The Gatehouse Mystery

Trixie Belden and Honey Wheeler find a diamond in the abandoned gatehouse at the edge of the Wheelers' property, but someone is trying to get it back. Meanwhile, Trixie's brothers Brian and Mart have returned from camp, meeting Honey and her brother Jim for the first time, so the secret Bob-Whites of the Glen club is ripe for formation.As much trouble as the girls get into, the adults still come off as helpful and intelligent, unlike many other YA mystery series (or even the Harry Potter books).Usually I prefer the Deluxe edition from the 1960s with covers illustrated by Paul Frame, but for this one, check out the edition illustrated by Mary Stevens. One picture shows Trixie and Honey doing some pruning -- with Trixie looking remarkably like Beavis of MTV fame -- and a charming Ashley Judd look-alike picture of Trixie greeting Mart. This book also features the memorable line by Regan, the Wheeler's beloved young groom, "Reach for the ceiling, Laughing-Boy."

This book must be one of my favorites in the serice. Its about a girl named trixie belden who`s life ambition is to be a detective. Her best friend shares that will her. When Trixie`s yongest brother trips and falls one something sharpe trixie and honey look for what might Bobby might of fallen on trixie finds something that look like a dimond only to find out that it is a real one!! Well knowing trixie she has to find out where the dimond came from. This book is a great book whith humore and much more that you can imagan a teenage book might have. Julie Campbell created a great book and serice. THIS IS A MUST READ.

It doesn't matter which title you choose to read (although you should try to read them in sequence) all the Trixie Belden books are wonderful reading material. Trixie comes from a family with values and she's down to earth. She has two older brothers that tease her and a little brother she takes care of. Her escapades could readily be done by the reader and every character in the books becomes "real" to the reader. The stories are engaging and always a mystery to the end. I read these books when I was ten, 43 years ago and I believe if I sat down with one today I would enjoy it still. I made my son read all of them!

I started reading the Trixie Belden books when I was 9. 21 years later, I still have the first 36. At that time I thought that they were brand new! This was the first that I read, and it's always been my favorite. One of the things I enjoy most about this series is the way that all of the characters are developed, both primary and secondary. Not only do you have a good understanding of the main characters' personalities, but you also get to know and understand the other characters. The series also focuses on qualities that are missing in many of today's novels: friendship, honesty, values, responsibility, and hard work. They also deal with issues that are a reality in children's lives: friends, siblings, parents, hobbies, school, etc. This book does an excellent job at highlighting the strong friendships that develop between Trixie, her brothers, Honey, and Jim, while at the same time giving you a good mystery! I believe that this is one of the finest written books in the series, in that it seamlessly weaves together the developing mystery along with the growing friendships, while introducing the new characters of Brian and Mart in person. The climax never fails to excite me, even after reading 15 times! I strongly agree with other reviewers that this series should be re-published for today's youth.

This was the best book after The Mystery of The Mansion. The ending made you want to read the next one to see if Tom and Celia really got married or not.