Mandie and the Holiday Surprise

Mandie #11

by Lois Gladys Leppard

Mandie trys to solve a holiday mystery

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Christian, Fiction, Childrens, Christian Fiction, Young Adult

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1988

About the author

Lois Gladys Leppard was the author of the Mandie series of children's novels. Leppard wrote her first Mandie story when she was only eleven and a half years old, but did not become a professional author until she was an adult. Leppard has also worked as a professional singer, actress, and playwright. At one time, she and her two sisters, Sybil and Louise, formed a singing group called the Larke Sisters.
There are forty Mandie books in the main series, an eight-book junior series and several other titles. Leppard said that she could write a Mandie book in two weeks, barring any interruptions.
The eponymous heroine lives in North Carolina in the early 1900s, encountering adventure and solving mysteries with help from her friends, family, and pet cat, Snowball. These young reader novels are meant to teach morals as well as be fun and captivating stories to read. Leppard stated that her books contain "nothing occult or vulgar", and Mandie is depicted as a faithful Christian. The Mandie books often deal with issues of discrimination and prejudice relating to race (particularly with regard to the local Cherokee), class, and disability.
Lois Gladys Leppard based some of the incidents in her Mandie books on her mother's experiences growing up in North Carolina. The dedication in the first book is: "For My Mother, Bessie A. Wilson Leppard, and In Memory of Her Sister, Lillie Margaret Ann Wilson Frady, Orphans of North Carolina Who Outgrew the Sufferings of Childhood".

Reviews

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 3 out of 5]

About this book:

“Something's not quite right at home--could Mandie's mother and stepfather be keeping an important Christmas secret?”


Series: Book #11 in “Mandie” series. (To read the reviews of the previous books in this series, click the number to be taken to that review: #1! #2! #3! #4! #5! #6! #7! #8! #9! #10!) {There also is the “Young Mandie Mystery” series, (Book #1 review Here and Book #2 review Here!) but they do not connect together well}



Spiritual Content- John 13:34 at the beginning; Thanking the Lord along with Prayers; Talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; A few Scriptures are read, discussed and prayed; Christmas; Church going; Uncle Ned refers to Heaven as “happy hunting ground”; A couple mentions of a play about the first Christmas; A mention of Bible reading;
*Note: A couple mentions of ghosts.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a ‘stupid’ and two ‘shucks’s; Jealousy.


Sexual Content- Mentions of crushes; Mentions of Joe & Mandie marrying when they’re older; Aunt Lou calls Joe Mandie’s boyfriend.

-Amanda “Mandie” Shaw, age 12
P.O.V. of Mandie
Set in 1900
160 pages (also available in a collection with four other Mandie books.)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
New Teens- Four Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars
{Ratings are lowered as ages get higher due to the simple plot.}
Ohhh, I remember this one! Mandie isn’t my favorite in this one. She’s very jealous and kind of a brat, to be honest. It still has the mystery aspect of a true Mandie book and quite a bit of Spiritual Content, which is nice. :)

*See my thought on this series versus the younger series, Here!


Link to review:
http://booksforchristiangirls.blogspo...


*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Ashlyn Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of my FAVORITE series as a little girl! I think it’s been 15 years since I read them. I remember this one not being my favorite since it wasn’t a big mystery, but still liking it cause it’s a Christmas special. What a wonderful nostalgic read, I’ll have to reread more of the series!

[Telisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christmas surprise is Mandi is going to be a big sister!

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book feels largely unnecessary. The biggest drama is that Mandie’s mother and step father may not make it back by Christmas due to a snow storm.

While Mandie feels spoiled here, it is her first Christmas with either parent and there’s little to no exploration of her feelings of abandonment. I guess the 1900 of it all is on display because everyone’s attitude is “get over it.”

To fill pages the gifts Mandie has wrapped keep disappearing and reappearing and it’s a HUGE mystery who it could be when it’s quite obvious.

The surprise is fairly easy to guess if you have any idea what newly married couples tend to do.

Also Mandie gets a personal invite from the President and no one in her family seems impressed or willing to take her to Washington so this whole volume is peak WTF.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Mandie and the Holiday Surprise
Author: Lois Gladys Leppard
Series: Mandie, 11
Format: ebook, bind-up
Length: N/A
Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis: Something's not quite right at home--could Mandie's mother and stepfather be keeping an important Christmas secret?

Favourite character: N/A
Least favourite character: Mandie

Mini-review: Mandie was insufferable in this book. She was selfish, bratty and idiotic. Plus the author overused my least favourite way to explain past plots via Mandie and Joe talking about it in conversation.
The entire plot rides on two things: 1) the delay of Mandie and Joe's parents (understandable) and 2) Mandie making the same dumb decisions over and over again (unforgivable).
So basically Mandie wraps her presents (half red, half green) and puts them under the tree. Someone steals half of the presents (all the red ones) then returns them a day later with the wrapping paper all a mess. So instead of locking them and the ones under the tree away until Christmas, she rewraps them and puts them back under the tree. And she does this TWO OTHER TIMES before Joe's like "dude, stop, lock them up." Mandie should've been smarter, but this book needed a plot and apparently it was this.

Fan Cast:
Amanda "Mandie" Shaw - Emma Rayne Lyle
Joe Woodard - Louis Hynes
Celia Hamilton - Sadie Sink
Grandmother Taft - Meryl Streep
Liza - Genneya Walton
Jason Bond - C. Thomas Howell
Miss Prudence Heathwood - Mary Steenburgen
Miss Hope Heathwood - Patricia Heaton
Mr. Chadwick - Kevin Sorbo
Thomas "Tommy" Patton - Asher Angel
Robert Rogers - Kyle Red Silverstein
Elizabeth Shaw - Malin Akerman
John Shaw - Robert Downey Jr.
Dr. Woodard - Gideon Emery
Mrs. Woodard - Danica McKellar
Uncle Ned Sweetwater - Zahn McClarnon

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mysterious things are happening at the Shaw house. Mandie's Christmas gifts go missing and there are strange footprints in the snow. Then her mother told her that she has a big surprise for Mandie. Even though everyone else seems to know what it is they refuse to tell her. When Mandie finds out on Christmas Day she is upset and angry. Somehow she has to find the grace to accept the change that will come to her life.

[Josiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good read. If you are looking for mystery, it is not in this book. This is more of a “get to know Mandie and her friends” book. While the author tries to put a mystery in it, it is predictable and kind of cheesy. Overall, I would read this but don’t read it as your first Mandie book.

[Abby (Hersh.) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this Mandie book. It is very interesting, but a bit predictable. It's a nice book.

[Dayna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this one cause at the very end it leaves you at a cliff hanger and then you want to jump right to the next book and that ones Really good!

[Meg Noel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't read it again.

[Marley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Christmas specials are awesome in most series and this is no exception

[Theresa Lange · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

[wanderer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit it: I am reviewing these books years after reading them. However, do not even suggest that I'm no longer qualified, that too many years have passed to remember. My battered and faded copies of these books testify to how many times I read them growing up and plots and entire passages are seared in my memory forever.

Snowball always ran away, Mandie always got in trouble, Uncle Ned always rescued her, and Joe and Tommy bristled at each other. I myself preferred Joe, but Tommy's cosmopolitan airs nearly tipped the balance a time or two. I recall- fondly and as though it were yesterday- my glee when Mandie went off to Europe, my disgust at the new baby, my delight in Mandie's wardrobe of sky blue frocks, my puzzlement at all her near escapes and handy school vacations, my terror during the daring midnight adventures. Ah me, to be young and silly again...

If I had written goodreads reviews at the age of eleven, all Mandie books would've received automatic five-star ratings and gushing descriptions. As an adult, I will honestly give them all three stars, except for my special pets. And if I ever have a little girl, I will buy her the entire set. Oh, and did you know there are more than forty books in the series by now? And I'm guessing Mandie never grows up, either.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but it wasn't my favorite of this series. I appreciated how there was a little bit of a mystery, but it wasn't that exciting for me. It was kind of a bland book to me because nothing really big happened. The surprise will play a bigger part in future books, but it didn't really play a part in this book.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mandie books are fun Christian mysteries for children, but I still love reading them. Even though she doesn't age very quickly and seems to get far too many breaks from school during the year, she's a lot of fun.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I really enjoy the Mandie series, I thought that this book was a little less well written the its predecessors.

[Kristy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actually this is the only Mandy book I ever read. It was okay, but never one of my favorites.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for Christmas. Well done!

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved it Sooooo much you should really read it.

[JL]

5%

[Partridge Public]

Leppard, Lois G. PB

[Cws]

JMAR5-Lep

[Caitlin]

Mind's mother, Elizabeth, has a big Christmas surprise! What will Mandie do with the news?