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Trixie Belden #32
Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Whispering Witch
Trixie and Honey make friends with a new girl in town who lives at a mansion that is supposedly haunted by a witch's ghost. After the girls witness some "ghostly" activity, their new friend confesses she believes she is possessed by the witch's ghost. Trixie becomes determined to help the troubled girl and discover the truth about the Whispering Witch.
210 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1980
7 people are currently reading
509 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Kenny
50 books98 followersThe Kathryn Kenny pseudonym was created by Western Publishing House in 1961, three years after Julie Campbell wrote her last book (#6) of the Trixie Belden series. There were several ghost writers who wrote Trixie Belden stories under this pseudonym. Some have been identified and later credited but some are still unknown.
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http://www.trixie-belden.com/books/Ka...
The Kathryn Kenny pseudonym was born in 1961, three years after Campbell wrote her last book of the Trixie Belden series. Did it take Western Publishing several years to find a suitable author? The answer is unknown and the identity of the authors of the 33 Kathryn Kenny books are not known for sure but there is some information about the ghost writers.
Nicolete Meredith Stack
Nicolete Meredith StackStack is thought to be the first author to tackle the Trixie Belden series, although there is much debate about which books were actually written by her. She was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1896 but lived in Webster Groves in St. Louis, Missouri for most of her adult life. Stack wrote other children's books under her own name and various pen names, including the Robin Kane series by Eileen Hill for Whitman between 1966 and 1971.
Stack is said to have written five books in the Trixie Belden series between 1961 and 1971, but Who's Who in the Midwest claims that she wrote eight titles between 1961 and 1966. There were eight Trixie Belden titles published between 1961 and 1966, but it is doubtful that she wrote them all.
James Keeline in his article, Trixie Belden "Schoolgirl Shamus", believes that books 7, 9 and 16 can be attributed to Stack but there are others that may have been written by her.
Virginia McDonnell
Virginia Bleecher McDonnell was born in 1917 and was a registered nurse who trained at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York. McDonnell wrote the Nurses Three series from 1963 to 1965 using the pen name Jean Kirby, and the Kim Aldrich series as Jinny McDonnell, both for Whitman. She is also wrote volume six of The Waltons.
McDonnell and her husband were avid skiiers and many of her books featured details of nursing or skiing. It seems likely that she wrote three Trixie Belden books, The Mystery of Cobbett's Island (1964), The Mystery of the Emeralds (1965) and The Mystery of Mead's Mountain (1978). Skiing is mentioned early in The Mystery of Cobbett's Island, although this is not the theme of the book.
McDonnell also wrote another book called Country Agent that has a number of similarities with The Mystery at Happy Valley, although her book was published in 1968. Read a review of this book, and see what you think.
There is little biographical information available on McDonnell, but the three books attributed to her are three of the most widely loved books in the Trixie Belden series.
Gladys Baker Bond
Gladys Baker BondGladys Baker Bond was born in Berryville, Arkansas on the 7th of May, 1912. On September 2, 1934, she married Floyd James Bond and had one son, Nicholas Peter. Bond's childhood years were spent in the Ozarks of Arkansas. She lived in Idaho and Washington all her adult life and was an officer of the Idaho Writers League between 1952-54.
Bond's books for children cover a wide range of subjects and are often autobiographical. Mrs. Bond wrote under the pseudonymns, Jo Mendel (The Tucker series) and Holly Beth Walker (the Meg series), as well as her own name. She also wrote volume five of The Waltons.
She is credited with writing The Mystery of the Uninvited Guest (1977), The Mystery of the Castaway Children (1978), and The Sasquatch Mystery (1979). However, with her childhood spent in the Ozarks, she could be the author of The Mystery at Bob-White Cave (1963).
Carl Henry Rathjen
Carl Henry RathjenRathjen was born on the 28th of August 1909 in Jersey City, New Jersey and died in 1984. His ambition was to become a mechanical engineer, but when things didn't go
***
http://www.trixie-belden.com/books/Ka...
The Kathryn Kenny pseudonym was born in 1961, three years after Campbell wrote her last book of the Trixie Belden series. Did it take Western Publishing several years to find a suitable author? The answer is unknown and the identity of the authors of the 33 Kathryn Kenny books are not known for sure but there is some information about the ghost writers.
Nicolete Meredith Stack
Nicolete Meredith StackStack is thought to be the first author to tackle the Trixie Belden series, although there is much debate about which books were actually written by her. She was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1896 but lived in Webster Groves in St. Louis, Missouri for most of her adult life. Stack wrote other children's books under her own name and various pen names, including the Robin Kane series by Eileen Hill for Whitman between 1966 and 1971.
Stack is said to have written five books in the Trixie Belden series between 1961 and 1971, but Who's Who in the Midwest claims that she wrote eight titles between 1961 and 1966. There were eight Trixie Belden titles published between 1961 and 1966, but it is doubtful that she wrote them all.
James Keeline in his article, Trixie Belden "Schoolgirl Shamus", believes that books 7, 9 and 16 can be attributed to Stack but there are others that may have been written by her.
Virginia McDonnell
Virginia Bleecher McDonnell was born in 1917 and was a registered nurse who trained at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York. McDonnell wrote the Nurses Three series from 1963 to 1965 using the pen name Jean Kirby, and the Kim Aldrich series as Jinny McDonnell, both for Whitman. She is also wrote volume six of The Waltons.
McDonnell and her husband were avid skiiers and many of her books featured details of nursing or skiing. It seems likely that she wrote three Trixie Belden books, The Mystery of Cobbett's Island (1964), The Mystery of the Emeralds (1965) and The Mystery of Mead's Mountain (1978). Skiing is mentioned early in The Mystery of Cobbett's Island, although this is not the theme of the book.
McDonnell also wrote another book called Country Agent that has a number of similarities with The Mystery at Happy Valley, although her book was published in 1968. Read a review of this book, and see what you think.
There is little biographical information available on McDonnell, but the three books attributed to her are three of the most widely loved books in the Trixie Belden series.
Gladys Baker Bond
Gladys Baker BondGladys Baker Bond was born in Berryville, Arkansas on the 7th of May, 1912. On September 2, 1934, she married Floyd James Bond and had one son, Nicholas Peter. Bond's childhood years were spent in the Ozarks of Arkansas. She lived in Idaho and Washington all her adult life and was an officer of the Idaho Writers League between 1952-54.
Bond's books for children cover a wide range of subjects and are often autobiographical. Mrs. Bond wrote under the pseudonymns, Jo Mendel (The Tucker series) and Holly Beth Walker (the Meg series), as well as her own name. She also wrote volume five of The Waltons.
She is credited with writing The Mystery of the Uninvited Guest (1977), The Mystery of the Castaway Children (1978), and The Sasquatch Mystery (1979). However, with her childhood spent in the Ozarks, she could be the author of The Mystery at Bob-White Cave (1963).
Carl Henry Rathjen
Carl Henry RathjenRathjen was born on the 28th of August 1909 in Jersey City, New Jersey and died in 1984. His ambition was to become a mechanical engineer, but when things didn't go
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
October 11, 2015
Trixie’s friend Fay Franklin arrives in the middle of the night with a request for help. She and her mother live in the old haunted Lisgard Mansion, and her mother has broken her hip. When Trixie and Honey agree to spend the night with Fay, they discover just how haunted the mansion is. But that’s nothing compared to Fay’s confession the next day. What is going on?
What is going on is a book that is too dark for the tone of the series. While I normally enjoy a book haunted house story, this one just doesn’t work for me. Many fans don’t enjoy this one, although some count it as a favorite for that very reason. The mystery itself is decent and the characters are enjoyable, but this continues to be one I hardly ever reread.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
What is going on is a book that is too dark for the tone of the series. While I normally enjoy a book haunted house story, this one just doesn’t work for me. Many fans don’t enjoy this one, although some count it as a favorite for that very reason. The mystery itself is decent and the characters are enjoyable, but this continues to be one I hardly ever reread.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
March 29, 2016
This was my favorite of the Trixie Belden series from my childhood. I remember getting it for Christmas when I was 11 years old. I still have the entire series on my bookshelf and I've lugged them around with me through the years thinking that maybe, someday, I would have a daughter to share these books. Alas, I had only sons and they wouldn't read a "girl" book, especially an "old" girl book. LOL. So, I bought them the entire Hardy Boys series because I'm such a cool mom. This particular book satisfied my preteen obsession with books about witches and mysteries.
May 3, 2015
a HUGE and most dedicated fan of Trixie and her crew. This is odd, of course, because they were MEANT for teen and pre-teen girls, but I was a young boy that read everything he could get his hands on and when I first stumbled on my first TRIXIE BELDON book I was instantly hooked!
I immediately sat about reading them all, as quickly as I could get my greedy little paws on them. Trixie is the star, or "lead" character, followed by Jim and Honey (who quickly became the love of my young life, I had a total crush on a fictional character that only existed in ink) and this brave trio was constantly getting into trouble, solving mysteries and murders; that sort of thing.
It falls along the line of the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and other similar series, but the Trixie series carries more of the teenage angst and a subtle love triangle of conflicted who likes whom mystery that battles back and forth throughout the series. All of the while though, the same cheerful, effervescent and energetic positive attitude and domineering never quit/never let them see you down philosophy is the major subtext all through the books.
It is simply impossible to read these and NOT feel good about yourself and about LIFE, to have a sense of "all is well" in the world and a cheerful demeanor just naturally permeate your soul. I know, it SOUNDS crazy, but it is true.
I lost all of my Trixie books years ago, lending them to friends and that sort of thing. Since then, I have been on a quest to rebuild my collection of hardbacks. I find most of them at "Friends of the Library Sales" and things like that, but I am ever watchful at garage sales and places, for I do not have even a third of them built back
I immediately sat about reading them all, as quickly as I could get my greedy little paws on them. Trixie is the star, or "lead" character, followed by Jim and Honey (who quickly became the love of my young life, I had a total crush on a fictional character that only existed in ink) and this brave trio was constantly getting into trouble, solving mysteries and murders; that sort of thing.
It falls along the line of the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and other similar series, but the Trixie series carries more of the teenage angst and a subtle love triangle of conflicted who likes whom mystery that battles back and forth throughout the series. All of the while though, the same cheerful, effervescent and energetic positive attitude and domineering never quit/never let them see you down philosophy is the major subtext all through the books.
It is simply impossible to read these and NOT feel good about yourself and about LIFE, to have a sense of "all is well" in the world and a cheerful demeanor just naturally permeate your soul. I know, it SOUNDS crazy, but it is true.
I lost all of my Trixie books years ago, lending them to friends and that sort of thing. Since then, I have been on a quest to rebuild my collection of hardbacks. I find most of them at "Friends of the Library Sales" and things like that, but I am ever watchful at garage sales and places, for I do not have even a third of them built back
July 21, 2023
Libro con misterios como siempre, en este caso algo sobrenatural con espíritus y poltergeist que se resuelven al final como suceden todos, ¿ o no?
April 14, 2018
The Mystery of the Whispering Witch by Kathryn Kenny is the thirty-second book in the Trixie Belden series.
Hmmm. So I did like this book. I think it was a GREAT mystery for a Trixie Belden book, and I thought it was very cool how it all mostly took place within 24 hours. I always liked a good creepy ghost mystery in a girls series book. HOWEVER, the entire thing with Fay thinking she was possessed and the exorcist, plus Sarah Sligo being burned alive, was just too creepy for a Trixie book, IMO. I would not have liked that plot point when I was 9.
Plus, it was another "Sasquatch Mystery" deal where the book implied ghosts were actually real -- no logical explanation was given for the witch Trixie saw in the hallway. This always makes me feel exasperated when there is no logical explanation given for something in a mystery book.
Overall, a great mystery but creepy elements would make me hesitate to give this to the targeted age-range. 3 stars out of 5.
Hmmm. So I did like this book. I think it was a GREAT mystery for a Trixie Belden book, and I thought it was very cool how it all mostly took place within 24 hours. I always liked a good creepy ghost mystery in a girls series book. HOWEVER, the entire thing with Fay thinking she was possessed and the exorcist, plus Sarah Sligo being burned alive, was just too creepy for a Trixie book, IMO. I would not have liked that plot point when I was 9.
Plus, it was another "Sasquatch Mystery" deal where the book implied ghosts were actually real -- no logical explanation was given for the witch Trixie saw in the hallway. This always makes me feel exasperated when there is no logical explanation given for something in a mystery book.
Overall, a great mystery but creepy elements would make me hesitate to give this to the targeted age-range. 3 stars out of 5.
November 3, 2020
I loved this series as a pre-teen and traded them with a friend. Kathryn Kenny could instantly transport me into exotic settings such as haunted mansions. I was there, along with Trixie and Honey, risking my life and helping solve the mystery.
May 14, 2023
Reading this late at night, alone in the house, I was genuinely scared during the part about the night Trixie and Honey spent with Fay. I didn't expect that from a Trixie!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 7, 2022
(Dan was in this one and that's really all I care about.)
This mystery is one of the better ones of the series because of how it's structured; I also enjoyed that there were motivations for actions and not just Because They're Evil(TM).
Recommended 9+ for violence, death, and hauntings.
This mystery is one of the better ones of the series because of how it's structured; I also enjoyed that there were motivations for actions and not just Because They're Evil(TM).
Recommended 9+ for violence, death, and hauntings.
March 22, 2014
I really didn't care for this book, although my favorite characters are all present and accounted for. Most of the Trixie Belden books are fun, and while occasionally Trixie gets into a really dangerous situation (often dragging her friends with her) the stories are not usually spooky or really scary. This book must have been written for Halloween, as it was a bit spooky, although still tame since written for kids. I just didn't care for the "ghosts" and the implication that these ghosts could be real, and the "exorcist" they called. Just too wild for my taste.
And I am really confused. I know I have read all these books before, but these last ones near the end of the series are not ringing ANY bells with me. It's like I never read them before. Anyway, this one gets the lowest mark of the series ... but I'm ready to read the next book.
And I am really confused. I know I have read all these books before, but these last ones near the end of the series are not ringing ANY bells with me. It's like I never read them before. Anyway, this one gets the lowest mark of the series ... but I'm ready to read the next book.
August 30, 2016
For Christmas one year, my parents grabbed me the entire Trixie Belden set and I couldn't put them down. After I finished with them, they continued to purchase them as quickly as I could read them. Even with a learning disability, I devoured the books. I look back now and I find that Trixie Belden was much more age related to young girls, particularly to me, reading the books than Nancy Drew. There was something in these books that I found to be a greater escape than I did ND, too. I found that they weren't so "over the top" or dated. I will be doing the same thing with my granddaughters, if and when I have them, even if I have to stalk every used bookstore to get them
September 5, 2022
This could well be the spookiest book of the series. Trixie and Honey offer to stay overnight with Fay Franklin, an anxious school friend who lives in the town's 'haunted house.' The ghost, Sarah Sligo, is rumoured to be a vicious poltergeist, seeking revenge because she was burned alive in her bedroom, suspected of witchcraft. But is Sarah really still at large? If not, who is causing trouble and playing tricks? And why?
* For some reason, I found it extremely difficult to get my hands on this book in my teens. It never appeared on the rack of Trixie Belden books for sale, until one day, there it was, and I swooped on it. I remember starting it with extreme trepidation, since I was a suggestible 13-year-old and thought it might give me nightmares. I was frightened of ghosts and witches, and Sarah Sligo, the focus of this story, was said to be both at once. What a recipe for the jitters.
* Rumour has it that Sarah Sligo was incinerated to death on her own birthday. Whoa, that's rough. And what's more, local legend has it that a person who dies on the day of her birth is doomed to haunt the scene forevermore. And she wears the traditional, stereotypical witch's outfit; black pointed hat and flowing cape. Ultra-creepy.
* On the very night the spooky happenings start, Mart has been telling Bobby a bedtime story about Sarah Sligo, her haunted house, and the little boys who she turns into frogs that go, 'Ribbet, ribbet.' Trixie is furious with Mart for telling such a hair raising tale, but Bobby laps it up.
* Sensationalism runs high from the start. The story goes that with her dying breath, Sarah Sligo cursed future residents of her house. That's pretty unfair of her, in my opinion! They aren't the culprits who trooped to her residence, locked her in and burned her alive. Talk about misplaced vengeance. (If she didn't want to attract attention, maybe she should have worn different clothes.)
* Fay Franklin and her mother have been living there as caretakers. When Mrs Franklin falls and breaks her hip, Trixie and Honey offer to spend the night at Lisgard House with Fay. And a horror show is unleashed! What's going on?
* I wonder where Lisgard House is situated, in relation to Crabapple Farm, since the Beldens' seemed to be Fay's closest neighbours to set off on foot and ask for help.
* In their panic to shove clothes into a small suitcase for Fay before fleeing Lisgard House, the girls discover that it's full of bathing suits. How many bathing suits could Fay possibly own? It must have been a huge pile to fill a whole suitcase.
* When Trixie, Honey and Fay arrive at Crabapple Farm in the dead of night, they fling pebbles at Mart and Brian's bedroom window to wake them up. So now it appears the two boys do share a room after all. This chopping and changing between books is getting quite hilarious.
* Diana is incredibly fearless and brave a little later, at Lisgard House. She tiptoes off by herself for a curious peep in the haunted study, straight after the ghost supposedly commits hostile mischief in front of everyone. Yet in The Mystery of the Emeralds, she refuses to explore a subterranean passageway unless Mart goes with her, because of a vague tapping sound. Why the infusion of courage?
* Lewis Gregory, the current owner of Lisgard House, introduces them to Simon Hunter, a famous psychic investigator he's hired to get rid of Sarah Sligo. Hunter is a ghost buster. (According to Sleepyside fearmongers, he won't have much luck, seeing she died violently on her birthday.)
* Diana is the person who first recognises a certain lot of antiques as fakes. Even Honey doesn't twig to start off with. At first glance, this seems a bit weird, since Diana is newly rich while Honey was born to it. But perhaps not, since we know Mr Lynch is passionate about art and furniture collections, and Di herself studies art. These factors may be enough to account for her surprising penetration.
* The boys are putting together a school play for Thanksgiving. It's The Courtship of Miles Standish. Jim is Miles, Brian is John, and Mart is the stage manager. Honey teases Mart that the play has been done to death, since even kindergarten kids are cast in those roles, and he says they will add their special flair to attract Tinseltown. Well, I have to admit that as an Aussie from way across the ocean, I'd never heard of it until now. I had to google it. Many legends go international, but apparently not all of them.
* I find Fay Franklin to be one of the most poignant characters of the series. The poor girl feels certain she's possessed by an evil spirit, and can't even retreat home for respite from her worry, since her current dwelling is the source of her trouble. Yet she's not taken as seriously as she might have been if her problem didn't involve the supernatural. The boys are sceptical to the point of suspecting Fay herself of either mischief or craziness, and even Trixie and Honey don't really know what to make of her. How sad, when your legitimate worry alienates you from possible friends.
* The Bob Whites go through the motions of participating in Simon Hunter's seance. Gleeps, watch out, guys.
* Wow, Lisgard House sure has atmosphere. I got the somber vibe from the dark wood paneling and even imagined a musty odour that wasn't actually mentioned.
* The quote of the book is from Brian. When Mart wonders what the girls could've been thinking of to pack bathing suits in late November, he responds, 'Probably witches and curses and ghoulies and ghosties and things that go bump in the night.' They were indeed.
* For some reason, I found it extremely difficult to get my hands on this book in my teens. It never appeared on the rack of Trixie Belden books for sale, until one day, there it was, and I swooped on it. I remember starting it with extreme trepidation, since I was a suggestible 13-year-old and thought it might give me nightmares. I was frightened of ghosts and witches, and Sarah Sligo, the focus of this story, was said to be both at once. What a recipe for the jitters.
* Rumour has it that Sarah Sligo was incinerated to death on her own birthday. Whoa, that's rough. And what's more, local legend has it that a person who dies on the day of her birth is doomed to haunt the scene forevermore. And she wears the traditional, stereotypical witch's outfit; black pointed hat and flowing cape. Ultra-creepy.
* On the very night the spooky happenings start, Mart has been telling Bobby a bedtime story about Sarah Sligo, her haunted house, and the little boys who she turns into frogs that go, 'Ribbet, ribbet.' Trixie is furious with Mart for telling such a hair raising tale, but Bobby laps it up.
* Sensationalism runs high from the start. The story goes that with her dying breath, Sarah Sligo cursed future residents of her house. That's pretty unfair of her, in my opinion! They aren't the culprits who trooped to her residence, locked her in and burned her alive. Talk about misplaced vengeance. (If she didn't want to attract attention, maybe she should have worn different clothes.)
* Fay Franklin and her mother have been living there as caretakers. When Mrs Franklin falls and breaks her hip, Trixie and Honey offer to spend the night at Lisgard House with Fay. And a horror show is unleashed! What's going on?
* I wonder where Lisgard House is situated, in relation to Crabapple Farm, since the Beldens' seemed to be Fay's closest neighbours to set off on foot and ask for help.
* In their panic to shove clothes into a small suitcase for Fay before fleeing Lisgard House, the girls discover that it's full of bathing suits. How many bathing suits could Fay possibly own? It must have been a huge pile to fill a whole suitcase.
* When Trixie, Honey and Fay arrive at Crabapple Farm in the dead of night, they fling pebbles at Mart and Brian's bedroom window to wake them up. So now it appears the two boys do share a room after all. This chopping and changing between books is getting quite hilarious.
* Diana is incredibly fearless and brave a little later, at Lisgard House. She tiptoes off by herself for a curious peep in the haunted study, straight after the ghost supposedly commits hostile mischief in front of everyone. Yet in The Mystery of the Emeralds, she refuses to explore a subterranean passageway unless Mart goes with her, because of a vague tapping sound. Why the infusion of courage?
* Lewis Gregory, the current owner of Lisgard House, introduces them to Simon Hunter, a famous psychic investigator he's hired to get rid of Sarah Sligo. Hunter is a ghost buster. (According to Sleepyside fearmongers, he won't have much luck, seeing she died violently on her birthday.)
* Diana is the person who first recognises a certain lot of antiques as fakes. Even Honey doesn't twig to start off with. At first glance, this seems a bit weird, since Diana is newly rich while Honey was born to it. But perhaps not, since we know Mr Lynch is passionate about art and furniture collections, and Di herself studies art. These factors may be enough to account for her surprising penetration.
* The boys are putting together a school play for Thanksgiving. It's The Courtship of Miles Standish. Jim is Miles, Brian is John, and Mart is the stage manager. Honey teases Mart that the play has been done to death, since even kindergarten kids are cast in those roles, and he says they will add their special flair to attract Tinseltown. Well, I have to admit that as an Aussie from way across the ocean, I'd never heard of it until now. I had to google it. Many legends go international, but apparently not all of them.
* I find Fay Franklin to be one of the most poignant characters of the series. The poor girl feels certain she's possessed by an evil spirit, and can't even retreat home for respite from her worry, since her current dwelling is the source of her trouble. Yet she's not taken as seriously as she might have been if her problem didn't involve the supernatural. The boys are sceptical to the point of suspecting Fay herself of either mischief or craziness, and even Trixie and Honey don't really know what to make of her. How sad, when your legitimate worry alienates you from possible friends.
* The Bob Whites go through the motions of participating in Simon Hunter's seance. Gleeps, watch out, guys.
* Wow, Lisgard House sure has atmosphere. I got the somber vibe from the dark wood paneling and even imagined a musty odour that wasn't actually mentioned.
* The quote of the book is from Brian. When Mart wonders what the girls could've been thinking of to pack bathing suits in late November, he responds, 'Probably witches and curses and ghoulies and ghosties and things that go bump in the night.' They were indeed.
October 31, 2014
Halloween reread~10/23/14-10/31/14
This is the spookiest one in the whole series in my opinion. I really like this one.
This is the spookiest one in the whole series in my opinion. I really like this one.
March 26, 2018
I loved the Trixie Belden books as a kid (nice to see they got republished). I'm still unsure how they ended up in my corner of the world. I slowly amassed the whole series as first editions (it seemed so glamourous as a kid owning precious books that were older than me!) by saving all my pocket money to buy them from the local secondhand store. I can only guess that some adult (probably having moved to our sleepy town from overseas) had sold them off in bulk. They sat in a back corner of the store, thankfully ignored by everyone else, as I slowly acquired them through pocket money and then in a mass swoop for Christmas. It helped that back then secondhand books sold for anywhere from 10 cents to 50 cents rather than $7-10 as they do these days!
They were wonderful mystery books for children of a similar ilk to Famous Five, Secret Seven, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators etc.; set in a time long before cellphones when sleuthing into mysterious mansions, smugglers, and strange sounds in the night wouldn't cause any real harm to befall our child investigators.
They were wonderful mystery books for children of a similar ilk to Famous Five, Secret Seven, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators etc.; set in a time long before cellphones when sleuthing into mysterious mansions, smugglers, and strange sounds in the night wouldn't cause any real harm to befall our child investigators.
August 11, 2020
3.5 stars for this Scooby Doo-esque mystery where the crook posing as a ghost would have got away with it "if it weren't for those meddlin' kids!"
The boys all take a backseat in this one as Trixie, Honey and Di try to help new friend Fay, who is convinced she's been possessed by local ghost legend Sarah Sligo. After a series of baffling encounters in the alleged haunted house, Trixie is sure there is more to the story. And of course, as usual, she is right!
Not a bad entry to the Trixie series although Fay was a frustrating character to deal with.
The boys all take a backseat in this one as Trixie, Honey and Di try to help new friend Fay, who is convinced she's been possessed by local ghost legend Sarah Sligo. After a series of baffling encounters in the alleged haunted house, Trixie is sure there is more to the story. And of course, as usual, she is right!
Not a bad entry to the Trixie series although Fay was a frustrating character to deal with.
July 25, 2017
Question posed by Mart Belden, to his sister Trixie: What happens if you can't pay your exorcist?
Trixie: I don't know.
Mart: You get repossessed!
It's a silly joke but I laughed out loud after reading the exchange in this book. No matter how deeply involved Trixie is with a mystery, Mart is there to add some humor. It helps that the mystery here is one of the better ones in the series.
Trixie: I don't know.
Mart: You get repossessed!
It's a silly joke but I laughed out loud after reading the exchange in this book. No matter how deeply involved Trixie is with a mystery, Mart is there to add some humor. It helps that the mystery here is one of the better ones in the series.
May 6, 2020
I spent my childhood reading the nancy drew mysteries and loved them. My mom also had trixie belden but i never got into it. At 26 years old i picked this up on a whim as i needed something fun and cozy and DARE I SAY... i may have enjoyed it more than nancy drew!
May 18, 2020
Another fun book in the series. This 1 did involve the idea of an actual ghost, which was new.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2020
A fairly bland and boring mystery that doesn't involve all the Bob-Whites. Also includes a completely unnecessary addition of occult to the story. Not impressed.
October 1, 2020
One of the first Trixie Belden books I read, and so one of my favorites.
February 17, 2022
Obviously most ghost and haunting are proven false in these books but this one is too close to the demonic for me. You don’t play with this stuff.
September 4, 2022
Vejam a minha opinião em vídeo, AQUI.
Read
July 10, 2023I remember this cover so vividly.
July 21, 2025
This book was cute, but rather dated.
February 13, 2013
A childhood favorite re-visited.
Is the story as good as I remember? – Yes
What ages would I recommend it too? – Ten and up.
Length? – Most of a day’s read.
Characters? – Memorable, several characters.
Setting? – Real world, pre - computer, pre - air conditioning, pre - cell phone.
Written approximately? – 1980.
Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Ready to read more.
Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? Yes. A slight mention of the time frame of the story - as the teens are given far more freedom to come and go as they please than would be safe today. Also, the absence of computers and cell phones.
Short storyline: Honey and Trixie meet Fay who believe she has been possessed by the long dead witch in the haunted house her mother is a live in housekeeper in. While more than one person is responsible for the mystery, only one attempts to burn the house down around the ears of Fay and the Bob Whites.
Notes for the reader: A great mystery! No violence and no murder.
Is the story as good as I remember? – Yes
What ages would I recommend it too? – Ten and up.
Length? – Most of a day’s read.
Characters? – Memorable, several characters.
Setting? – Real world, pre - computer, pre - air conditioning, pre - cell phone.
Written approximately? – 1980.
Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Ready to read more.
Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? Yes. A slight mention of the time frame of the story - as the teens are given far more freedom to come and go as they please than would be safe today. Also, the absence of computers and cell phones.
Short storyline: Honey and Trixie meet Fay who believe she has been possessed by the long dead witch in the haunted house her mother is a live in housekeeper in. While more than one person is responsible for the mystery, only one attempts to burn the house down around the ears of Fay and the Bob Whites.
Notes for the reader: A great mystery! No violence and no murder.
September 22, 2012
Just read this one for the first time, as it was one of the few missing from my childhood collection of the series. It was just as enjoyable and satisfying as the others! I had more or less guessed at the solution to the mystery before it was revealed, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
August 30, 2016
Re-read 1/09
Re-read 12/2013.
Re-read 12/2013.
Read
March 9, 2008Book 32
February 28, 2009
I loved this one I think it was the second on I read.
January 4, 2014
Is there a witch haunting the house she died in? Even at the end you won't really know....
March 11, 2011
Top Five Trixie's I've ever read... Up there with Mystery in Arizona.
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