The Secret of the Mansion

At first I was really annoyed with Trixie because of her attitude. At her age I was not able to do the things that she has done - and have the attitude that she has. But by the end of the book I really liked her. She turned out to be kind and caring and very resourceful. The snake bite incident with her little brother comes to mind. Because of how much I enjoyed Vol 1 - I will be getting at least one more book.

I read a number of these books when I was a kid around the age that my daughter is now. So I got her one, and didn't pay retail. It's like I won something! I find it amusing that they updated the book artwork to make Trixie more "attractive", which was kinda counter to how Trixie was always described.

Books about Trixie Belden are similar to Nancy Drew, but better. Here are several reasons: 1. Trixie is not grown-up. She's closer to your daughter's age. 2. The books are longer. It may be easier for a kid to read a short book, but she will be more impressed with herself if she read a long story. 3. There are more pictures. Not that your kid needs a picture book; it's just that this will put a better picture in her head. 4. You get right down to the mystery. 5. There are not as many books as Nancy Drew. You wouldn't feel (as) pressured to read them all. Not that Nancy Drew is bad; I enjoy these more.

For years now, I have read Nancy Drew, but one day I was browsing through Barnes and Noble and Trixie Belden caught my eye. I read the back cover and thought it looked really good read. After reading the back cover, I wanted to know more, so I read the first couple of pages. The first sentence hit home for me, saying "Oh Moms, I'll just die if I don't have a horse." I thought, "Hey! This book has everything! Horses, (since I'm obsessed with horses) mystery, and Trixie sounds just like me!" I begged my mom to let me buy it, and started reading it that night. I was hooked from the first page. Trixie is just like me- the same age (13), personality, and sense of adventure. Except for the blond hair, we were practically identical! (That definitly helped in the whole intrugue of the book.) Every chapter that I read I was more and more excited about this book. I couldn't stop reading because I wanted to find out what happened in the end so badly! It was addicting. Here's basically happens: This book is about Trixie Belden, a thirteen year old girl who lives in a small town called Sleepyside, New York on the Hudson River, about thirty miles north of NYC. It's summer, and Trixie is bored to death, having her two older brothers Brian and Mart away at camp working as junior counselors. The only person left to play with now is her five year old brother, Bobby. Then all of that changes when a girl her age moves in to the Manor House up the hill. Seeing horses, Trixie immediatly runs up the hill to meet the new girl in the manor house. Who she meets doesn't exactly meet her expectations. Honey Wheeler is a shy, thin, pale girl who had just gotten over a long illness, leaving her over-cautious and nervous. Trixie's first impressions of her are that she's just another stuck-up, snobby, rich girl. But that changes almost overnight when they go riding, hoping to explore the old mansion up the hill. A strange, old Mr. Frayne had been living in it alone for as long as Trixie could remember, and early that day had been suddenly vacated when he was found unconscious in his driveway by Mr. Belden on his way to work. The doctors had said that he was suffering from pneumonia complicated with malnutrition, and say he won't pull through. That left Trixie and Honey a perfect chance to explore the mansion, said to have been loaded with a treasure of a half million dollars hidden somewhere in it. But a perfect chance goes awry when they find a headstrong, red-headed orphan boy sleeping in the mansion! One thing leads to another, and Trixie and Honey's summer is quickly engulfed with the mystery of the mansion. Read the rest to find out what happens to the mansion, Trixie and Honey's friendship, the fortune, and all the other happenings in the book! I read this book the first time in December, and I'm still as addicted to them today as I was the first time I read this. I've read all of the ones that are in print countless times, and now I'm agonizing over the month a

Trixie Belden is a sleuth who is impatient, spunky, and hates to do housework - I love her! Not quite 30 years old, I have loved this little-known teen detective since I "discovered" her on my sister's bookshelf when I was 8 years old. Since that time, I have read and re-read these wonderful books for the last two decades. Kids, if you want to read a book that is funny, smart, and has some spooky mysteries, this is a great series for you. Parents, if you want your kids not only to READ, but LOVE to read, get them hooked on these books. I am an English teacher, and I will swear up and down that these books, with their spunky characters and engaging plots, are not only a joy to read, but are informative. My vocabulary increased by trying to keep up with Mart Belden, Trixie's older brother, and as a child I didn't realize it, but I learned a ton from reading these great books. A voracious reader who adores authors from Shakespeare to Agatha Christie, Harper Lee to Elizabeth Peters, I still pull these charming mysteries off my bookshelf to go back to Crabapple Farm to solve mysteries with Trixie and Honey.

Thirteen year old Trixie Belden is convinced that this summer will be long and boring. With her older brothers at camp, she'll only have her parents and younger brother for companionship.But then a family with a girl her age move into the house next door. Even better, Honey's family has horses. When they go over to explore the mansion of Old Man Frayne, they discover his great nephew Jim. Jim has just run away from a cruel step-father. With Mr. Frayne sick in the hospital, they start looking for the treasure rumored to be hidden in the old house somewhere. Can they find it? Will Jim's step father catch up with him?This is the first book in the Trixie Belden series. I discovered the series when I was in jr. high, and 16 years later, I still love it. The characters are real, with strengths and weaknesses. Heck, Trixie even gets mad at her friends and family upon occasion. I was drawn to these books because of the friendships displayed, and I used to dream about being part of the group.This book introduces only three of the series main characters. Trixie and Honey are not themselves at first, but by the end of the book, they are already acting more like themselves. Their characters show the best of what can happen when you pick up on a friend's strengths. Trixie goes from selfish and whiney to thinking about others and being grateful for what she has. Being around tomboyish Trixie helps Honey get over her fears and start to do more things she's always wanted to do but been too afraid to try. While I find the characters a little annoying at first, they are very true to their ages and the changes are believable.The storyline in this book never lets up either, with lots of stuff going on to keep anyone entertained. When I read this book the first time, I knew (or thought I knew) the outcome, but there was so much going on I was entertained the entire way through. The best part is the cliffhanger ending. You'll definitely want to have the second book ready to go.Originally written in 1948, this new edition retains the original text and inside illustrations. While some of the references show their age, I didn't pick up on them as a kid (in the 80's), and I'm sure today's kids will be so entranced by the story that they won't notice some of the out dated words.This series is filled with wonderfully real characters and fun stories. Don't miss this chance to make a new lifelong friend.

The Trixie Belden series, of which this book is the beginning, is something that I haul out every year and reread. I'm 48 years old--that's a lot of rereading, considering I read them the first time when I was 10! I still have my beat-up Whitman hardbacks of the first 6, with Mary Stevens' wonderful illustrations, and I guard them jealously! My daughter, who is grown now, read them with enjoyment, but the big surprise is that my son loved them even more than she did. Everyone who says that their daughters enjoy these books should introduce their sons to them--the male characters, Mart, Brian, and Jim, are great role-models and my son identified with them a great deal. My children and I all remember and quote parts of these books to each other from time to time. I learned a lot of vocabulary from them, and I think I developed my sense of humor directly from these books as well. I echo everyone here who has lamented the fact that they are out of print. Reissue them!

This book is a wonderful introduction to a great series of books for young girls. I read the first six when I was 10 years old, and I fell in love with Trixie and her friends. Those stories were written by Julie Campbell in the 1950's and republished in the 1960's. Kathryn Kenny took over with book seven in the late '60's. Readers will notice a change in Trixie's personality and in the focus of the stories. Kenny introduces more of the history of the Hudson River Valley, and includes more facts and less of the banter and teasing that made me so fond of the original books. However, the books which Kenny continued writing into the '70's and the '80's, which I bought for my daughter, are entertaining, if not quite as much fun as the original six. The Red Trailer Mystery, the sequal to the Secret of the Mansion, is also a must to read for anyone who wants to get the full story of how Jim came to be Honey's adopted brother, The Gatehouse Mystery explains the formation of the Bob White club, The Mysterious Visitor chronicles the advent of Diana Lynch into the group. Book five, The Mystery Off Glen Road is a personal favorite of mine, an absolutely hilarious book telling of Trixie's attempts to become a 'lady', not to impress Jim, but for such convoluted reasons that she has her entire family in an uproar. I hope that like the Nancy Drew mysteries, some publisher who knows a good thing when he sees it, will update the Trixie Belden books and republish them for the next generation. I would hate to see this series that has brought so much pleasure and happiness to so many girls be lost forever.