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Robin Kane #2
Robin Kane: The Mystery of the Phantom
Robin Kane dashed out of the side door of Cypress Junior-Senior High School moments after the dismissal bell had sounded. Shielding her eyes from the sudden blaze of the sun, she looked expectantly in the direction of the tennis courts. And so begins this juvenile novel.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1966
2 people are currently reading
43 people want to read
About the author
Eileen Hill
19 books7 followersA pseudonym used by Nicolete Meredith Stack.
Stack 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.
Stack 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.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 29, 2010
Oh God.
I never read Nancy Drew as a kid, but what I did read was the handful of Nancy Drew ripoffs that studded my mother's childhood bookshelves. We spent weeks in the summer at the grey-shingled house that my grandparents own, and I stretched out anywhere I could find with any book I could find-- Trixie Belden, Donna Parker... and Robin effing Kane.
I liked Robin okay when I was eleven. As an adult, these books are kind of baffling and ridiculous. Robin is thirteen and acts as though she's nineteen, while she and her friends are treated as small grown-ups (which is fine and all, but not often the way things go). Robin herself is kind of a world-class douchebag (often implying her best friend is stupid and snapping at her, and Robin is the only one who can solve a mystery!). There are sexist potshots galore, to say nothing of the inherent and gross racism. (Mindy's family owns a farm that they bought from a Mexican woman whose family owned it for generations, but the woman stays on as a housekeeper! there are gauchos! in the first book there is a Mexican villain named El Gato! he steals horses!) And above all: the mystery is seriously, seriously lame.
I know these were written a long time ago. I also can figure out why they're not classics. Ay dios mio, Robin Kane.
I never read Nancy Drew as a kid, but what I did read was the handful of Nancy Drew ripoffs that studded my mother's childhood bookshelves. We spent weeks in the summer at the grey-shingled house that my grandparents own, and I stretched out anywhere I could find with any book I could find-- Trixie Belden, Donna Parker... and Robin effing Kane.
I liked Robin okay when I was eleven. As an adult, these books are kind of baffling and ridiculous. Robin is thirteen and acts as though she's nineteen, while she and her friends are treated as small grown-ups (which is fine and all, but not often the way things go). Robin herself is kind of a world-class douchebag (often implying her best friend is stupid and snapping at her, and Robin is the only one who can solve a mystery!). There are sexist potshots galore, to say nothing of the inherent and gross racism. (Mindy's family owns a farm that they bought from a Mexican woman whose family owned it for generations, but the woman stays on as a housekeeper! there are gauchos! in the first book there is a Mexican villain named El Gato! he steals horses!) And above all: the mystery is seriously, seriously lame.
I know these were written a long time ago. I also can figure out why they're not classics. Ay dios mio, Robin Kane.
November 24, 2024
Too many coincidences and a predictable bad guy. I almost feel like Robin Kane is a wanna-be Trixie Belden. So far the first two books kind of jump all over the place.
January 24, 2025
3.5 stars
August 28, 2014
This book was better than the first one. By now Robin Kane has learned to be a little bit more of a team player and I think the mystery is a little more interesting too. Not enough clues along the way for the reader to put the pieces together as they go, but it still should be interesting enough for a younger reader. They don't all have to have heavily complicated plots with twists of intrigue. Once again the loving family atmosphere and straightforward friendships give this book a wholesome feel often lacking in books made for young readers today.
May 6, 2017
I originally got this book for Christmas when I was in Jr High and loved it right away. Robin Kane is similar to Nancy Drew. Not sure why Nancy got so popular when Robin's just as good. probably a publicity thing.
Read
September 6, 2007Hill, Eileen
May 10, 2015
I really have to be in the mood for one of these types of detective stories to really enjoy them, as they are not all that fast paced. I did enjoy the plot line to this one, overall.
December 9, 2016
Read with Lucy...an oldie but goodie!
September 4, 2025
I first read Robin Kane mysteries when I was on summer vacation and needed reading material. Five and Dimes, such as Sprouse-Reitz and our local Freeway Variety, carried Walt Whitman books and, being already a Nancy Drew fan, I started in on Kay Tracy and Trixie Belden. Robin Kanes are harder to come by, so I was thrilled when I could snag the first 3 books again. I actually bought this book first (only 3 were available so I decided to come in the middle).
Life in a small coastal Californian town can be fun when you are a teenager who likes to swim, surf, picnic, ride horses, and solve mysteries with your friends and family! Robin Kane lives with her artistic mother, cartoon strip artist father, older brother Kevin, younger sister Amy in their little house (and pool) near the Pacific Ocean. Mindy, Robin's best friend, is impatient but loves Robin and her family. She and her older brother, Michael, hang out there often because their mother died a few years ago and her father is often occupied with making movies and maintaining his nearby working ranch.
In this book, a series of accidents, delays, and the theft of a valuable gold fish (on loan from a prominent art museum) have everyone wondering if there is a phantom at work, trying to stop Mr. Hunter's film from being made. Suspicions are everywhere and Robin relentlessly searches for and follows up clues. She gets the whole gang involved, including Ben, a newly arrived student at their Jr/Sr High School and co-occupier of the long-empty house next door.
The climax comes on a dark and stormy night, after a highly publicized art show has been organized and opened - in part to support the film and in part to draw out the mysterious Phantom. Will the Phantom show? Will their plan to capture him/her work? Will the reader get peckish, reading about all the food teenagers eat at picnics and patio parties? Olden days nostalgia abounds! While a bit Scooby-Doo-ish, not a bad re-read and glad to visit again.
Life in a small coastal Californian town can be fun when you are a teenager who likes to swim, surf, picnic, ride horses, and solve mysteries with your friends and family! Robin Kane lives with her artistic mother, cartoon strip artist father, older brother Kevin, younger sister Amy in their little house (and pool) near the Pacific Ocean. Mindy, Robin's best friend, is impatient but loves Robin and her family. She and her older brother, Michael, hang out there often because their mother died a few years ago and her father is often occupied with making movies and maintaining his nearby working ranch.
In this book, a series of accidents, delays, and the theft of a valuable gold fish (on loan from a prominent art museum) have everyone wondering if there is a phantom at work, trying to stop Mr. Hunter's film from being made. Suspicions are everywhere and Robin relentlessly searches for and follows up clues. She gets the whole gang involved, including Ben, a newly arrived student at their Jr/Sr High School and co-occupier of the long-empty house next door.
The climax comes on a dark and stormy night, after a highly publicized art show has been organized and opened - in part to support the film and in part to draw out the mysterious Phantom. Will the Phantom show? Will their plan to capture him/her work? Will the reader get peckish, reading about all the food teenagers eat at picnics and patio parties? Olden days nostalgia abounds! While a bit Scooby-Doo-ish, not a bad re-read and glad to visit again.
August 11, 2021
I realize that this is a juvenile series but in comparison to the previous Robin Kane book, The Mystery of the Blue Pelican, it was a disappointment., There were unnecessary detailed explanations of inconsequential details and a severe lack of action. It wasn’t until the last third of the book that things picked up. There was a final twist to the plot at the ending which redeemed the book. I am not giving up on this thirteen year old, freckled sleuth yet.
October 13, 2020
A young girl and her group of friends try to find out who is sabotaging her friend's father's movie production. I enjoyed this. It reminded me of Nancy Drew.
October 14, 2022
A bit outdated, but still a good mystery for a tween.
July 18, 2023
This is not great literature. But it is nostalgic for me. I am so glad to have this set again and to be able to re-read them as an adult. This was a big part of my pre-teen years and reading.
September 25, 2024
This was a quick read, it wasn't wonderfully written. I liked the sense of nostalgia that I got as I read it. It is a mystery but some of the things that happened didn't make sense or seem plausible.
This book was reviewed on the Literary Club Podcast episode 85
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1984185
This book was reviewed on the Literary Club Podcast episode 85
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1984185
November 30, 2021
I loved the Robin Kane books when I was a child. I'm so glad I hung onto my copies, because they are really fun to reread as an adult.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews