>Trixie is nearly attacked by a wildcat. At the last second, the cat drops dead, shot clean through the head by a rifle.<span style=""> </span>The Bob-Whites don’t see anyone around who might have fired the shot.<span style=""> </span>This is the first of many “ghost” encounters in this book.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Back at the lodge, Trixie is still wound up about the ghost fish.<span style=""> </span>Even Honey seems reluctant to get involved.<span style=""> </span>In a rare moment of total honesty, Honey tells her that sometimes she wishes they could just go places and have fun, and that Mart said the same thing.<span style=""> </span>Wow.<span style=""> </span>Trixie accuses her of not caring about the handicapped children, (again, wow) and Honey gently tells her she knows that isn’t true.<span style=""> </span>She just wants to have fun.<span style=""> </span>Trixie says exploring caves and finding the fish will be fun.<span style=""> </span>After dinner, Mrs. Moore shares some creepy local ghost stories and insists that a ghost saved Trixie’s life that day.<span style=""> </span>Uncle Andrew agrees to her plan, but he insists that they follow the rules of cave exploring (go in threes, leave a note saying when you go in and expect to come out, etc.) and that they have proper gear.<span style=""> </span>Oh, and that they take a guide with them.<span style=""> </span>He suggests a local youth named Slim Sanderson.<span style=""> </span>Trixie is unhappy with the delay (it will take a whole day to get to town, get the gear, and meet Slim), but she agrees.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">In town the next day, Uncle Andrew buys the Bob-Whites helmets with carbine lamps, rope, candles, etc.<span style=""> </span>Very generous of him.<span style=""> </span>They also meet Slim, to whom Trixie takes an instant dislike.<span style=""> </span>She kind of does that with a lot of people.<span style=""> </span>Although Slim is, well, a jerk.<span style=""> </span>He thinks they don’t need all the cave exploring equipment, and he seems to dislike Trixie.<span style=""> </span>He’s cruel to both her and Honey.<span style=""> </span>But he agrees to meet them at 8am the next day to go exploring.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">They head off to a cave on Uncle Andrew’s property, which has to be reached by boating across a small inlet of water.<span style=""> </span>On the way over, they see a man who has fallen out of his boat and is drowning.<span style=""> </span>The Bob-Whites rescue him and take him back to the lodge.<span style=""> </span>His name is Glennending, and he’s come to Missouri all the way from England.<span style=""> </span>Trixie sees a dip net and cave exploring equipment in his canoe, and she thinks he might be after the same thing they are.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Finally, that afternoon, they make it inside the cave.<span style=""> </span>Their is an underground stream, and they do think they see ghost fish swimming in it, but they don’t catch any.<span style=""> </span>Slim agrees to come back the next day, though the Bob-Whites are already sick of him.<span style=""> </span>He does something mean<span style=""> </span>to the bats that live inside the cave, scaring them outside so the hawks can eat them.<span style=""> </span>The Bob-Whites tell him to get lost and the boys take Slim back across the water.<span style=""> </span>They get permission to explore alone from Uncle Andrew.<span style=""> </span>Trixie finally gets one ghost fish, but it isn’t enough.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">There is a whole sub-plot involving ghosts and a cabin and a strange man/possible ghost that I’m not going to get into here, or this post will be way too long.<span style=""> </span>The Ozark people in this book are depicted as very primitive and superstitious.<span style=""> </span>And while I know that was probably true in the 60’s, and maybe still somewhat true in some areas today, it’s still kind of odd to read about.<span style=""> </span>To be fair, they are also very generous and helpful to one another, particularly towards people like the widowed Mrs. Moore.<span style=""> </span>They have a wonderful party that night, which brings out all the locals.<span style=""> </span>There is food and music and dancing, and it sounds like fun.<span style=""> </span>However, someone sets a fire late that night which nearly burns down Uncle Andrew’s lodge and Mrs. Moore’s cabin.<span style=""> </span>Some of her property (chicken coop, shed for the mules) is damaged.<span style=""> </span>All of the neighbors come back to fight the fire.<span style=""> </span>The Bob-Whites think Slim may have set the fire, but Uncle Andrew insists they need proof before accusing him.<span style=""> </span>He is worried that the locals will hang Slim if they think he was responsible. <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The Bob-Whites plus Linnie go back to the cave the next day.<span style=""> </span>Trixie had left a bait bucket with the fish in it and someone took it, but then returned it.<span style=""> </span>They think it was Slim, but why would he bring the bucket back?<span style=""> </span>They do find Slim in the cave and throw him out, but not before they accuse him of setting the fire.<span style=""> </span>He tries to throw the blame on the mysterious man living in the “ghost cabin,” but the Bob-Whites aren’t buying it.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">A postcard arrives from Moms back in Sleepyside.<span style=""> </span>She wants them to come home the coming weekend because she is going to have to go out of town.<span style=""> </span>Only three days left to get the fish and claim the prize.<span style=""> </span>Uncle Andrew’s neighbor Bill Hawkins agrees to go to the cave and keep a look-out for Slim while the kids explore.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The Bob-Whites split up, with Brian and Jim looking for rock samples outside and Honey, Trixie, and Mart looking for fish inside.<span style=""> </span>In the part of the book that I always remember most, Trixie goes down into a sink hole which has a shallow stream at the bottom of it to catch fish with her net.<span style=""> </span>She’s tied to a rope which is tied to a stalagmite and held by Mart and Honey.<span style=""> </span>It goes well until a storm comes up and the sinkhole starts to flood.<span style=""> </span>Mart can’t pull her up.<span style=""> </span>She’s about to drown when the others come in and pull her to safety.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Uncle Andrew is mad at Bill Hawkins for letting her go (even though he didn’t know about it and he was keeping watch out for Slim like he was supposed to be), and Bill Hawkins is mad at himself, but no one really blames Trixie, even though it was kinda her fault for doing something stupid.<span style=""> </span>Unbelievably, she wants to go back the next day and try again.<span style=""> </span>Even more unbelievably, Uncle Andrew lets her, after the Bob-Whites agree to put some beams and a rope ladder across the top of the sinkhole, and to keep a close watch for rain.<span style=""> </span>Trixie goes back down, and she finds all three specimens of fish they are looking for.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=""> </span>When they come out of the cave, they find Slim attacking a man by the water.<span style=""> </span>Jim fights him off and they tie Slim up to be delivered to the local law.<span style=""> </span>The man he was fighting is the one who has been living in the ghost cabin.<span style=""> </span>In a coincidence that is, frankly, too fantastic for me to believe, he turns out to be Mrs. Moore’s long-lost husband Matthew.<span style=""> </span>He fell and hit his head years ago, losing his memory.<span style=""> </span>He was living in a state hospital, but something drew him back to this area.<span style=""> </span>He is the one who shot the wildcat and saved Trixie.<span style=""> </span>He’s been trying to help Mrs. Moore and Linnie, though he didn’t know why at the time.<span style=""> </span>Brian’s explanation: “I think something happened and he lost his memory.<span style=""> </span>When his head was battered by Slim, his memory must have returned.”<span style=""> </span>I think Brian has been watching too much Gilligan’s Island. It doesn’t work like that in real life. <span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;">On their final day in Missouri, they go into town to turn in the fish and claim the reward.<span style=""> </span>Bad news- the specimens they found aren’t the ones the scientific magazine was looking for.<span style=""> </span>But the Bob-Whites did find some kind of fish that was even rarer than the ghost fish.<span style=""> </span>So they are promised a reward at least as big as the $500 one.<span style=""> </span>They will be contacted “in a week or so.”<span style=""> </span>I say don’t buy it, Trixie!<span style=""> </span>After a last meal at the lodge, the Bob-Whites head home.<span style=""> </span>Money is raised, a criminal is captured, and the dead are brought back to life.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:11pt;" ><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">
<br /></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:11pt;" ><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Last line:</span></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" > </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">“Oh, dear, I wonder if we’ll ever have another project as exciting as this one turned out to be!”</span></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" > </span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Wait until you get to St. Louis in a few books, Trixie!</span></span><o:p></o:p></span></p> 88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-39766966419245434202010-05-12T16:59:00.005-05:002010-05-12T17:02:46.416-05:00"He was close, dangerously close, to loving them." - A Time of DarknessWow. I honestly did not realize that I hadn't updated in two months. I am extremely sorry for that. (And I seriously thought it had only been one month. Wow). Real life interfered for a bit, but I think I'm back on track now. Anyway...<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/S-slGc1RiKI/AAAAAAAAAEw/sp595TbrJ4w/s1600/Time+of+Darkness.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 190px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/S-slGc1RiKI/AAAAAAAAAEw/sp595TbrJ4w/s320/Time+of+Darkness.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470506965120682146" border="0" /></a><br />I received this book as a hand-me-down years ago. I read it, enjoyed it, then promptly lost it. I couldn't remember the title or the author; just vague ideas of what had happened in the book. Finally, with the help of the kind folks at The Dairy Burger, I was able to track it down. The title is "A Time of Darkness," published as "Rocco" in Australia. The author is Sherryl Jordan.<br /><br />Rocco Makepeace is a teenager in Australia (I think, though the book doesn't actually say that). His father is a stay-at-home dad and potter; his mom is a career woman who doesn't seem to like him very much. Rocco has been having strange dreams about being in a cave and being attacked by a wolf. The dreams are really really real, and he doesn't know what to make of them. He is seeing the effects of the dreams in real life as well. He feels tired and sore from being attacked by the wolf. His eyes burn from sitting by a campfire. Rocco isn't sure what to make of all this. His family doesn't believe him and they think he may be on drugs and stuff.<br /><br />Rocco reluctantly goes to visit his elderly grandmother (father's mother) in a nursing home. After he gets home, he falls asleep and wakes up in the Valley of Anshur, which is populated by a primitive tribe of humans. He is an outsider, but the village's sage, an elderly woman named Ayoshe, tells them to let him stay. Rocco has no idea how he got there or how to get back, so he begins to learn the ways of the tribe and how to live among them. But throughout, he is conflicted; torn between the feeling that he doesn't belong and his growing love for the tribe and the people in it. Will he be able to get back home? Does he really want to leave? How did he get there in the first place, and how did Anshur come into existence?<br /><br />This is a beautifully written book, y'all. It's just lovely. The characters, the setting, the ways of the tribe...everything felt very real. I wanted to live in Anshur by the time it was over. The books raises some interesting questions about destiny and fate, and points out the power of simple acts. I can't really say much else without spoiling the whole thing. But if you can track this book down, I highly highly recommend it.<br /><br />More Trixie in my next update. Promise. I'm setting myself a target date of May 23rd to have it up. You can hold me to it. If you're still reading, thank you for your patience.88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-22080325213029478152010-02-20T21:08:00.007-06:002010-05-23T20:30:28.723-05:00"This school should serve insurance policies with lunch"- Eat Your Poison, Dear<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/S4CkCJK66OI/AAAAAAAAAEo/p55rvoXHkj8/s1600-h/Poisondear.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 189px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/S4CkCJK66OI/AAAAAAAAAEo/p55rvoXHkj8/s320/Poisondear.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440528706591975650" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I read this book over and over again as a kid. It says "another Sebastian Barth mystery" at the top, but so far, I've only been able to track down three of these books. This one was definitely my favorite of the three.<br /><br />Sebastian Barth is a fairly typical eighth-grader in a small town in Connecticut. Funny and well-liked, Sebastian apparently likes to solve mysteries and figure out strange happenings when they, well, happen. When the school nerd Milo Groot (seriously, how could he not be the nerd with a name like that? Poor kid!) throws up at lunch, it doesn't seem too mysterious at first. But gradually, more and more kids keep getting sick. Sebastian has a hunch that this is more than just the flu going around, so he volunteers to work in the cafeteria to check things out. When over 100 students throw up in one day (EWW!), the cafeteria is immediately shut down and a full fledged investigation is launched by the state board of health. Suspicion falls on spinster lunch lady Dorothy Swille, then on school bully Edward "Harley" Davidson. But Sebastian learns a hard lesson about not jumping to conclusions when he finally realizes that the culprit may be the one person nobody suspected.<br /><br />The chapters in this book are very short, and very dialogue driven. We learn more about the characters by what they say than what they do. Both words and actions can be deceiving, as Sebastian finds out the hard way. The dialogue is sharp, with lots of humor, and the characters feel real. Definitely a recommended read for junior high ages, or for adults like me who still enjoy this stuff.88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-62877859115281715092010-01-26T22:47:00.006-06:002010-01-26T22:59:57.510-06:00Greenbacks in the Green Mountains: Trixie Belden #22- "The Mystery at Mead's Mountain"<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/S1_F2LtW80I/AAAAAAAAAEg/6_BktfU_Jb4/s1600-h/Trixie%2322.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 210px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/S1_F2LtW80I/AAAAAAAAAEg/6_BktfU_Jb4/s320/Trixie%2322.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431277210278753090" border="0" /></a>
<br /><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Horton/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Verdana; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:536871559 0 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --></style><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Horton/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Verdana; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:536871559 0 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:9pt;" >
<br /><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:9pt;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >Forgive my fan-girly squealing. This is one of my favorite Trixie books of all time.<span style=""> </span>Definite top 5.<span style=""> </span>Maybe even top 3.<span style=""> </span>I love it to pieces.<span style=""> </span>It has a great location, an interesting mystery, in-character characters, and the right amounts of danger! and intrigue!<span style=""> </span>During this re-reading, I noticed something I had never realized before.<span style=""> </span>The remote location and cast of characters makes this story feel like an old-fashioned whodunit.<span style=""> </span>Even the cover is good and accurate, right down to the color of the Bob-White’s sweaters.<span style=""> </span>Let us rejoice in the re-telling.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >It’s Christmastime, but all is not merry and bright for the Bob-Whites.<span style=""> </span>The insurance payment on the Bob-White station wagon is due at the first of the year, and they are out of cash.<span style=""> </span>In a profitable coincidence, Mr. Wheeler is in need of some “spirited young people” to check out a small ski resort in Vermont he is thinking about buying.<span style=""> </span>He wants to turn it into a natural recreation area.<span style=""> </span>He hires the Bob-Whites to inspect the resort and give him detailed reports on what they liked, what they disliked, and ways to improve the resort.<span style=""> </span>They leave two days after Christmas and will stay for a whole week.<span style=""> </span>Nice.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >Oh, there’s a ghost, too.<span style=""> </span>The resort is located on Mead’s Mountain, named for a cranky local trapper who tried to stop the settlement of the area.<span style=""> </span>He was eventually hanged in the town square.<span style=""> </span>Some think his long white-haired ghost haunts the area near the resort.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >The Bob-Whites travel in-style in Mr. Wheeler’s private jet.<span style=""> </span>The arrive in Groverville just in time for a snow storm.<span style=""> </span>As Miss Trask is driving to Mead’s Mountain, Trixie thinks she sees a white-haired man out walking through the snow in the woods.<span style=""> </span>The others say it was just her imagination, but Trixie isn’t so sure.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >They arrive at the resort without further incident.<span style=""> </span>I feel the need to introduce the cast of characters who are staying or working at the resort, because they will all play a role in the story.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Pat and Katie O’Brien</span>- married couple who are the lodge’s caretakers.<span style=""> </span>They have a mischievous but adorable four year-old daughter named Rosie.<span style=""> </span>She and Bobby would get along well.<span style=""> </span>Pat and Katie seem nice, and they obviously love Mead’s Mountain.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-weight: bold;" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Linda and Wanda Fleming</span>- twin sisters who run the lodge’s restaurant.<span style=""> </span>They make very good food, and seem nice.<span style=""> </span>Actually, everyone in this book seems nice, on the surface at least.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jack Caridiff and Bert Mitchell</span>- vacationing merchant marines.<span style=""> </span>They seem out of place at a ski lodge, and they seem amused by the idea of teen-aged detectives.<span style=""> </span>In fact, everyone at the lodge laughs at Trixie and Honey’s detecting aspirations.<span style=""> </span>They will not be laughing long.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">
<br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">Eric</span>- the lodge’s young and handsome ski instructor.<span style=""> </span>He’s very good at his job, but he seems moody and tense at times.<span style=""> </span>He and his mother were supposed to stay at the lodge for two weeks, but Eric showed up alone and looking for work.<span style=""> </span>Suspicious, wouldn’t you say?</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><meta equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><meta name="ProgId" content="Word.Document"><meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><meta name="Originator" content="Microsoft Word 9"><link rel="File-List" href="file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/Horton/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/msoclip1/01/clip_filelist.xml"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:donotoptimizeforbrowser/> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><style> <!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Verdana; panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:swiss; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:536871559 0 0 0 415 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";} p.MsoBodyText, li.MsoBodyText, div.MsoBodyText {margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:9.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt; font-family:Verdana; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} --> </style><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Honeymooners</span>- Exactly what it sounds like.<span style=""> </span>A couple on their honeymoon.<span style=""> </span>We don’t see much of them.<span style=""> </span>They do baby-sit Rosie once during this book, which <span style="font-style: italic;">I</span> find very mysterious.<span style=""> </span>It wasn’t that many years ago when I was on my honeymoon, and baby-sitting was the last thing on my mind.</span>
<br /></span><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >Strange happenings begin almost right away.<span style=""> </span>Someone trashes the Bob-Whites suite and leaves a note saying “Leave my mountain now!”<span style=""> </span>Signed T.L.M.<span style=""> </span>Apparently Thomas Mead’s ghost can write.<span style=""> </span>Someone locks the girls out of their room the next morning after they take an early morning swim.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >Honey loses a valuable watch while the Bob-Whites are out at their first skiing lesson.<span style=""> </span>She’s certain she left it on the dresser, but it’s gone when they get back.<span style=""> </span>Wanda also mentions that a jar of quarters is missing from her room.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >During their first skiing excursion, the Bob-Whites find an old cabin hidden back in the woods.<span style=""> </span>Trixie is intrigued, of course, but the others laugh it off and laugh at her.<span style=""> </span>Back at the lodge, Eric tells them the cabin is abandoned and rotted.<span style=""> </span>Trix thought she saw smoke coming from it, but doesn’t say anything.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >The next day is even crazier.<span style=""> </span>Mart gets caught in an avalanche, but Super Jim and the rest of the gang manage to rescue him before he suffocates.<span style=""> </span>Back at the lodge, the lights mysteriously go out just after dinner.<span style=""> </span>Trixie, Honey, and Mart investigate and find another note lying next to the main breaker box.<span style=""> </span>“Your life is in danger!”<span style=""> </span>Mart is not amused, but Trixie asks him not to say anything.<span style=""> </span>That night, she can’t sleep.<span style=""> </span>Trixie steps out onto the balcony and overhears Eric below her, talking to someone whose voice she doesn’t recognize.<span style=""> </span>She hears phrases like “The money looks good” and “search the woods.”<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >Trixie is determined to do some searching of her own the next day.<span style=""> </span>She and Honey check out the cabin.<span style=""> </span>Not only is it not abandoned, they find a grouchy old man living there.<span style=""> </span>He’s not in the mood for visitors and he tells them to leave and never come back.<span style=""> </span>Trixie notices that the blinds are shut and that the places smells like alcohol.<span style=""> </span>The gang thinks he might be making alcohol, and dub him “Mr. Moonshine.”<span style=""> </span>But being grumpy and making your own alcohol aren’t technically against the law.<span style=""> </span>Trixie feels there is more going on, though.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >Wanda and Linda invite the group to go to dinner in town that night, and Eric goes along with them.<span style=""> </span>He ends up paying for dinner for everyone.<span style=""> </span>Trixie wonders how he has that much money, and why he seems nervous after the meal.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >On the way back from the restaurant, the van the Bob-Whites are riding in is almost crushed by a tree limb.<span style=""> </span>A tree limb that has been sawed off!<span style=""> </span>Another brush with death, another note.<span style=""> </span>Trixie takes note of the boot prints near the tree.<span style=""> </span>Since ghosts usually don’t use saws or wear boots, she figures all they have to do is find the person at the lodge whose boots match the prints and they will have their suspect.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:85%;">
<br /></span><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >Skiing the next day, the Bob-Whites see Mr. Moonshine skiing alone. He skis himself right into a tree, and the Bob-Whites give him first aid.<span style=""> </span>Diana recognizes him as the famous but reclusive artist Carl Stevenson.<span style=""> </span>She met his daughter Ellen Johnson at a benefit her parents hosted.<span style=""> </span>This would explain his ink-stained hands and his not being a people person.<span style=""> </span>Trix is a bit disappointed that he’s just an artist and not a criminal.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >Back at the lodge, Katie tells the group that Rosie was the one who took Honey’s watch and Wanda’s quarters.<span style=""> </span>Like a raccoon, Rosie is attracted to shiny things.<span style=""> </span>She apologizes and all is forgiven.<span style=""> </span>The mystery seems to be winding down, but Trix still wants to know who the ghost is and what Eric’s mysterious conversation was about.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >As the Bob-Whites week at the lodge draws to a close, the mysterious happenings draw to a climax.<span style=""> </span>Counterfeit bills are being passed in town, and Trixie thinks Mr. Moonshine may actually be Mr. Counterfeiter.<span style=""> </span>She and Honey go back to the cabin, but this time Carl Stevenson drags them inside and locks the door.<span style=""> </span>Instead of doing bad things to them, Carl starts lamenting about everything going wrong and wondering what to do now.<span style=""> </span>He tells the girls that two people have kidnapped his daughter and are forcing him to make counterfeit bills for them before they will release her.<span style=""> </span>Eric is Ellen’s son and Carl’s grandson.<span style=""> </span>He knows what’s going on, and has been searing the woods for his mother.<span style=""> </span>Carl can’t tell who the two people are; they always wear masks and are completely covered.<span style=""> </span>One is short and one is tall.<span style=""> </span>Two men, or maybe a man and a woman.<span style=""> </span>They’re supposed to meet Carl at a nearby pond that night to make the final drop, and then they will tell him where Ellen is.<span style=""> </span>Trixie and Honey promise to help and not to go to the police.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >
<br />The girls are excited to get back and tell the boys what they found.<span style=""> </span>But the boys aren’t buying it.<span style=""> </span>Mart tells them that they just bought a sob story and let a counterfeiter get away.<span style=""> </span>However, Jim says he will go with the girls to the pond tonight just to be sure.<span style=""> </span>If no one shows up, they will go to the police.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >Things go about like you’d expect at the pond.<span style=""> </span>The bad guys show up driving Pat O’Brien’s truck.<span style=""> </span>Trixie, Honey, and Jim are upset that he turns out to be a bad guy.<span style=""> </span>Jim disables the truck and takes out the bad guy.<span style=""> </span>How many has he knocked out at this point?<span style=""> </span>I’m surprised he hasn’t broken his hand yet.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >In true Scooby-Doo fashion, Trixie unmasks the villain, but he’s hiding behind a fake Pat O’Brian mask.<span style=""> </span>No, not really, but it’s not who they think it is.<span style=""> </span>Tall bad guy is Bert Mitchell, and the short one is Jack Cardiff.<span style=""> </span>They are no longer doubting Trixie’s detective skills.<span style=""> </span>Ellen is found in some nearby caves, and the Bob-Whites wrap everything up and return to the lodge in time to ring in the new year.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" ><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:85%;" >
<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:9pt;" ><span style="font-size:85%;">Last paragraph cheese (not too bad in this one): “Above the dark woods was the peak of Mead’s Mountain, gleaming in the moonlight.</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" > </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >What a wonderful place to finish off a great year, </span><span style="font-size:85%;">she (Trixie) thought.</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" > </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >I wonder what new places and mysteries this year will bring.<span style=""> </span>If it’s anything like last year, what a very happy new year it will be, indeed!”</span><o:p></o:p></span></p> 88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-63317287357900682672009-12-22T16:03:00.006-06:002010-01-25T15:39:37.652-06:00Merry Christmas from Brian's Jalopy!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SzFCZxyB3PI/AAAAAAAAAEY/n3WISYa_ffM/s1600-h/TrixieBeldenChristmasTree.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 182px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SzFCZxyB3PI/AAAAAAAAAEY/n3WISYa_ffM/s320/TrixieBeldenChristmasTree.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5418184837330754802" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Isn't that cool? It's a Trixie Belden Christmas Tree! I want! I found it here at Madonna's Mementos: http://www.madonnasmementos.com/Christmas.html You can order one for yourself, though I doubt it will get here before Christmas.<br /><br />I want to thank everyone who has stopped by and checked out my blog over the past ten months. I hope you have enjoyed it. Please feel free to leave a comment on any of the posts; I love reading them! I've also joined Twitter and will be sending out blog updates there. Please follow me: http://twitter.com/briansjalopy Seriously. Please. I have no followers. I feel like a loser. Don't worry; it will be mostly blog updates. I won't spam you with daily tweets about what I had for breakfast or how often I changed my socks or anything.<br /><br />I hope you all have a very merry Christmas and a happy and safe new year. I will be back in January with more recaps, new series, and of course, more Trixie! Thank you so much for your support. God bless!88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-77446854342640549312009-12-12T15:03:00.002-06:002009-12-12T15:04:36.667-06:00Butlers Without Hats and Horses With Socks: Trixie Belden #26- "The Mystery of the Headless Horseman"<p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">I’m so sorry for the delay.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">I started a new job, and then Christmas, so life got crazy for a bit (not that it still isn’t!)</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SyQDsug49XI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/Lle33g79H6c/s1600-h/Headless+Horseman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SyQDsug49XI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/Lle33g79H6c/s320/Headless+Horseman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5414456718941287794" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">I also apologize for the crappy quality of the cover pictures. I'm trying to take my own photos and not bootleg them whenever possible, but my camera refuses to take a good quality picture unless the flash is on. When the flash is on, I get a big glare spot in the middle of the photo. Grrr. Anyway...<br /></span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">I didn’t get this recap up in time for Halloween by a long shot, but it will still work.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Despite the title, it’s not really a Halloween story.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">It does take place in the Fall, though.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">The Bob-Whites are planning a charity bazaar to benefit UNICEF.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Everyone is excited, but Trixie is worried because Diana is avoiding her.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">She seems worried and preoccupied.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">The Bob-Whites are finally able to talk to her about it on the bus.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Di explains that Harrison (the Lynches proper and uptight butler) is missing.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">He got a phone call the evening before and left suddenly, saying he would be back in an hour or so.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">But he never returned.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Diana feels responsible because her parents are away and she wants the household to run smoothly.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Plus, Harrison is supposed to oversee the bazaar tomorrow.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">It’s the mystery of the missing butler, and of course Trixie and the Bob-Whites spring into action.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">They immediately saddle the Wheeler horses and go looking for him.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Regan says he saw Harrison last night, riding a bicycle along Glen Road.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">The Bob-Whites split up when they get to the woods, and Honey and Trix find a trail of bike tires.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">They follow it to a little home set back in the forest.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">It always amazed me that Trixie and Honey (well Trixie at least) have lived in this area for years, yet they’re always stumbling across houses that they didn’t know were there.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">The place is called Sleepyside Hollow.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">They find Harrison’s bicycle propped against the front porch, and they find Harrison inside, locked in the cellar.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">He has a gash on his forehead and his cold and a little shaken up, but otherwise OK.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Harrison says he came to the house to feed the cat when the owner, Mrs. Rose Crandall, was called away.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">He says he fell down the stairs and hit his head, and the door locked behind him.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Trixie is, of course, suspicious, because the basement door was bolted. Which would indicate either that someone else was in the house with Harrison, or that Mrs. Crandall has one clever and crafty cat.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Trixie’s suspicion causes friction between her and Diana which continues throughout the book.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Di says what Harrison was doing is really none of their business (and she’s kind of right, really), but you know Trix isn’t going to let it go.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">At the Belden family dinner that night, the children tell their parents about the days events.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Mr. Belden tells them about Rose Crandall’s husband, Jonathan.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">He was curator of the Sleepyside Museum until he died suddenly of a heart attack.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Mr. Crandall had taken a priceless Ming vase home with him for safekeeping that same weekend, but he passed away and no one knew where he had put the vase.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">A lot of the townspeople thought he stole the vase, so his reputation became tarnished.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Even Mr. Belden isn’t sure.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Harrison was a good friend of Jonathan Crandall’s, though.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Mr. Crandall was one who loved puzzles and games, and had also hidden his wife’s birthday present the same weekend.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">He gave her a clue (“It’s elementary”), but she never could find it.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">That night, Trixie and Honey venture back to the house because they’re afraid they left the cat locked in the cellar.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">They bike back to Sleepyside Hollow after dark, where they see a figure all in black riding a horse near the house.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > <span style="font-style: italic;"> </span></span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:100%;" >A headless figure!</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">The horse glides silently by, without even making the sound of hoof beats.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Like he was wearing socks (would that really deaden the sound of hoof beats that much?</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Horses aren’t exactly lightweight.)</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Honey wants to leave (smart girl), but Trixie wants to investigate.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">But Mrs. Crandall is home, and she sees them and invites them in for cookies.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">I want to live in Sleepyside; every time the Bob-Whites end up at someone’s house unexpectedly, there are always fresh cookies waiting for them.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">The girls talk to Mrs. Crandall about Harrison, and she tells them that she got a nasty phone call the night before.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Someone called telling her that her sister had taken ill, so Rose rushed to the hospital.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Her sister wasn’t ill, so it looks like someone was trying to lure her away from the house.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">The girls don’t say anything about the headless horseman.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">The bazaar must go on, and Mrs. Trask agrees to head it up in Harrison’s absence.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">There is a nice scene for the ‘shippers of Jim and Trixie picking up donations, and Harrison’s derby hat (which was left behind in the Wheeler stables the night before).</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Di insisted that Jim bring it over.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Trixie thinks Di is being bossy, but Jim suggests that maybe Trixie is used to being the boss and doesn’t like someone else taking over.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Hee!</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Good call, Jim.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Trixie and Jim stop by the hospital to see Harrison.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Someone steals the hat from the station wagon, which is odd because the wagon is full of much more valuable items than that.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Trixie and Jim see a “mysterious” man and woman leaving Harrison’s room, but when they ask him, he says he has had no visitors.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Trixie is upset that Harrison is lying to them again.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">She is also upset later at the bazaar, when Mart says he told Di about Trixie’s suspicions.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Di gives Trixie the GLARE and head toss of DOOM, so things are not well between them.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Trixie wants to find the vase and clear Jonathan Crandall’s name, but pursuing the mystery will continue to cause friction between her and Diana.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">You know she’s not going to let it go, though.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Stuff happens…they keep seeing Harrison and his cronies around town, and around Sleepyside Hollow.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Trix thinks they are looking for the vase as well.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">She and Honey end up hiding in a hayloft of an old barn, again, and they overhear Harrison and the man and woman talking about the vase.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">She’s more convinced than ever that Harrison is a thief, and this splits the whole Bob-White group into factions.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Even Brian and Mart are on Di’s side.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Dan suggests that the girls get together and do something girly like go shopping together to remember why they’re such good friends in the first place.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Honey sets it up.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Di and Trixie are cold to each other at first, but Honey loses it and tells them to grow up, basically.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Honey rocks.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Trixie agrees to let the business with Harrison go, and things are OK for a while.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">But then she sees one of Harrison’s accomplices on a bicycle and can’t let it go.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">Di gets mad and takes Trixie and Honey to the Sleepyside Museum to settle things once and for all.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">The mysterious woman and man are both there.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">The woman is a museum lecturer, and the man is a guard.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Di says they have been friends with Harrison for years.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">She is feeling good about winning, so she takes the girls up to a display of an Oriental jade figure that was donated by her family.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">When Di sees the statue, she gets very upset and runs out of the museum.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Later, she tells the Bob-Whites that the statue in the museum is a fake.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Harrison is the one who delivered it there, and now she believes Trixie that he is indeed a thief.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">She had been worried all along that Trixie was right (because, let’s face it, Trix is usually right about these things), and that’s why she was so upset.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">The gang heads back to Sleepyside Hollow.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Trixie thinks the vase is probably in the same hiding place as Mrs. Crandall’s birthday present.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">They go back to the barn, and Mart finds the Headless Horseman’s costume.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">It’s a cape on a wooden frame that is made to fit over the head, so the rider will look headless.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Someone is definitely trying to scare Mrs. Crandall away so they can find the vase.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">The Bob-White head back to the house, because Trixie has finally figured out where the vase is hidden.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Under one of Mr. Crandall’s grafted fruit trees.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">It has the letters LMN on it.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Elementary?</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">LMN tree?</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Get it?</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Harrison is at the house as well, and the Bob-Whites are about to attack, but Trixie stops them.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Harrison and his buddies were only trying to find the vase to save Jonathan’s reputation.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">The real bad guy is the museum’s current curator, Alfred Dunham.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">He shows up with a gun, but the boys make quick work of him, with a little help from Reddy.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">Mr. Crandall’s name is cleared, Mrs. Crandall gets her last birthday present, and a thief is captured.</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;">I’ve realized the last few lines of these books are usually incredibly cheesy, so I’m going to start closing my posts with them.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">This book ends thus:</span></p> <p style="font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><!--[if !supportEmptyParas]--> <!--[endif]--><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">“Not bad, Miss Sherlock,” Mart told her.</span><span style=";font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;">“Not bad at all.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Everyone laughed as Trixie chuckled and answered, “Why, it was elementary, my dear Mart!”</span></p>88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-77818057781054327142009-10-07T13:20:00.008-05:002009-10-07T14:17:40.972-05:00It's Two-Fer Tuesday- on Wednesday!To make up for my absence last month, I present you with not one, but two quick reviews! I found both of these books at the library by chance. I had read them in the past but couldn't remember the title or author or anything. Serendipity rocks.<br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/Sszie3m0TvI/AAAAAAAAAEI/ku9D8z4o-cU/s1600-h/free+fall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/Sszie3m0TvI/AAAAAAAAAEI/ku9D8z4o-cU/s320/free+fall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389931874006355698" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Free Fall</span> by Joyce Sweeney is the story of four teen-aged boys who go to explore a cave. Neil is the oldest and the main character. Along for the ride are his younger brother David, David's best friend Terry, and Neil's best friend Randy. Of course, they get lost and trapped. No one has any idea where they are, so they have to survive and escape on their own.<br /><br />This isn't just a story of survival. There's a huge load of emotional baggage that the boys bring into the cave with them, starting with the fact that none of the boys get along. Neil and David's little sister died a couple of years earlier when their house burned down. It's technically David's fault, but Neil blames himself and has shut David out. He also has never told his best friend about this (Randy moved to their town after the fire). I find it hard to believe that no one at school ever mentioned this to Randy, but whatever. Terry is a wuss, and Randy is sarcastic and mouthy. He and David both have hot tempers and muscular builds, and may just kill each other before this whole thing is over. Being trapped and possibly close to death, the boys are forced to come to terms with their issues and work together to survive.<br /><br />There is action in the form of cave exploration, rattlesnakes, a climb that doesn't work out, and a daring escape. The emotional stuff is heavy- we're talking dead sisters, abusive fathers, divorce...This is also a story about teen-aged boys, and they act the part well. There is swearing up to and including the "F" word, bathroom humor, sex talk (but no actual sex), and fighting. this is not G-rated Trixie Belden stuff. I found Free Fall to be an effective and exciting enough story. And I'm a sucker for a story about siblings, so that was a plus. But again, this book is loaded with profanity, so consider yourself warned.<br /><br /><br />The second book I found is <span style="font-style: italic;">Murder at the Spaniel Show</span> by Lynn Hall. It's pretty obscure, so I'm not going to bother with the cover art. Tabby is a teenager who works at Quintessence, a springer spaniel kennel in rural New York. The kennel is set to host a national springer spaniel show when things get wacky. Someone starts sending threatening notes to the Ted Quinn, the man set to judge the Best In Show competition. Ted is the twin brother of Turner Quinn, the blind owner of the kennel, and he has flown in all the way from England to judge.<br /><br />Tabby is just the "kennel girl," but she manages to be right in the middle of everything that happens at Quintessence. No one is really sure if the threats are serious or just a sick prank, but Tabby grows increasingly anxious as the three days of the show wear on. She does manage to figure out who the culprit is, but it's too late. Sort of.<br /><br />Lynn Hall has apparently written over 80 books, but I hope most of them are better than this one. Honestly, I found it a bit boring. I didn't feel like I really knew Tabby, other than she's slightly overweight and kind of sarcastic. There is a lot of information about dogs and dog shows here, but I still didn't get any sense of Tabby's "passion" for dogs. In hindsight, the culprit is pretty obvious, but I'm still not really sure what that person was trying to accomplish. To be fair, I may be expecting too much from a book that is geared towards grades 6-9.<br /><br />OK, back to Trixie after this. Since Halloween is coming, I feel it only appropriate to read <span style="font-style: italic;">The Mystery of the Headless Horseman. </span>I hope to have it up in a couple of weeks.88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-77448044534702593662009-08-29T08:34:00.007-05:002010-01-25T15:40:29.907-06:00Unicycling Poachers: Trixie Belden #5- "The Mystery Off Glen Road"<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SpkvaKHe67I/AAAAAAAAAD4/JA6pYtidYO8/s1600-h/glen+road.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 207px; display: block; height: 320px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375379756682242994" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SpkvaKHe67I/AAAAAAAAAD4/JA6pYtidYO8/s320/glen+road.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>I have to admit, I was dreading this re-read. This is a book I’ve never had much desire to go back to. I know it’s by the original author and a lot of fans love it and all. But I have a very low threshold for embarrassment, and Trixie has to do some really silly things to accomplish her goal in this book.<br /><br />With that said, the book wasn’t quite as bad as I remember it, except for one scene. There is a great moment between Brian and Trixie; probably the best in the whole series. And, most importantly, it explains the title of this blog! So here we go.<br /><br />It’s November, and a storm is brewing. A hurricane! Trixie and Honey are down at the Bob-Whites now-finished clubhouse, admiring their work. Trixie is worried that the storm might knock down one of the big trees surrounding the clubhouse and damage the roof. But there is no time to stand around and worry. Tom and Celia’s wedding and reception are in an hour. Is getting married during a hurricane good luck or bad luck? Seems like a sign of things to come. (just kidding- I love being married.) Sidenote- Celia’s gown is described as “lace over satin,” which sounds really pretty.<br /><br />The wedding goes OK, but the storm does a lot of damage. Trixie’s worries come true; one of the tall spruce trees beats the clubhouse like a red-headed step-child. The roof is torn off, and the back wall is damaged. There is no money in the treasury to fix it. None of the Bob-Whites have any cash, except for Brian. He has saved fifty dollars to buy a used jalopy from Mr. Lytell. I looked up “jalopy” expecting to find a specific vehicle from the 50’s. But wikipedia says jalopy is just a term for an old, beat-up, piece of junk car. The book does say the car is in good condition and is a steal at fifty dollars. It is referred to as a Ford later on.<br /><br />Because he is so honorable and noble, Brian insists on giving up his fifty dollars to fix the clubhouse. They can’t wait any longer because winter is almost here and the clubhouse won’t survive without a roof. Trixie suggests that the Bob-Whites work as gamekeepers for the Wheeler game preserve, since the old gamekeeper just quit. The Bob-Whites like the idea, but they still won’t have the money until after the first week, and by then the car will be gone. Mr. Lytell is only holding it until Saturday.<br /><br />This is where things get wacky. Trixie comes up with an idea. She tells Honey that she can give the diamond ring that Jim gave her to Mr. Lytell as collateral to hold the car another week. By the end of the week, they will have the fifty dollars from the gamekeeper job and can buy the car for Brian. It’s a good idea, but her parents have put the ring in a safety deposit box at the bank. Honey says no one is going to believe she suddenly wants to wear a diamond ring, so she’s going to have to gradually start acting girly. Honey says she should fall in love- because that’s what makes girls suddenly change overnight. Her cousin Ben Riker is visiting for Thanksgiving, and Honey says he would be the perfect candidate. One problem- Trixie can’t stand him. But this is for Brian, so she will go along with the plan. I never understood this, even as a kid. Why not just tell her parents what she wants to do and have them get the ring? Trixie just says that she would never get permission (I guess because of the ring’s value), but I think she underestimates them. If I had a kid who wanted to do something that nice for their sibling, I would be really proud.<br /><br />Anyway, Trixie starts fluttering around, moaning about dishpan hands and how Ben wouldn’t like it and all that. She comes down to dinner in a dress and starts dropping hints about how she should really have her nice ring to wear, to impress Ben. It’s really, really embarrassing, so I’m gonna skip over it. It eventually works, and Mr. Belden does get the ring for her.<br /><br />The girls give the ring to Mr. Lytell, who agrees to hold the jalopy another week. They also get the game keeper job, so they start patrolling early mornings before school while the boys are busy working on the clubhouse.<br /><br />Oh, yeah, there is a mystery in this book. The girls find strange footprints in the preserve. They see an older man in outdated clothing leaving Mr. Lytell’s store. And they find a deer carcass lying in the preserve. They think that the dogs (Reddy and Patch) ran it down and killed it. They agree not to say anything to the boys, because the dogs would undoubtedly be put down.<br /><br />Honey gives Trixie a fake diamond ring to wear, since hers is at Mr. Lytell’s. Ben comes, and the girls convince Diana to capture his attention so that Trixie doesn’t really have to flirt with him. Because Diana is so beautiful that no boy can resist her, it works like a charm. Trixie sneaks off back to the place where she found the deer carcass and discovers it is gone! She also finds strange bike tire tracks. Single, like a unicycle, not double like a bicycle. How can she tell the difference? Wouldn’t they look the same? And why does her mind automatically go to “unicycle?” Wheelbarrow, hello? She and Honey have some funny conversations about an escaped circus performer, balancing on his unicycle while toting a deer carcass over his shoulders. Honey points out that circuses “aren’t insane asylums. People don’t escape from them.” Heh.<br /><br />The boys...oh yeah, the boys tease the girls a lot in this book, as usual. They don’t like Ben either, and don’t really want Trixie with him. Jim is jealous and Brian is clueless, but Mart is suspicious. The girls tell him about the suspected poacher, and he agrees that they should keep investigating.<br /><br />The day before Thanksgiving, Trixie and Honey go for an afternoon patrol. The horses bolt, and when they finally stop, they’re in a clearing with a cabin in it. Maybe the poacher lives here? Pretty brave of him, to live right in the middle of someone else’s land. Or the cabin could belong to a squatter. During all of this, Trixie loses the compass she was wearing. It belonged to Bobby, and that’s not good. She gets back home for the evening and Bobby insists that he needs the compass, so Trix has to confess that she lost it. This doesn’t go over well, as you can imagine. After the smoke clears, Mart tells Trixie he will lend Bobby his compass if she tells him why she wanted the ring. She does, and Mart is ecstatic. He says he and Honey will try to find the cabin tomorrow, while Trixie helps Moms get ready for their Thanksgiving open house.<br /><br />Everything comes to a head Thanksgiving Day. Honey and Mart don’t find the cabin. Bobby finds Trixie’s (fake) ring and takes it, to get back at her for losing his compass. Then, Bobby disappears as well. The Bob-Whites initiate a frantic search. Trixie finally finds him up at <em>The Robin</em> (the trailer that now belongs to Tom and Celia, who are apparently taking a very very long honeymoon). He says the ring “sorta slipped down the drainpipe” in the sink. Bobby is upset, but Trix tells him it wasn’t real anyway. She explains about using the real ring as collateral for the car, and then hears someone behind her. It’s Brian, and he heard the whole thing. He gets kinda choked up, and there are warm fuzzies all around. Very nice scene.<br /><br />Honey and Trixie wrap up the mystery of the poacher/squatter by finally getting back to the cabin the next day. It belongs to the man they saw at Mr. Lytell’s store earlier. His name is Maypenny, and his family has owned some land right in the middle of the preserve for years. He’s kind of a hermit, and he has permission to hunt and set snares for his food in the preserve. So there wasn’t really a mystery at all, and I kind of hate that in “mystery” books. The girls think Mr. Maypenny would be a perfect gamekeeper, and he agrees to take the job. He also helps the boys get the clubhouse fixed, just before the snow flies. The Belden parents find out about Trixie’s ring swap and they aren’t mad. Oh, and Mrs. Belden insists that Ben Riker is a nice boy, but “you can’t expect an only-child to be as well-adjusted as one with siblings.” This only child objects, Moms.<br /><br />I will be on vacation the second week of September, so this blog will be on a little break. I should be back either at the end of September or beginning of October. I really am wowed by all the positive response so far. Please, if you have any comments, leave them- I would love to hear from you!</div>88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-34223695418671815242009-07-28T21:54:00.006-05:002009-07-28T22:14:48.620-05:00Jewel Quest: Trixie Belden #14- "The Mystery of the Emeralds<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/Sm-6mHsnVyI/AAAAAAAAADw/rm8u-NRLRms/s1600-h/emeralds.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 201px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/Sm-6mHsnVyI/AAAAAAAAADw/rm8u-NRLRms/s320/emeralds.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363710845285521186" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /><br />This is the type of story that seems to appear in every children's mystery series. It involves cleaning out the attic on a rainy day, old letters, the Civil War, the Underground Railroad, and the Old South. It's an interesting mystery, but the plot does hinge on one really HUGE coincidence that I find a bit hard to swallow.</div><br /><div>The books opens with Trixie doing some kind of wish ritual that I had never heard of before. It involves saying "Rabbit, Rabbit" right before going to sleep and just after waking up. I don't know if it's real or if the author made this up. Of course, our girl wishes for another mystery.</div><br /><div>It's summertime at Crabapple Farm. It is also raining, which makes it a perfect day to clean out the attic. Trixie and her mother are going through the mountains of old stuff that seem to multiply in every attic, looking for stuff for a White Elephant Sale, which is like a yard sale, I guess. Trix loses her balance and crashes through a wall, opening up a long-closed crawl space. She finds a old canteen that looks Civil War-Era, and they wonder if they could get anything for it at the White Elephant Sale. ?! 88Keys cringes at the thought of a real Civil War artifact being sold at a yard sale. Trixie also finds a letter in the pocket of some old clothes.</div><br /><br /><div>Trixie, Honey, and Jim read the letter before the Bob-White meeting that afternoon. I won't quote the whole thing, but it is from someone named Ruth and is written to her sister. Mrs. John Sunderland, Croton-on-Hudson. Ruth is in Virginia, at a place called "Rosewood Hall." Ruth writes of tensions between the North and South. She is sending one of their (freed) slaves north along the Underground Railroad with this letter. The letter also mentions an emerald necklace (still hidden at Rosewood Hall). There are instructions on how to find it hidden "in the place where we spent the last afternoon you were here."</div><br /><div> </div><br /><div>The Bob-Whites mull over the letter during the meeting. Trixie is determined to try and find the necklace, even though it is apparently in another state. The others really defer to her in this book, and try to make sure she gets her way and shield her from all disappointment. Trix and Honey bike ride to Croton the next day, and find the only Sunderland listed in the phone book, a Miss Julie. She is very nice, but elderly and scatter-brained. Apparently Ruth was her aunt, and she did indeed go south to get married and never came back to New York. The girls tell her about the letter, and she gives them some old diaries of her father's to look through. She encourages them to try and find the necklace. </div><div> </div><br /><div>At Miss Julie's, the girls also meet Neil, a boy about their age who helps Miss Julie out. Trixie takes an instant dislike to him, just like she did to Dan. Neil seems suspicious of the girls as well. He has dropped out of school because he loves horses and wants to get a job on a ranch. He goes inside, and Trixie and Honey take the diaries and leave.</div><div> </div><br /><div>The diaries are pretty dull reading, but they do reveal that Rosewood is in Clivenden, Virginia. Trix is bummed, until Diana asks if Clivenden is anywhere near Williamsburg. Why yes, yes it is! In an amazing coincidence, Di says her parents are leaving the next day for Williamsburg and had wanted her to go with them, but she begged out of it. She says she will ask her parents if they will take all the Bob-Whites on the trip. Of course, they say yes, and that the trip will be her birthday present. And of course, the Beldens let their kids out of their chores, again. (Chronologically, this is their seventh trip in, like, a year, which you will see in future recaps.)<br /></div><br /><div> </div><br />The group takes a quick tour of Washington and Williamsburg, but of course their minds are on getting to Clivenden. Trixie thinks she sees Neil on the way down, but isn't sure. Mr. Lynch lets Jim drive the group around while he and Mrs. Lynch are doing their business-type stuff. They meet Lizzie James at the post office, who directs them to Rosewood Hall. Unfortunately, all that's left is a ruin and some horses. An unfriendly man who says he owns the place makes them leave.<br /><br />Just down the road they find another old plantation, and this one is intact. It's called "Green Trees," and is owned by Edgar Carver. Green Trees is set up like a little museum, with tours every Thursday. The Bob-Whites tell Mr. Carver about the letter, and he says Ruth was his grandmother. He did sell Rosewood Hall to Jenkins (the nasty man who ran them off), but he still owns Green Trees and the family burial ground. He gives the Bob-Whites permission to hunt for the necklace.<br /><br />Jim and Trixie search the burial vault and find a locket with a picture of Ruth and a little piece of paper with further instructions. This is the place Ruth and her sister spent their last afternoon together? Creepy! Neil catches them and thinks they're robbing the grave. He and Jim fight, Jim wins, and Neil runs off. Trixie has a change of heart about him and thinks he might not be such a bad guy. I have no idea what brought this about; this is the guy she took an "instant dislike" to a few pages ago. She thinks he must have a gentle side, the way he took care of Miss Julie. But also that he is probably trying to find the emeralds, because why else would he have ended up in Virginia?<br /><br />The instructions in the locket say to look in the secret passageway between the two homes, behind the brick marked with an "X." Is it a rule of fiction that every old home has to have a secret passageway? Mr. Carver isn't aware of any passage, but he lets the Bob-Whites look around.<br /><br />The next day, the Bob-Whites find Mr. Carver out of his wheelchair, and with a nasty knock on his head. He doesn't remember what happened and thinks he just fell out of the chair. The Bob-Whites think someone (maybe Jenkins) attacked him. While future doctor Brian hones his bedside manner, Neil shows up and wants to talk to Trixie alone. He has been working for Jenkins on his horse farm, but he says Jenkins is cruel both to him and to the horses. He did tell Jenkins about the necklace, and they have been looking for it together. But now Neil wants to get away from him. Trixie says that the Bob-Whites will help him.<br /><br />Mr. Carver is OK by the next day. His friend Ms. Bates brings by a copy of the plans for the house. Ms. Bates is kind of mouthy and jerky, so I won't talk about her much. Trixie notices that there is some extra space between two of the rooms. It's very clear on the blueprint, but apparently no one has noticed it for the last hundred years. Of course, it's a stairway to the secret tunnel connecting the two houses.<br /><br />They don't find the brick right away, and Jenkins shows up on the final day to say that he has found the necklace. He brings it over to show them and offers to sell it to Mr. Carver, since it's in the family and all. The girls can tell right away that it's just junk jewelry, but they play along. Mr. Carver says he will think about it and Jenkins leaves.<br /><br />Finally, Trixie and Jim find the marked brick in the tunnel. They can hear someone (Jenkins) digging on the other side of the wall. They get the brick out, and there is an old box behind it. The necklace! The group confronts Jenkins, who scrams. Mr. Carver says he will use the money from the necklace to have an operation that should allow him to walk again. Mr. Lynch is going to buy Rosewood Hall and restore it, and Neil will get the job of taking care of the horses. In the end, Trixie helps another poor orphan, makes the lame walk, and continues her jewel-finding streak. Not bad for a few days' work. Still, wasn't this supposed to be <span style="font-style: italic;">Diana's</span> birthday trip, not Trixie's?<br /><br />I'm really sorry for the delay on this. Summer is a busy time around here. I've even been canning tomatoes (just like Trixie!). We are going on vacation at the beginning of September, and I hope to have at least one more recap up before then.88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-41740316409449164122009-06-25T21:30:00.008-05:002009-06-25T21:57:24.348-05:00"You've probably heard of it-The Last Frontier, all that stuff." Norman Tuttle on the Last Frontier<a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v418/88Keys/normantuttle.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 234px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 342px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v418/88Keys/normantuttle.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I found this book at a library sale for $1. It involved a teenaged boy growing up in Alaska with a fisherman for a father. Being the mildly obsessed Deadliest Catch fan that I am, I had to buy it.<br /><br /><em>Norman <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Tuttle</span> on the Last Frontier</em> is written by Tom <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Bodett</span>. Yes, "I'm Tom <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Bodett</span>, and we'll leave the light on for ya." That Tom <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Bodett</span>. Norman <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Tuttle</span> is a thirteen year-old boy growing up in Alaska in, well, I don't know when, but it's a fairly recent book. Norman is the oldest of five children, and yearning to be treated more like an adult and less like his younger siblings. His dad takes him for granted until he falls off of his fishing boat into the chilly Alaskan waters. Dad vows to treat him better after that, and their relationship does improve. Unfortunately, Norman gets his first girlfriend shortly after this, and it's all downhill from there.<br /><br />Each chapter in the book is a short story, so you get these kind of snapshot views of a couple of years in Norman's life. It's that weird time between childhood and adulthood, where suddenly your friends aren't as cool as they used to be, but they're still preferable to your ancient parents. The giddy haze of first love, the gradual growing apart, the heartache after the relationship crashes and burns.... man, I don't miss those days.<br /><br />Norman grows sullen and distant from his family after he and his girlfriend break up. A plot to "rescue" her from a baby-sitting nightmare to make her appreciate him again ends up making things worse. Said girlfriend gets revenge by getting Norman in a lot of trouble with his parents. He's finally sent away for the summer, to live and work on a farm with family friends in Oregon.<br /><br />This book is funny. Like literally laugh-out-loud funny in a lot of places. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Bodett</span> really makes the character of Norman come alive through situational anecdotes and simple language. The stories are poignant without being sappy, and realistic enough to make the point that growing up in Alaska is really no different than growing up anywhere else. I found myself alternately cheering for Norman and wanting to slap him. I found the conclusion a bit disappointing, because I'm not sure that Norman really learns the lessons he needs to learn by the end of the book. But maybe that is the point <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Bodett</span> was trying to make; that the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">awkwardness</span> and mistakes of adolescence can't always be neatly tied up and resolved by the time you become an adult, or by the last page of a novel.<br /><br />I haven't forgotten about Trixie; I'm working on <em>The Mystery of the Emeralds</em> right now. I hope to have it up next week. </div>88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-31492634637991780322009-05-30T15:14:00.008-05:002009-05-30T15:21:31.576-05:00Experimental Nephew: Trixie Belden #8 "The Black Jacket Mystery"<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SiGUDSxmx3I/AAAAAAAAADo/U2aVFY4D5is/s1600-h/trixie%238.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5341713417338537842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 211px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SiGUDSxmx3I/AAAAAAAAADo/U2aVFY4D5is/s320/trixie%238.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br />Sorry this took me so long. It was a challenge to re-cap. I’ll admit that this is not one of my favorite Trixie books, though it is popular with a lot of the fans. It just seems like there is a lot of meanness and distrust throughout the book, and lots of arguing among the Bob-Whites. Dan is kind of a jerk at first (understandably), but so is Trixie. This is also the second of the books written by "Kathryn Kenney" (aka a series of ghostwriters) instead of series creator Julie Campbell, so there is a change in tone.<br /><br />That’s Trixie and Dan on the cover. Yes, Dan is dressed like The Fonz on almost every cover of this book that exists. The black jacket is pretty important to the story, so I guess it’s a good little bit of consistency.<br /><br />This is a winter story, which begins with Trixie hurrying to catch the bus. She has been up late worrying about her pen pals Dolores and Lupe, who live in Mexico. An earthquake destroyed part of their village, including their school’s library. Trixie wants to do something to help them. She comes up with the idea of an “ice carnival” to be held on the Wheeler’s frozen lake. It will involve skating exhibitions, races, prizes, food booths, etc. Patrons will have to bring donations of books to get in. it sounds overly-complicated to me. I mean, why not just have a book drive? I guess they think the carnival will draw more people. The Bob—Whites excitedly make plans throughout the day.<br /><br />When Trixie gets home, she overhears Regan talking to her mother. Something is worrying him and he is asking Mrs. Belden for help. He also says he doesn’t want the “youngsters” to know about it. Trixie manages to tear herself away from eavesdropping, but of course she is curious about what’s going on.<br /><br />Honey comes to spend the weekend with the Beldens while her parents and Jim are out of town. There is a funny scene of the Belden brothers both trying to carry Honey’s suitcase and help her into the house. It surprised me a bit, because it’s generally implied through the series that Brian and Honey like each other, while Mart was more into Diana.<br /><br />The four of them go to Manor House on Saturday for ice skating and horse riding. While looking for one of Bobby’s skates in Regan’s tack room, Trixie accidentally knocks down a box of papers. She sees a legal document with something about a judge “willing to let (Regan) try.” She puts it back quickly, but of course, she doesn’t forget about it. Mysteries literally fall out of the sky and hit her in the head, it seems.<br /><br />Later after they’re done skating, Bobby tells Trixie that he knows a “sec-rud.” (Secret). It involves Regan and Celia and Tom, and it’s a “sperimen.” Trixie and Honey figure out he means “experiment.”<br /><br />The Bob-Whites come up with a Mexican theme for the carnival, since that is where the books are going. There is lots of planning, decorating, gathering donations, selling ads, and making posters that goes on that I won’t get into, because it’s not that exciting. Trixie and Honey manage to convince the boys to do most of the work, anyway.<br /><br />The next Monday, a new kid gets on the bus at the Wheeler’s stop. He’s escorted by Mr. Maypenny, the Wheeler’s game warden. The boy is about Mart’s age, wearing a black leather jacket and cowboy boots. He is not friendly. Trixie decides right away that she doesn’t like him. Later, Mart is assigned to show him around at school. He introduces him as Dan Mangan. Dan is cordial but cool to the Bob-Whites, and ends up going to sit with some other guys from their class. They can hear him bragging to the other kids about being in a “club” who doesn’t let anyone push them around. The Bob-Whites wonder if he was in a gang, since gangs wear cowboy boots and leather jackets (??).<br /><br />Trixie and Honey have several encounters with Dan throughout the next few chapters. Honey usually tries to be nice, and Dan looks like he might warm to her, but then Trixie mouths off to him and spoils it. I get why she finds him annoying, but she doesn’t really give him a chance. Strange things start happening, too. A large wildcat is seen and heard in the preserve. The girls see someone in a black jacket a couple of times, but when they ask Dan, he says it wasn’t him. Honey loses a valuable watch. She thinks it fell of when she was riding. The girls go back to the clearing where they think it might be, but it’s not there. They do find cowboy boot prints around the area. They go to Maypenny’s to find Dan and ask him if he found the watch. Dan says he hasn’t found the watch and was nowhere near the clearing. He gets mad and thinks Trixie is accusing him of stealing.<br /><br />Later at Mr. Lytell’s store, Honey finds her watch. Mr. Lytell says a dark-haired kid in a black jacket pawned the watch earlier that day. Trixie thinks it was Dan, but Honey points out they don’t have actual proof. Unfortunately Regan comes in about this time. He finds out what happened and says that “Dan is an experiment that failed.” He says Dan will be sent away by the end of the week. Dan still denies that he pawned the watch.<br /><br />The Bob-Whites clubhouse is broken into over the night. Someone stole some money they had in there, and walked all over the carnival posters. Muddy tracks are all over them. Cowboy boot tracks, of course. Mart points out that the tracks are bigger than his feet, but Dan wears a smaller size. Also there are cigarette butts in the clubhouse, but Dan doesn’t smoke.<br /><br />The Bob-Whites decide to tell Mr. Maypenny that they no longer suspect Dan, and to invite him to come skate at the lake. But they find Mr. Maypenny hurt. A branch has hit him over the head, knocking him out and gashing his scalp. They take him to his home to doctor him up, but Dan is there. He seems very nervous and mad and tries to get them to leave, practically pushing them out the door. But the boys finally stand up to him and insist on taking care of Mr. Maypenny.<br /><br />Future doctor Brian sews up Mr. Maypenny’s head just like on T.V. (It really does say that). The boys get annoyed with the girls for not really knowing what to do. Dan gets mad at the “rich kids” for being nosy. Like I said, there is lots of fighting in this one. After they yell at each other, as the Bob-Whites finally leave, Trixie knocks Dan’s jacket off the back of a chair. But it’s not Dan’s jacket! It says THE COWHANDS on the back. Tough gang name, there.<br /><br />It turns out that a member of Dan’s old gang has followed Dan to Sleepyside. The guy wants to rob the Wheelers, and he wants Dan to help. He’s the one Trixie and Honey keep seeing in the game preserve, and he’s the one who pawned Honey’s watch and vandalized the clubhouse and hit Mr. Maypenny over the head with a branch. Dan finally stands up to him, even though he’s afraid of him. He even helps Trixie when she and Bobby get lost in the preserve. Bobby has fallen down into some kind of hole/cave thing, and Dan helps get him out and keep the wildcat away until help arrives.<br /><br />It turns out that Dan is actually Regan’s nephew, the son of his now-deceased sister. Dan’s father is dead, too. Regan had brought him to Sleepyside to try and get him to make a fresh start, away from the city and his gang. Trixie explains to her family and Regan how Dan helped Bobby and protected them, and they agree to give him another chance. Trixie even apologizes for using the clues she found to make everyone suspect Dan. Dan softens up a bit, too, and even helps out with the ice carnival, which is a big cheesy success. Dan is voted into the Bob-Whites, and one more makes lucky number seven.<br /><div></div></div>88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-4599099949893832912009-05-08T17:35:00.002-05:002009-05-08T17:36:39.792-05:00Username ChangeI changed my user name to the same name I use pretty much everywhere else on the internet. I was tired of living a double life. Don't freak; it's still me. :)88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-40576633926376227822009-05-05T10:19:00.013-05:002009-05-05T10:47:53.078-05:00Every Family Has a Creepy Uncle: Trixie Belden #4- "The Mysterious Visitor"<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SgBbh7WSKYI/AAAAAAAAADY/91-EUMigr8o/s1600-h/mystvisitor.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332362597231634818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 132px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SgBbh7WSKYI/AAAAAAAAADY/91-EUMigr8o/s200/mystvisitor.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>This is one of my favorite Trixie books, so I apologize in advance that this recap is a bit lengthy. The mystery is good, the characters are, well, in-character, and Trixie and Mart face some actual danger at the end. I cut it down as much as I could, but there is a lot of good stuff here that I didn't want to leave out.</div><br /><div>The cover above is the actual copy I read, but I really love this early cover as well.<br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332362387313115858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 136px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SgBbVtVzwtI/AAAAAAAAADQ/goM-Oz162lw/s200/cover4.jpg" border="0" /><br />It's a scene directly from the book, and I love the "fifties wealthy" decor of the Lynch mansion. :)<br /><br /><div>It’s October now, and school is back in session. Trixie and Honey are getting ready to ride home on the bus and are lamenting an essay they have to write over the weekend. The theme is “how I spend my summer vacation.” How many of us had to write that same essay every fall? School hasn’t changed that much in fifty years, apparently.<br /><br />All of the Bob-Whites are attending high school together. They wear red jackets with “B.W.G.” stitched on the back. This always annoyed me a bit. I don’t have a problem with secret clubs, but it seems kind of jerky to throw it in peoples’ faces and then say “but it’s a <em>secret</em>.”<br /><br />The (secret) Bob-Whites are dedicated to (secretly) helping others, and Honey has found their next victim-er, beneficiary. It’s Diana Lynch. She is the same age as Trixie and Honey, and is described as the prettiest girl in school. She’s sweet and funny, but lately she’s been quiet and withdrawn. Sensitive Honey says she used to be the same way and can tell something is wrong. Trixie feels guilty because she’s known Di for years but didn’t notice. She says Diana’s father made a lot of money very quickly, and they moved from a simple apartment in town to a home that rivals the Manor House out on Glen Road. I know you’re probably rolling your eyes about now at another poor little rich girl, but I can see how that would be a pretty big lifestyle change.<br /><br />Honey and Jim ask Di to spend the weekend with them. She telephones her mother, who gives permission. Mrs. Lynch also says she is sending a car with a suitcase of clothes. This seems reasonable, but Di gets very upset. She refuses to say why, though.<br /><br />The suitcase arrives, and Miss Trask ends up unpacking it because Diana is busy outside. She confides to Trixie that the dresses Di’s mother sent are too grown-up for a thirteen year-old. Miss Trask is worried that Diana will be a bad influence on Honey. (?!) Trix explains that Diana didn’t want the dresses and that Mrs. Lynch just got the wrong idea. But Di overhears them talking and gets upset. (She gets upset a lot in this book). She says she will leave, but Miss Trask manages to smooth things over.<br /><br />After dinner, Di finally confides in the girls after the boys go to the movies. She says she wants to throw a simple Halloween party for her entire class, but her mother wants it to be really formal and elaborate. Honey agrees to have her mother talk to Mrs. Lynch and explain that not everything has to be Camelot all the time. Di is pleased, but is still worried that “Uncle Monty” will ruin everything. Apparently he is Mrs. Lynch’s long-lost brother, who showed up from Arizona after the Lynches made lots of money. How convenient.<br /><br />The Bob-Whites plan what sounds like a pretty fun party. Roasted hot dogs and marshmallows, costumes, games, etc. But, just as she had worried, Uncle Monty does indeed try to ruin everything. He convinces Mrs. Lynch to hire an orchestra, caterers, and expensive decorations as a “surprise” for Di. The Bob-Whites show up to the Lynches early to set up for the party, but find it decked out like Hollywood. Di is upset (again). She thinks Monty is trying to annoy her father enough that he will give him a lot of money to leave. He didn’t have any actual proof that he was Mrs. Lynch’s brother, though he did know a lot about her family and the night she was born. Apparently Mrs. Lynch was adopted, so it is possible that she does have a long-lost sibling.<br /><br />Uncle Monty appears then, dressed as a cowboy. Because he’s a REAL cowboy from a REAL ranch in ARIZONA, see. He calls everybody “podners” and “little lady” and stuff. Ugh. Di tries to tell him that most of the kids don’t know how to dance and that they would rather play the games she had planned, but Monty won’t hear of it. He’s really annoying and sleazy. He asks Honey for a waltz. She uses her power of charm to politely decline, then leads Monty off to the other room to plan a musical quiz game for the guests. (The orchestra plays a few bars of a song, the kids guess, Monty gets to be the M.C.) Honey is awesome.<br /><br />The rest of the Bob-Whites discuss Monty after they leave. Trixie points out that Mrs. Lynch has blue eyes, but Monty’s are brown. She remembers that there is a portrait of Mrs. Lynch’s birth parents in the gallery. If she could see if both her parents had blue eyes, they would know Monty is an imposter. Blue-eyed parents can’t have a brown-eyed child. And while that’s not entirely true (the genetics for eye color are more complicated than that), it’s still good thinking on her part.<br /><br />Later, Honey tells Trixie that Monty overheard them talking and he knows of her plan to look at the portraits. Monty practically glues himself to Trixie’s arm all evening, keeping her busy and away from the gallery. He’s so creepy. Other than that, the party ends up being pretty successful. The other Bob-Whites even start to like Monty a bit. He tells great (though exaggerated) stories about being a “bronco-buster” out West. (Do real bronco-busters even use that word?) They tell Trixie to give it up and stop investigating Monty, because it’s just going to hurt Di’s feelings.<br /><br />Tom Delanoy (the Wheeler’s chauffer) shows up to pick up the kids around midnight. You know, until I started writing these recaps, I had always mentally pronounced Tom’s name as “Delaney.” But know that I write it out, it’s obviously “Del-uh-noy.” Anyway, the kids tell him about the party and ask if he has met Uncle Monty yet. Tom insists that he saw Monty in town at the train station two weeks ago! Monty came up to the car and asked (in an English accent) to be taken to 291 Hawthorne Street. Tom told that it was a private car. Tom has a photographic memory, and he definitely saw Uncle Monty in town before he said he arrived. Tom tells Trixie that Hawthorne Street is basically Skid Row, and that 291 is a bad hotel run by a man named Olyfant. Tom tells Trix to stay away from there. You know she’s not going to listen.<br /><br />Over the weekend, Tom also tells Trixie that Mr. Wheeler has promised the old gatehouse to him and Celia (the maid) to live in after they get married. Apparently Celia moves fast. Didn’t she and Tom just meet in August? The Bob-Whites have been fixing up the gatehouse to use as their clubhouse for a while now, and they’re understandably bummed. Trixie calls Diana to tell her what’s going on, but Di refuses to speak to her. She’s upset about something. <em>Again</em>.<br /><br />Trixie, of course, makes the trip to Hawthorne Street and Olyfant’s Hotel. It’s just as bad as Tom described it, and Trixie has a narrow escape with Olyfant himself. She fast-talks her way out of it. She also sees a personalized match book from the Lynch house in Olyfant’s hand, so the trip isn’t a total loss.<br /><br />Diana finally forgives Trixie a few days later. She says Monty told her that Trixie said some bad things about Diana and her mother at the party. Di is now definitely convinced that Monty is a fake. She says she and Honey asked to see the portraits in the gallery, but someone had slashed them from their frames! Monty said he lost his key to the gallery and that one of the servants or caterers could have taken it and the pictures. Lame.<br /><br />Diana invites Trixie to stay through the weekend so they can keep an eye on Monty. The first night, Trixie checks the veranda fireplace to see if Monty tried to burn the portraits. Canvas is hard to burn. She does find a piece of the portrait in the ashes, and Di’s grandparents do have blue eyes. She also finds Monty. He confronts her about her visit to Hawthorne Street and the portraits. Again, she talks her way out. She says the portraits were probably painted from black and white photos, and Mrs. Lynch probably just requested blue eyes because hers are blue. So they don’t prove anything. But there is no doubt that Monty is on to her now, or that he is shady.<br /><br />The Bob-Whites hold a meeting after school the next day. The girls tell them everything they know about Monty. The boys want to tell Mr. Lynch right away, (which is what they should have done all along!) but Trix says they don’t have proof. She says she will get it by the next day, before Mr. Lynch gives Monty a check and the<em> Robin</em> so he will leave. The boys tell her it’s too dangerous. Mart says he has a plan to get the proof without endangering them, but he won’t say what it is.<br /><br />There is a hilarious bit around the dinner table that night at the Lynches. Mr. Lynch says has indeed given Monty fifty thousand dollars, plus the <em>Robin</em>.<br /><br />“Mr. Lynch said to Di with undisguised joy, ‘Your uncle is driving back to the far, far West tomorrow morning, dear. <em>Early</em> tomorrow morning. So be sure to say goodbye to him this evening.’<br />Staring into her soup, Di said dutifully, ‘Goodbye, Uncle Monty.’”<br /><br />Bwah! Di has a bit of a snarky side sometimes. I love it.<br /><br />Trix knows it’s now or never. She searches both Monty’s room and the <em>Robin</em>. She finds a pistol permit with Monty’s picture, but the name Tileny Britten on it. Of course, Monty catches her right about then. He’s holding said pistol, and he’s not happy. He ties Trixie up and they take off in the trailer, but not before he spills his whole plan to her. Why do the bad guys always do that?<br /><br />Trixie is in real trouble as Monty pulls away from the Lynches in the tow car, with her tied up in the <em>Robin</em> behind him. She starts to cry, but right about then she sees the door to the shower compartment opening. It’s Mart! I love Mart. He unties her and they manage to attract the attention of a local cop who is always stationed at the traffic light on the edge of town. The cop takes them all to the station, where Monty’s plan is revealed for all to hear. Mart had hidden a tape recorder in the <em>Robin</em> just before Trixie came in. He had planned to confront Monty and get him to reveal his plan so that it could be recorded, then come back and get the recorder later. Monty saved him the trouble by spilling his guts to Trixie as he tied her up.<br /><br />As usual, it all works out in the end. Monty goes to jail, Mr. Lynch doesn’t lose his money or the trailer, Mart and Trixie don’t get shot, and Trixie doesn’t get in as much trouble as I think she should. I mean, between the trip to Hawthorne Street and confronting an armed man, that’s pretty risky behavior. Not only is she not really in trouble, Mr. Lynch decides to give her and Mart the <em>Robin</em> as a reward. They agree to give it to Tom and Celia to live in after they get married. The Bob-Whites get to keep the gatehouse for the clubhouse. Diana’s mother sees how unhappy she is and she gets rid of a bunch of the servants they don’t really need. Di will also get paid to help take care of her twin brothers and sisters. And the REAL Uncle Monty has been tracked down! He really does have a ranch in Arizona, and he invites the Bob-Whites to spend Christmas there with him. Two diamonds, a horse, a trailer, a trip to Arizona...what awesome free stuff will Trixie find or be given next? Stay tuned to find out!</div></div>88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-68079956871551653392009-04-19T19:00:00.011-05:002009-04-20T20:20:02.905-05:00"She didn't look like a substitue teacher." Thirteen Ways To Sink a Sub by Jamie GilsonI promised that this blog wouldn't be all about Trixie Belden, and I'm a blogger of my word. A couple of months ago, I found this book at a library sale for $1.00.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326557137292762162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/Seu7frwoHDI/AAAAAAAAADI/Whu3vUTY6es/s320/sub.jpg" border="0" /></p><br /><p></p><br /><p>Squee! Hardback and everything! I loved this book when I was a kid, and it totally holds up now. I read it earlier last week when I was having a bad day, and I was laughing and feeling better by the end.</p>For the first and maybe only time this year, Mr. Starr's fourth-grade class at Stockton Elementary has a substitute teacher. The kids in the class decide to try to "sink" her (i.e.- make her cry). It's boys vs. girls, with the losers having to get kickballs out of the "Spit Pit" (a dirty stairwell full of trash) for the rest of the year.<br /><br />The main character and narrator is a kid named Hobie. The substitute is a young teacher named "Svetlana Ivanovitch." She dresses the part, too, in a traditional Russian outfit. Miss Ivanovitch initially thinks that fourth graders are no different than kindergarteners and treats them accordingly. She quickly re-thinks this when the kids start switching names, sneaking out, and playing tricks on her.<br /><br />I love Gilson's kid characters- they are funny and realistic without being cutesy or condescending. Or too bratty, as would be easy in a situation like the one in the book. Some of the kids do eventually feel bad about what's happening, but no one wants to be the one to stop it. Miss Ivanovitch is also smarter than she first appears to be. It was interesting to read this book as an adult, and one who worked briefly as a substitute teacher. I felt a new sympathy for the poor sub that I didn't feel as a kid.<br /><p>Gilson wrote several books featuring Hobie and the kids of 4B. <em>Double Dog Dare, 4B Goes Wild</em>, and <em>Hobie Hanson You're Weird</em> are the titles that I know involve these kids. Get them if you can find them. I haven't read her other books, but if they're anything like Thirteen Ways To Sink a Sub, they will be good reads.</p><p>Back to Trixie ASAP. <em>Mysterious Visitor</em> is up next! Woohoo!</p>88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-2302595953101484472009-04-04T20:35:00.004-06:002009-04-04T20:44:18.733-06:00Dicks and Dips: Trixie Belden #3 "The Gatehouse Mystery"<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SdgamTXkvGI/AAAAAAAAADA/Xh60foLYWw4/s1600-h/gatehouse%233.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321032205074742370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 207px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SdgamTXkvGI/AAAAAAAAADA/Xh60foLYWw4/s320/gatehouse%233.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/Sdgab7N-VlI/AAAAAAAAAC4/yemVrrMwLhs/s1600-h/gatehouse%233.jpg"></a><br /><br /><div>The word “dick” is used a lot in this book. It was a simpler time, folks. Just so we’re all clear, “dick” is slang for a private detective. A “dip” is a pickpocket.<br /><br />The story opens with Trixie writing a letter to her brothers at camp, even though they’re due home in less than a week. We get a brief recap of the events of the last two books. Summer is winding down, and school will be starting soon. The next day, Trixie, Honey, and Bobby go to explore an old cottage down by Glen Road, on the Manor House property. It apparently used to be the gatehouse for the estate. Bobby promptly falls and cuts his knee. The girls send him to Regan to get patched up, then look to see what he cut himself on. It’s a rock. A very pretty, shiny, very sharp rock. A diamond! I want to be Trixie. She’s found two diamonds in the last few months.<br /><br />The girls theorize as to how the diamond got there, pushed down into the dirt floor. They come up with some wild theories about jewel thieves and hobos and gang wars. The girls go to get shovels and tools to look for more diamonds, but Jim and his father return around that time. Honey wants to give the diamond to them, but Trixie makes her promise not to tell so that they can solve the mystery.<br /><br />The girls don’t find any more treasure, but they do notice scuff marks and heel prints on the cottage floor. Someone has been there recently. Trixie theorizes that a tramp may have stolen the diamond, then dropped in the cottage when they came in to get out of the rain. Whoever it was will probably be back when they realize they’ve dropped the diamond. Honey says she hid it in a secret compartment of her jewelry box. The girls feel as though someone is watching them and listening to them as they talk. They even hear a twig snap outside. Whoever it was is gone. Honey worries that if there really is a diamond thief around, that person might be dangerous. If they heard her talking, they now know the diamond is in her room. I think she has a point. Trix brushes it off, as usual.<br /><br />Over lunch, the girls tell Jim about their plans to be detectives someday. Jim laughs and calls them “Moll Dicks.” I had to look that one up. The only definition I could find for “moll” was a gangster’s girlfriend. And we know “dick” means detective. Also, I think this is a re-print of the very first Trixie edition. In later ones, Jim calls them “Schoolgirl Shamuses.”<br /><br />A new car driven by a young man pulls up about this time. Jim says the guy showed up and helped Regan fix one of their cars. He will be the Wheeler’s new chauffer, pending Mr. Wheeler’s approval tomorrow. There is also a new gardener, Nailor, as the old gardener quit abruptly right around the time the girls found the diamond. Trixie thinks either one of them could have dropped the diamond. She agrees to spend the night with Honey in case one or both of them try to sneak into her room to take it.<br /><br />There is a funny scene of Trix drinking coffee for the first time after dinner to try and keep awake. She’s reduced to tears by how awful it is. Amateur. I love coffee. Anyway, of course she falls asleep, but someone does try to sneak into Honey’s room. Trixie wakes up and yells, which scares him off and wakes up the rest of the house. Whoever it was gets away. Trixie tells Jim she had a nightmare, but he doesn’t buy it. She finally tells him about the diamond. Jim says both Dick and Nailor have good recommendations and couldn’t be suspects.<br /><br />About this time, Trixie’s brothers return from camp early. Introductions are made. Brian is the oldest. He’s sixteen, (I think), and has dark hair and complexion like Mr. Belden. Mart is eleven months older than Trixie, and they look enough alike to be twins. The boys hear all about the diamond and the girls’ suspicions.<br /><br />Trixie thinks Dick is the most likely suspect. The others aren’t sure. Dick is almost sadistically rude to Trixie, even though he is nice to everyone else, even Bobby. He also shows up with a black eye the day after he gets the job, and says he has to go see a doctor for it. He’s gone the whole day. Regan is not pleased. Honey and Jim invite the Beldens to spend the whole weekend, so they can hopefully catch the thief. Lots of swimming, eating, and horseback riding follows. The kids keep tossing around theories based on the clues they have so far. The diamond, the footprints, tire tracks down by the cottage, Dick’s strange behavior. Trixie is convinced he’s guilty, but Jim points out that he had a letter of recommendation from one of Mr. Wheeler’s old friends. Later, Trixie shows Honey how easy it is to forge a signature with some carbon paper. Honey admits that she forgot to get the mail a few days ago, and Dick could have lifted a letter and forged the signature on his recommendation letter.<br /><br />Also during all of this, the gang comes up with the idea to form a secret club. “The Bob-Whites of the Glen” is born. They will use the bob-white whistle Jim taught Trixie and Honey back in book #1 as their signal. And they want to fix up the gatehouse for their clubhouse. They make a rule that all money they use for the repairs must be earned. They come up with various job ideas. Mowing, weeding, gardening, mending. Honey is excited by the opportunity to earn her own money, which is really cool of her. I’m jealous of her mad sewing skills. I’m trying to learn right now, and it’s a slow process.<br /><br />Dick finally comes back from the doctor the next day. Regan promptly puts him to work. Dick does agree to give Jim a driving lesson that afternoon. He seems dead-set on keeping it. After the lesson, Dick comes back alone. He tells them that Jim went into town to get a haircut and something to eat and will meet them at the movies later that evening.<br /><br />As the evening goes on, Trixie gets more and more worried. Jim doesn’t show up at the movies. She takes a cab back to Manor House in time to see someone sneaking into Honey’s room. Suprise suprise, it’s Dick, looking for the diamond. Trixie confronts him but quickly realizes she is alone and no one can hear her if she screams. She keeps Dick talking, hoping to figure a way out. Dick says he knocked Jim out and tied him up in the woods. He snuck back to the house and cut the phone lines. He’s about to knock her out too, when Jim and Regan show up with a hunting rifle. Jim wiggled free from the ropes and called the police from a neighbor’s house. They show up just in time to take Dick (aka “Dapper Dick,” the big New York City pickpocket) to jail. There is a reward for the recovery of the diamond. Regan tells Trixie she must use it to buy Susie (a small black mare) “for Miss Trask.” (Even though Trix will pretty much be riding her and taking care of her all the time). Trixie agrees, and says she will use the money she had been saving for a colt to pay for a new roof for the clubhouse. Oh, and Tom Delanoy becomes the Wheelers new chauffer. He’s a cool guy, and will show up throughout the series. They should have hired him in the first place, and skipped all this nonsense with Dick the Dip.<br /><br />I know I said I wasn’t going to do these recaps in order, but I feel it important to introduce all the main characters before moving on. These early books really do set up the foundation of the rest of the series. So I’ll be doing #4 The Mysterious Visitor next to introduce Diana, then probably skip ahead to #8 to get Dan’s origins. Then we’ll mix it up from there. </div></div>88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-20265820554877888052009-04-01T13:21:00.014-06:002009-04-01T20:10:06.482-06:00Picture TimeI'm almost finished with <em>The Gatehouse Mystery</em> recap, but I wanted to make a seperate post to share something with you all. Illustrations!<br />Of course, after I said I would stick with the oval editions, I had to get the newest edition of #3 because I didn't have it in my collection. Although the covers are new, the publishers have included the old illustrations from the original editions. They're totally vintage and retro and all that.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SdPAfVbXSpI/AAAAAAAAACI/Ej6Kl9FvwmU/s1600-h/bobwhites.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319807229415082642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SdPAfVbXSpI/AAAAAAAAACI/Ej6Kl9FvwmU/s320/bobwhites.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />From left to right: Jim, Honey, Brian, Trixie, Mart. Mart, I love you, but you totally look like Beavis.<br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319810197137430466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 198px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SdPDMFDgl8I/AAAAAAAAACg/H23katCKjok/s200/martbeavis.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319810888210132930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 225px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SdPD0TgFL8I/AAAAAAAAACo/986cUOXx2WI/s320/trixhoney.jpg" border="0" /><br />Honey and Trixie looking for the jewel box. Love Trixie's ginormous swimming skirt.<br /><br /><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319811038425991074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 226px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SdPD9DGVR6I/AAAAAAAAACw/ykGAIv9DgBQ/s320/tomdelaney.jpg" border="0" /></div><div>Trixie and Honey at the movies, talking to Tom Delanoy, who will eventually become the Wheeler's chauffer.<br /></div>These kind of clash with the images I have of the characters in my head, but they were interesting to see nonetheless. I should be finished with the recap in the next few days.<br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SdPCSKjw1iI/AAAAAAAAACY/xO6GHxCAbyQ/s1600-h/beavis2.jpg"></a></div><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SdPCSKjw1iI/AAAAAAAAACY/xO6GHxCAbyQ/s1600-h/beavis2.jpg"></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/SdPCSKjw1iI/AAAAAAAAACY/xO6GHxCAbyQ/s1600-h/beavis2.jpg"></a></div>88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-7981546584470271382009-03-04T10:20:00.009-06:002009-03-15T18:26:08.169-06:00A Word on the EditionsTrixie Belden books have been published and re-published many times throughout the years. Trixie's look usually changes a bit with each new printing.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v418/88Keys/Glossy_3.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 268px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 370px" alt="" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v418/88Keys/Glossy_3.jpg" border="0" /></a> <a>I'm not sure of the exact dates on all of these, but I think this is the first. Notice Trixie's midriff-baring top. Scandalous!</a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><p></p><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v418/88Keys/Deluxe_3.jpg"></a><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 246px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 370px" alt="" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v418/88Keys/Deluxe_3.jpg" border="0" /><br />These are called the "Deluxe" editions, but I see nothing deluxe about them. They're plain and a bit ugly. I have #6 in this edition, and on it, Trixie looks like a scruffy boy in a dress.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v418/88Keys/60s.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 265px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 370px" alt="" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v418/88Keys/60s.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />"Cameo" editions. I think Trixie and Honey look really cute in this one.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v418/88Keys/70s_3.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 243px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 370px" alt="" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v418/88Keys/70s_3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Fans call these the "short and ugly" editions. You can probably tell why. I really don't get this particular cover. What is Trixie looking at? Herself? In a bed, in the mansion? And there is a hand behind her, and everything is purple. Somehow, I don't remember that chapter in the book.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v418/88Keys/2003.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 242px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 370px" alt="" src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v418/88Keys/2003.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br />The newest editions, released in 2003. Trixie looks very modern and cute, but it just doesn't seem quite right to me. She's almost too pretty.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Though fans like to debate over which covers are the best, in this blog, you will be seeing the oval editions unless I can't find a good picture of them. These are the ones my older cousins had, and the ones I read when I was young. In fact, they're the only editions I've ever read. This is what Trixie looks like to me (except with normal flesh tones). She and all the Bob-Whites are firmly rooted in the 60's in my mind. I may post a few of the other covers just for comparison's sake, or to make fun of them. :)<br /><br />With all that said, I will admit that some of the older covers are really intricate and have a lot of cool pictures and details. Some of the older editions have illustrations that the oval paperbacks don't have. You can check them out here. http://trixie-belden.com/books/editions.htm<br /><br />Still working on <em>The Red Trailer Mystery </em>recap, but it shouldn't be too much longer. I got a bit distracted because my husband gave me <br /><em>Watchmen</em> to read. I never read graphic novels, but I have to admit that one is pretty good.88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5887611976174504593.post-84159847545670313662009-03-04T09:50:00.023-06:002009-04-04T20:44:49.662-06:00On The Road Again: Trixie Belden #2 "The Red Trailer Mystery"<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/Sb2bEb1OBbI/AAAAAAAAACA/kwZyVAYhTBA/s1600-h/trix%232.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313573635859809714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_3eJmgs6BSuQ/Sb2bEb1OBbI/AAAAAAAAACA/kwZyVAYhTBA/s320/trix%232.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Do you remember the 50's? When people freely roamed the country in RV's and campers? Some even lived in their trailers permanently. Rest stops and RV parks didn't conjure up images of scary transients and shady drug deals like they do today. Oh, and trailers didn't come equipped with televisions and air conditioners and posturpedic mattresses. Those were the days.<br /><br /><em>The Red Trailer Mystery,</em> Trixie, Honey, and Miss Trask set off to track and find Jim to tell him about his inheritance. They take the Wheelers camper,<br />the <em>Silver Swan</em>. You will notice that the trailer on the cover is not the <em>Silver Swan</em>, but The <em>Robin. The Robin</em> will become a permanent fixture in later books.<br /><br />This book is all about travelling, tracking, seeking, and finding. The characters (Trixie and Honey, Jim, the Darnells, Jeff the Waiter, and the bushy-haired man) kind of intertwine throughout. They keep ending up in the same places at the same time. It comes off as kind of coincidental, but I guess the area they are travelling in isn't really that big. It makes for an intricate, if mildly confusing, plot.<br /><br />Trixie, Honey, and Miss Trask get off to a late start, so they first stop at a campsite in Poughkeepsie for the night. They're ultimately heading for a place called Autoville, which is like a mini-village for RV's. It has a restaurant, pool, stables, the works. From there, they can ride out to the four camps that Jim might possibly be working at. In Poughkeepsie, the <em>Swan</em> ends up parked next to large expensive-looking red trailer. It's The <em>Robin!</em> This doesn't mean much to the girls at the time, but I'm already looking forward to its re-appearance in <em>The Mysterious Visitor.</em><br /><br />Ahem. Anyway, the girls notice that the occupants of The <em>Robin</em> have the shades pulled already, even though it's early in the evening. They let the dogs out, and a little girl comes out of the red trailer and picks up Bud. Her name is Sally, and she wants to keep Bud. Her mother and siblings come out of the trailer. Mom wants Sally to go back inside and leave the puppy with Honey. She seems afraid to have anyone see them. The girls note the frayed and worn condition of the family's clothes, and how sick and half-starved they look. There is an eleven year-old girl, Joanne, with them. About this time, the family's father appears and makes them all go back in the trailer. He has bushy black hair and a bushy black beard. Take note, reader- you will hear a lot about bushy hair in this book.<br /><br />During the night, Trixie hears voices coming from the red trailer. The woman (Sarah) and man (Darney) are arguing. He says "it has to be this way" and that his family is turning against him. Sarah says he "has to take it back." After the argument ceases, Trixie hears the man sobbing.<br /><br />In the morning, the girls and Miss Trask go to eat breakfast. They leave the dogs in the trailer, but Buddy is gone when they get back. They can't find him and eventually have to leave for Autoville. The way the dogs are treated in this book annoys me. They let them out to run around in a strange place, no chains or leashes, and then go off and leave them when they can't find them. Maybe it's just me; I mean, my dog would be gone for good if I let him off the leash in the woods.<br /><br />When they stop for lunch, the girls are surprised to see The <em>Robin</em> is also parked there. Joanne shows up and brings Buddy back to Honey. Apparently, Sally climbed into the <em>Swan</em> and took him. Kind-hearted Honey offers to let Sally keep the dog, but Joanne says they couldn't afford to feed him. She runs off into the woods, crying. Before they leave, Joanne's father comes up and asks the girls if they have seen her. They tell Mr. Darnell about Joanne running into the woods. The father indicates that she ran away on purpose. <em>The family goes ahead and leaves!</em> Dogs, kids- everyone gets left in this book!<br /><br />The<em>Swan</em> reaches Autoville before dark. There are two state troopers there, asking if they've seen a big red trailer. There have apparently been a rash of trailer thefts in the area. Plot point! Miss Trask says they did see a red trailer, but the girls point out that the driver had his family with him, so it probably wasn't stolen.<br /><br />They have dinner in the Autoville restaurant. A waiter gets really, REALLY mad at Trixie for bumping into him and making him drop some dishes. He gets in trouble with his manager, and the waiter (Jeff) tells Trixie she will pay for it. Later, the girls hear and see Jeff talking to a bushy-haired man about "switching jobs." They cannot tell if the man is Joanne's father or not, but he looks similar.<br /><br />The girls make several horseback trips to the local camps, but Jim isn't at any of them. He has stopped by asking for work, though, and he's apparently on a bicycle now. On the way back to Autoville, the girls find a van hidden in the woods. The girls think the van was probably used to haul away loot from the trailer robberies.<br />That evening, the girls hear Jeff and the bushy-haired man talking again. It involves hiding something in an old barn and orchard. Trixie also realized by watching Jeff in the restaurant that he eavesdrops on the customers' conversations. That's how he figures out where they're going and what they have with them.<br /><br />On another ride, the girls notice an old barn and orchard, just like Jeff had talked about the night before. During the ride, the horses get spooked and run off, which gets the girls lost. They end up at a farmhouse owned by the Smith's. Kind-hearted Mrs. Smith brings them inside for lemonade and cookies. She's a chatterbox who calls everyone "lamb", and she tells the girls all about how they need help on the farm bringing in their bean crop. Luckily, a bushy-haired man and his family had happened by the day before and the Smiths hired him. The girls are sure it's the Darnells. Oh, and Mrs. Smith cut his hair so he wouldn't get too hot, so we now know Mr. Darnell isn't the Bushy Haired Man (or BHM) the girls heard talking with Jeff. They don't tell Mrs. Smith about the stolen trailer.<br /><br />Trixie feels guilty, so she goes back the next morning to warn the Smiths about the possibly stolen trailer. She finds Mrs. Smith in tears. The Darnells apparently took off abruptly, after the girls had stopped by the day before. Mrs. Smith can't find her locket, either, and she thinks the Darnells "borrowed" it, like the trailer.<br /><br />Later, Trixie and Honey come back to investigate the barn. They find the locket in a crow's nest (it's a long story), so they return it. Mrs. Smith is very happy, and she also says two boys showed up looking for work after Trixie left that morning. They're out picking beans right now. The girls go to the barn and find what is apparently the loot from the stolen trailers (TV's, radios, appliances, etc). They hide in the loft as two men come in. It's BHM and Jeff. In true dumb-crook fashion, the two lay out their entire scheme as the girls listen upstairs. They also say that someone let the air out of their tires in the woods, and that they caught a husky red-haired boy up in the barn loft the day before. Jim! Jim is repeatedly referred to as "husky" in this book. I always though of him as a farm boy type, lean and muscular. Maybe "husky" meant something different back then.<br /><br />The crooks argue. BHM is about to double-cross Jeff when Honey sneezes. BHM climbs up and threatens to kidnap the girls and hole them for ransom. Trixie stays calm and tries to talk him down. BHM speculates that maybe the girls and Jim are part of a teenage gang of thieves. Honey tries to go gansta and shouts "This is our territory, see? Scram out of it, big boy, or you'll get hurt!" LOL!!!<br /><br />Thankfully, the police arrive around this time. Someone had placed an anonymous call telling them of the thieves location. It wasn't Jim; it was a man's voice on the phone. The girls are remarkably calm after all this goes down.<br /><br />Let's see- I need to wrap this up. The girls finally figure out that the "two boys" who are working at the Smith's are actually Jim and Joanne. They are reunited with Jim and tell him about the half-million dollars. The Darnells are reunited with Joanne. Mr. Darnell was the one who called the cops, and they're grateful for his help and let him off easy. Apparenly the Darnells are from Sleepyside, but they had fallen on hard times and "borrowed" the <em>Robin</em>. It belongs to Mr. Lynch, who said they are welcome to use it as long as they need to. Mrs. Smith says they must stay there and live with her, after they return the trailer. Honey gives Bud to Sally to keep, which is sweet of her. Back at Autoville, the Wheelers and Mr. Rainsford have arrived. Apparently, Mr. Wheeler knew Jim's father in school. They want Jim to come and live with them and will eventually adopt him. So it's a very sticky, sweet, happy, wholesome ending. Trixie even says "sometimes dreams DO come true." Gag.<br /><br />Coming soon- #3 <em>The Gatehouse Mystery</em> Thanks for stopping by!88Keyshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05542364929501596043noreply@blogger.com0