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Trixie Belden #35
Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Memorial Day Fire
Trixie Belden searches for an arsonist after a fire destroys a local store and a warehouse during the annual Memorial Day parade.
190 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
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432 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 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 29, 2016
Sleepyside’s annual Memorial Day parade is interrupted when a fire starts a few blocks away from Main Street. When Trixie’s friend’s father is accused of burning down his own store, Trixie knows she must solve the crime.
This is the first of the rarer final five in the series. Some fans really dislike them, and I do see their point. The characters are weaker than in earlier books. And, at least in this one, Trixie has to have the solution to the mystery pointed out to her – a solution I found obvious the first time I read it in high school. And yet, I must confess I still find the book fun. Definitely not top of the list, but a fun, quick visit with old friends.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
This is the first of the rarer final five in the series. Some fans really dislike them, and I do see their point. The characters are weaker than in earlier books. And, at least in this one, Trixie has to have the solution to the mystery pointed out to her – a solution I found obvious the first time I read it in high school. And yet, I must confess I still find the book fun. Definitely not top of the list, but a fun, quick visit with old friends.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
August 11, 2018
Ok, when I was a child my library only had the first dozen or so. I remember rereading them all several times and craving more, but we very rarely bought books (after all, our tiny town only had a Ben Franklin 'five & dime' so what little bit of pocket money I had went to cheap plastic animals) and only through Scholastic... so when I saw that my new library had a couple of these on the shelf I nabbed them. Then to find out that these, # 35 and 36, are from the 'infamous final five.' Ok, well, I guess I won't bother reading 36 then. But I did like figuring out the appeal for young me: I'm sure I loved Mart's vocabulary words. And I liked that Honey could be kind, and sew, and be adventurous... she was my role model. And there were horses, and very innocent love stories. And the kids were closer to my age than the glamorous, sophisticated Nancy Drew. I'll still read any from the earlier part of the series if I ever happen to see them. But I cannot recommend them to today's youngsters; they're dated in both setting and style, and trivial, just not relevant.
May 7, 2018
The Mystery of the Memorial Day Fire by Kathryn Kenny is the thirty-fifth book in the Trixie Belden series.
I wasn't expecting this book to be good, but I actually really enjoyed it. I liked reading about the Bob-Whites fixing up the clubhouse (the clubhouse has seemed to have been forgotten about in a lot of the books written in the 1970s). The villain was very obvious, but the mystery was actually unique to a Trixie Belden book. Nick Roberts, who was in a previous Trixie, is brought back. Diana sobs against Dan Mangan's shoulder after the explosion. I always liked Dan and Diana together instead of Diana and Mart, so I liked that.
And Dan apparently has a stepfather? Um? How about no?
Against all odds, I really liked this Trixie! 4 stars out of 5.
I wasn't expecting this book to be good, but I actually really enjoyed it. I liked reading about the Bob-Whites fixing up the clubhouse (the clubhouse has seemed to have been forgotten about in a lot of the books written in the 1970s). The villain was very obvious, but the mystery was actually unique to a Trixie Belden book. Nick Roberts, who was in a previous Trixie, is brought back. Diana sobs against Dan Mangan's shoulder after the explosion. I always liked Dan and Diana together instead of Diana and Mart, so I liked that.
And Dan apparently has a stepfather? Um? How about no?
Against all odds, I really liked this Trixie! 4 stars out of 5.
September 25, 2022
The whole of Sleepyside is out enjoying the festivities of Memorial Day evening when a deafening explosion rips through town. It was set in the basement of Mr Roberts' trophy shop and discovered to be the work of an arsonist. Poor Mr Roberts is accused of the heinous crime for the purpose of collecting insurance. But what other mischief is afoot? Is the presence of Jane Dix-Strauss, a journalist who specialises in arson, at all coincidental? Can Trixie and the Bob Whites figure out who really started the fire?
* From here on out, I've read none of these remaining books of the series. In my teens I collected and devoured the first thirty-four and went for years thinking that was it. Then suddenly in my twenties, I saw these extra ones at the bookshop which had been published in the mid eighties. I couldn't believe it! I grabbed them of course, but since I was busy with babies and other stuff, I put them aside and never got around to reading them. Until now!
* I've got to admit I started this with a bit of trepidation. After such a big gap, I had no idea how many inconsistencies might pop up. Quite early on, Regan was referred to as the Wheelers' chaffeur, which didn't augur well.
* The Bob Whites are enjoying the 117th annual Memorial Day parade together. It sounds like a pageant in which local businesses can observe the season, promoting themselves in the process.
* Jane Dix-Strauss is the newest addition to the staff at the Sleepyside Sun, keeping up the tradition started by Paul Trent of rubbing Trixie up the wrong way. She starts by snapping a surprise photo of the Bob Whites at the parade, then pokes fun at Trixie's startled reaction. That wouldn't be a problem in our era. Journalists like Jane would be required to ask subjects' permission first. No way could she simply blind subjects with her flash and then demand their personal details for her feature article.
* The sheep mentality of the crowd in the wake of the explosion disgusts the Bob Whites. People are so curious to find out what happened that they surge forward en masse, blocking the fire vehicles from getting to the scene.
* The Bob Whites have another clubhouse crisis. Urgent repairs are needed but their treasury is empty.
* Honey complains about her bad grades and says that she needs to study, or she'll have to do summer school during the holidays. Now that's an inconsistency. She's always been the smart, conscientious one. Trixie and Di are the only strugglers when it comes to school grades.
* Oh dear, Sergeant Molinson has done it again. He's jumped the gun, interrogating somebody who should be above reproach with insufficient evidence. In The Midnight Marauder it was Mart. In this instance, it's Mr Roberts.
* It doesn't ring true for me that Trixie (and others) would be able to snoop around the grounds of the explosion site a mere day or two after it happened. Surely it should be cordoned off with tape and KEEP OUT notices for safety reasons! Even back in the eighties.
* We're told the action takes place in the first week of June. In that case, Mart should have just celebrated his 16th birthday on the first day of the month. Kathryn Kenny doesn't mention it, so I thought I would. It appears he has a learner driver's permit. You need to be 16 for that where I come from, so I hoped this was an indication that time has started ticking again at last. But nope, Trixie and Honey are still apparently 14, so my theory falls flat.
* Mr Roberts comes across as his usual taciturn, uncommunicative self, although in all fairness, we only ever see him in the pages of these books when his business and family life are under great stress. Perhaps he's quite a jolly guy at other times.
* Helen Belden says, 'I think I have the four best children in the whole wide world.' Well, since the older three carry the weight of all those chores on their shoulders, she has a fair case. And Bobby, stuck in his perpetual six-year-old mindset, is still oblivious that he doesn't have a chore, he is one.
* My biggest question is where the heck was Regan the night the Wheelers' stables were set on fire?!! His personal digs are practically right on the spot. And he's always been super vigilant about his equine friends. So when an arsonist sets the stables ablaze, those beloved horses are threshing and neighing with terror, and the fire department arrives on the scene, are we meant to assume that he just sleeps through it all? No way, Jose!
* Quote of the book goes to Jim. 'Trixie has enough energy to power a locomotive, if there were only some way to harness it.'
* From here on out, I've read none of these remaining books of the series. In my teens I collected and devoured the first thirty-four and went for years thinking that was it. Then suddenly in my twenties, I saw these extra ones at the bookshop which had been published in the mid eighties. I couldn't believe it! I grabbed them of course, but since I was busy with babies and other stuff, I put them aside and never got around to reading them. Until now!
* I've got to admit I started this with a bit of trepidation. After such a big gap, I had no idea how many inconsistencies might pop up. Quite early on, Regan was referred to as the Wheelers' chaffeur, which didn't augur well.
* The Bob Whites are enjoying the 117th annual Memorial Day parade together. It sounds like a pageant in which local businesses can observe the season, promoting themselves in the process.
* Jane Dix-Strauss is the newest addition to the staff at the Sleepyside Sun, keeping up the tradition started by Paul Trent of rubbing Trixie up the wrong way. She starts by snapping a surprise photo of the Bob Whites at the parade, then pokes fun at Trixie's startled reaction. That wouldn't be a problem in our era. Journalists like Jane would be required to ask subjects' permission first. No way could she simply blind subjects with her flash and then demand their personal details for her feature article.
* The sheep mentality of the crowd in the wake of the explosion disgusts the Bob Whites. People are so curious to find out what happened that they surge forward en masse, blocking the fire vehicles from getting to the scene.
* The Bob Whites have another clubhouse crisis. Urgent repairs are needed but their treasury is empty.
* Honey complains about her bad grades and says that she needs to study, or she'll have to do summer school during the holidays. Now that's an inconsistency. She's always been the smart, conscientious one. Trixie and Di are the only strugglers when it comes to school grades.
* Oh dear, Sergeant Molinson has done it again. He's jumped the gun, interrogating somebody who should be above reproach with insufficient evidence. In The Midnight Marauder it was Mart. In this instance, it's Mr Roberts.
* It doesn't ring true for me that Trixie (and others) would be able to snoop around the grounds of the explosion site a mere day or two after it happened. Surely it should be cordoned off with tape and KEEP OUT notices for safety reasons! Even back in the eighties.
* We're told the action takes place in the first week of June. In that case, Mart should have just celebrated his 16th birthday on the first day of the month. Kathryn Kenny doesn't mention it, so I thought I would. It appears he has a learner driver's permit. You need to be 16 for that where I come from, so I hoped this was an indication that time has started ticking again at last. But nope, Trixie and Honey are still apparently 14, so my theory falls flat.
* Mr Roberts comes across as his usual taciturn, uncommunicative self, although in all fairness, we only ever see him in the pages of these books when his business and family life are under great stress. Perhaps he's quite a jolly guy at other times.
* Helen Belden says, 'I think I have the four best children in the whole wide world.' Well, since the older three carry the weight of all those chores on their shoulders, she has a fair case. And Bobby, stuck in his perpetual six-year-old mindset, is still oblivious that he doesn't have a chore, he is one.
* My biggest question is where the heck was Regan the night the Wheelers' stables were set on fire?!! His personal digs are practically right on the spot. And he's always been super vigilant about his equine friends. So when an arsonist sets the stables ablaze, those beloved horses are threshing and neighing with terror, and the fire department arrives on the scene, are we meant to assume that he just sleeps through it all? No way, Jose!
* Quote of the book goes to Jim. 'Trixie has enough energy to power a locomotive, if there were only some way to harness it.'
February 2, 2020
Un libro con misterios pero como los demás, haciendo justicia
September 4, 2022
Vejam a minha opinião em vídeo, AQUI.
February 17, 2021
Started Trixie as a kid and had fond memories - decided to re-read the series in quarantine, including the last #10 which I had never read before.
The plot was pretty consistent with most Trixie Belden's but definitely lacked the excitement of the earlier books. Overall, the ghost writer kept the plot consistent.
The plot was pretty consistent with most Trixie Belden's but definitely lacked the excitement of the earlier books. Overall, the ghost writer kept the plot consistent.
March 31, 2020
While this entry in the series is as entertaining as the rest, I have to admit to being disappointed in the mystery. After that stunning who-done-it in the last book, this one was rather cut and dry.
Oh, a few things before I forget:
--This really deals with the last book as a detective disguised as a census taker interviewed Trixie; I am dismayed to learn that I am now older than Trixie's parents (Dad is 39 and Moms is 37)! :(
--These final books of the series were printed only in the square edition and they have illustrations at the opening of each chapter. These are actually the "contemporary" pictures I remember as a kid. Everything is very 80s as opposed to the "old-fashioned" look of the artwork from the 40s, 50s and 60s that are in previous books. The car for example reminds me of a Ford Tempo instead of those big monstrosities of yesteryear that everyone seems to fancy (I kid about the venom towards old cars, but seriously, my first experience with cars and driving were 80s vehicles, and compacts at that. I still chuckle at how all 7 kids fit in the station wagon. I think of station wagons like my friend's 1991 Honda Accord back then. Getting 5 in was a squeeze)
--Also, the artwork is kind of hit or miss to me. I mean Honey is VERY pretty (I thought so as a kid), but Trixie looks boyish, and Brian looks more like a football star than the quiet doctor type I picture him. Mart isn't described with a crew cut in the latter books (I don't think) so his hair might not be a mistake, but I always picture him with one since this was mentioned ad nauseum in the first half of the series. Oh, and Sgt Molinson! They describe him as a big man, and I always thought that meant muscular. The pictures make him look like he's on the wrong side of middle aged and that he's hit the donuts a little too hard! Hehe!
Ok, back to the story though:
Trix and the gang are enjoying the annual memorial day parade (I hope you like "seeing" Di and Dan here-it's the only time you'll do so! Honestly, I used to pretend as a kid that the characters in the book were like actors in a movie and Dan and Di were too expensive for the publishers to use much-I mean why introduce the characters into the series if you're never going to use them?), when suddenly there is a HUGE explosion! Is it a terrorist attack? Ha! Of course not-this is a 1980s kid series! (I must be getting really stir crazy from being cooped up-I'm usually nowhere near this snarky) It's an arson attempt gone wrong. A building that houses the store of Nick Roberts' (remember him?) father!
He was renting from a Mr Slettom-a "slum lord" who owns this building in a bad part of town along with a warehouse next door (Ok, he's not a slum lord-he just owns some run down property-what is it with me today anyway?) Mr Slettom seems a kindly, understanding man who offers Mr Roberts aid after he is accused of started the fire and arrested. You see, Mr Roberts business has done so well that he has been trying to get out of his lease and find a bigger property in a better part of town to set up shop and since that wasn't working out for him, the suspicion of the police has been aroused.
Added to the mix is Jane Dix-Strauss-a pushy reporter who moved into town (but not an obnoxious one like that guy in the Marshland Mystery whose name escapes me at the moment) and gets on Trixie's bad side. When she discovers (in a touching and nostalgic scene where she and Mart go to the library and using reference cards and magazine requests (I tell you, if they used microfilm instead, I would be convinced they were at my hometown library with me as a kid doing research for school!)) that Ms. Dix-Strauss (what kind of name is that anyway?) knows a lot about arson and even wrote a big article about it in a national magazine, Trixie is convinced that she is the one starting the fires! When she finds a button with her initials on it at the scene of the crime, then she's doubly sure!
Well, it turns out that this reporter isn't the crook. It's...you guessed it-the landlord wanting to collect insurance! He also set a fire to his second property to destroy his paperwork-you see he had this elaborate scheme to have some worn out appliances in the warehouse and have dummied paperwork that claimed that it was brand new to cash in even more, and when the building didn't burn completely, he needed to destroy the paperwork (the explosion was more outward force than destruction of the building like the fire he intended would have been)
Ok, well the story was interesting, just not a puzzler.
Oh, and of course, there is also the required fundraiser in the book. Trix and the Bob-Whites were selling shirts and stuff for the Roberts and hoping to use their part of the profits to do needed renovations on the clubhouse. Well, they are able to thanks to the big glowing front page article the reporter puts in the paper for them in gratitude.
Oh, I didn't include the ending (I must be tired)
We know how foolish Trixie is with taking risks, and she sure was here! She is sleeping over Honey's and sees a stranger enter the stables. Rather than calling the adults (or even waking Honey), she tiptoes down to check it out on her own! (Someone restrain this girl!)
Turns out the intruder is Miss Dix-Strass. But she has a "good reason" for sneaking around someone's private property in the middle of the night: see, she knew that Mr Slettom is the bad guy, so she set a trap for him by meeting him at the Wheelers stable in the middle of the night, pretending to fall for a trap that he set for her there (If that sounds confusing to you, it';s because it is! Also, Slettom's secretary should have been arrested to-she lied TWICE for her boss! That is so despicable! Seriously, I remember when Tara (my secretary/assistant at the time) lied to a customer and said I wasn't there when she knew I didn't want to be bothered. I told her never to do that again! I despise lying!) Trixie was convinced to wait in silence for the reporter to spring her trap, and even though it works, the reporter is hit over the head by this criminal who proceeds to set the barn on fire with her in it! (And Trixie too, but he doesn't know that) Hmm, looks like the Trixster isn't the only one who takes stupid chances) Trixie manages to drag her out of the barn and gets Jim & Honey to call the fire dept and police. That's where the gratitude comes in (and I must say, the reporter is a lot more grateful than Mr Lytell was in the last book (honestly, I felt like smacking him!)
So, that's it-I feel this book despite its odd turns was entertaining, but again, not a real mystery. Another thing is that Trixie has been acting a bit more independently from the group (well, she includes Honey) because they never believe her. I personally can understand her frustration there-what kind of friends/brothers are those? She solves mysteries about every other month, but when anything happens they say she is ridiculous! Mart was like that, but lately Brian has gotten more irritating too. Jim at least tries to be kind.
One more thing I forgot: someone REALLY needs to start spanking Bobby! The family repeatedly explained to him how series the explosion was, and he was still running around screaming KABOOM to scare people (well, Trixie) I know I said Mart was the most annoying, but now he's getting there!
Oh, a few things before I forget:
--This really deals with the last book as a detective disguised as a census taker interviewed Trixie; I am dismayed to learn that I am now older than Trixie's parents (Dad is 39 and Moms is 37)! :(
--These final books of the series were printed only in the square edition and they have illustrations at the opening of each chapter. These are actually the "contemporary" pictures I remember as a kid. Everything is very 80s as opposed to the "old-fashioned" look of the artwork from the 40s, 50s and 60s that are in previous books. The car for example reminds me of a Ford Tempo instead of those big monstrosities of yesteryear that everyone seems to fancy (I kid about the venom towards old cars, but seriously, my first experience with cars and driving were 80s vehicles, and compacts at that. I still chuckle at how all 7 kids fit in the station wagon. I think of station wagons like my friend's 1991 Honda Accord back then. Getting 5 in was a squeeze)
--Also, the artwork is kind of hit or miss to me. I mean Honey is VERY pretty (I thought so as a kid), but Trixie looks boyish, and Brian looks more like a football star than the quiet doctor type I picture him. Mart isn't described with a crew cut in the latter books (I don't think) so his hair might not be a mistake, but I always picture him with one since this was mentioned ad nauseum in the first half of the series. Oh, and Sgt Molinson! They describe him as a big man, and I always thought that meant muscular. The pictures make him look like he's on the wrong side of middle aged and that he's hit the donuts a little too hard! Hehe!
Ok, back to the story though:
Trix and the gang are enjoying the annual memorial day parade (I hope you like "seeing" Di and Dan here-it's the only time you'll do so! Honestly, I used to pretend as a kid that the characters in the book were like actors in a movie and Dan and Di were too expensive for the publishers to use much-I mean why introduce the characters into the series if you're never going to use them?), when suddenly there is a HUGE explosion! Is it a terrorist attack? Ha! Of course not-this is a 1980s kid series! (I must be getting really stir crazy from being cooped up-I'm usually nowhere near this snarky) It's an arson attempt gone wrong. A building that houses the store of Nick Roberts' (remember him?) father!
He was renting from a Mr Slettom-a "slum lord" who owns this building in a bad part of town along with a warehouse next door (Ok, he's not a slum lord-he just owns some run down property-what is it with me today anyway?) Mr Slettom seems a kindly, understanding man who offers Mr Roberts aid after he is accused of started the fire and arrested. You see, Mr Roberts business has done so well that he has been trying to get out of his lease and find a bigger property in a better part of town to set up shop and since that wasn't working out for him, the suspicion of the police has been aroused.
Added to the mix is Jane Dix-Strauss-a pushy reporter who moved into town (but not an obnoxious one like that guy in the Marshland Mystery whose name escapes me at the moment) and gets on Trixie's bad side. When she discovers (in a touching and nostalgic scene where she and Mart go to the library and using reference cards and magazine requests (I tell you, if they used microfilm instead, I would be convinced they were at my hometown library with me as a kid doing research for school!)) that Ms. Dix-Strauss (what kind of name is that anyway?) knows a lot about arson and even wrote a big article about it in a national magazine, Trixie is convinced that she is the one starting the fires! When she finds a button with her initials on it at the scene of the crime, then she's doubly sure!
Well, it turns out that this reporter isn't the crook. It's...you guessed it-the landlord wanting to collect insurance! He also set a fire to his second property to destroy his paperwork-you see he had this elaborate scheme to have some worn out appliances in the warehouse and have dummied paperwork that claimed that it was brand new to cash in even more, and when the building didn't burn completely, he needed to destroy the paperwork (the explosion was more outward force than destruction of the building like the fire he intended would have been)
Ok, well the story was interesting, just not a puzzler.
Oh, and of course, there is also the required fundraiser in the book. Trix and the Bob-Whites were selling shirts and stuff for the Roberts and hoping to use their part of the profits to do needed renovations on the clubhouse. Well, they are able to thanks to the big glowing front page article the reporter puts in the paper for them in gratitude.
Oh, I didn't include the ending (I must be tired)
We know how foolish Trixie is with taking risks, and she sure was here! She is sleeping over Honey's and sees a stranger enter the stables. Rather than calling the adults (or even waking Honey), she tiptoes down to check it out on her own! (Someone restrain this girl!)
Turns out the intruder is Miss Dix-Strass. But she has a "good reason" for sneaking around someone's private property in the middle of the night: see, she knew that Mr Slettom is the bad guy, so she set a trap for him by meeting him at the Wheelers stable in the middle of the night, pretending to fall for a trap that he set for her there (If that sounds confusing to you, it';s because it is! Also, Slettom's secretary should have been arrested to-she lied TWICE for her boss! That is so despicable! Seriously, I remember when Tara (my secretary/assistant at the time) lied to a customer and said I wasn't there when she knew I didn't want to be bothered. I told her never to do that again! I despise lying!) Trixie was convinced to wait in silence for the reporter to spring her trap, and even though it works, the reporter is hit over the head by this criminal who proceeds to set the barn on fire with her in it! (And Trixie too, but he doesn't know that) Hmm, looks like the Trixster isn't the only one who takes stupid chances) Trixie manages to drag her out of the barn and gets Jim & Honey to call the fire dept and police. That's where the gratitude comes in (and I must say, the reporter is a lot more grateful than Mr Lytell was in the last book (honestly, I felt like smacking him!)
So, that's it-I feel this book despite its odd turns was entertaining, but again, not a real mystery. Another thing is that Trixie has been acting a bit more independently from the group (well, she includes Honey) because they never believe her. I personally can understand her frustration there-what kind of friends/brothers are those? She solves mysteries about every other month, but when anything happens they say she is ridiculous! Mart was like that, but lately Brian has gotten more irritating too. Jim at least tries to be kind.
One more thing I forgot: someone REALLY needs to start spanking Bobby! The family repeatedly explained to him how series the explosion was, and he was still running around screaming KABOOM to scare people (well, Trixie) I know I said Mart was the most annoying, but now he's getting there!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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 26, 2020
The timeline is all over the place, I'm giving up on trying to make sense of it. The characterization was mostly ok, but the running joke is that Trixie doesn't understand Mart's big words however she has no trouble in this book.
I enjoyed the mystery in this one though, even if I picked it fairly early on. If we weren't so close to the end I would wonder is Jane Dix-Strauss would become a recurring character - it would be good to have a strong active female around for Trixie and the crew. But I have one Trixie book left (I can't get a hold of the other three) so even if it was intended, it looks doubtful.
I enjoyed the mystery in this one though, even if I picked it fairly early on. If we weren't so close to the end I would wonder is Jane Dix-Strauss would become a recurring character - it would be good to have a strong active female around for Trixie and the crew. But I have one Trixie book left (I can't get a hold of the other three) so even if it was intended, it looks doubtful.
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July 10, 2023I hated the new covers. I liked the round oval covers much more.
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 27, 2011
One of the better (or at least bearable) one of the infamous final five books in the series, which I think may have been written by drunken apes. Dan talks about his never-before-mentioned evil stepfather in this one, which made for some great fanfic but still is grossly out of place to loyal readers in the know. I thought the villain was super obvious, too, but I loved the return of Nick Roberts and Trixie and Dan making hot chocolate in the Belden kitchen.
September 29, 2011
i finally completed my set of 39, got the 2 last ones that are hard to find #38 and #39 for good deals, check out the prices on amazon some time!!!!! amazing what people pay for them!!!!- took me a month to read cause of all that's going on in my life now with my mom, but i finished it with one eye open ( the story of the whole book reading!!)
May 26, 2014
I enjoyed this one, and I do vaguely remember it. Trixie wasn't in grave danger, but it did have some real "mystery" aspect to it, she had to figure it out, and she did. Only thing I didn't care for is she didn't share an awfully lot of what was going on with the others, so the rest of the Bob-Whites were out of he loop for much of the book.
June 16, 2011
This is one of those illusive final books in the series that always seem to cost $100 on ebay. I finally found it for $11 including shipping and decided to splurge. A friend had let me read her copy a few years ago, but it was nice to actually own this one since it wasn't too bad.
July 21, 2013
Lots of fun to revisit a childhood favorite series. The writing was not as great as i remembered but still a fun read! Just found out about these additional books, when i was collecting, it stopped at book 34.
June 19, 2010
Great children's mystery series featuring thirteen year old Trixie and her friends Honey and Diana...
December 26, 2012
book 35
August 25, 2013
I really like this one because Trixie dislikes the new reporter at first. Nick Roberts reappears, too.
December 31, 2022
pretty indicative of the last five books, just glad that I only paid a tenner for it!
September 10, 2016
I was reading these for nostalgic reasons when this was printed. These "newer" books never seemed as good as the earlier ones.
January 25, 2013
This one was great!
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