Trixie Belden and the Mystery of the Emeralds

Trixie Belden #14

by Kathryn Kenny

It was a small plot, enclosed by an ornate fence. The gate was ajar, and, going through it, Trixie and Jim saw rows of moss-covered headstones. In the rear was a small but impressive marble mausoleum. "Oooooh! Cemeteries give me the shivers!" Trixie exclaimed. A sudden clap of thunder made them both jump, and they hurried to the vault. By now the rain was teeming, and the inside of the mausoleum was pitch black, but at least they were of the storm...

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Adventure, Mystery Thriller

236 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

The 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

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leave it to Trixie Belden to discover a mystery while cleaning the attic at Crabapple Farm! The Bob Whites of the Glen are helping the Beldens clear out their attic and barn. Trixie accidentally damages a wall in the attic and finds a forgotten room. Inside the room, she finds a letter dating from the Civil War era about the Sunderland family and a cursed emerald necklace. The Bob Whites travel to Williamsburg, VA to try and track down the lost jewels.

Trixie Belden was my favorite teenage sleuth when I was a kid. I had the entire series of books and read them over and over again. This story was one of my favorites. I had a great time re-visiting the story. The gang has to track down clues, do some research, and even visit an old cemetery! Great fun! :)

The Mystery of the Emeralds is the 14th Trixie Belden book. It was first released in 1965.

The Trixie Belden series has 39 books and was written from 1948-1986. The first six books were written by Julie Campbell. The rest of the series was written by various authors using the pen-name Kathryn Kenny. I really wish I knew which authors wrote which books in the series! I'm slowly reading my way through the series again, and enjoying it just as much as I did back in the 80s. Most of the books are out of print (Random House owns the rights and re-released the first 15 books in 2003), but it's relatively easy to find used copies.

On to the next book! #15.....The Mystery on the Mississippi!

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars. This was the first Trixie Belden book I ever read, and my opinion at the time was flamboyant. “My word! I’ve never heard of Trixie Belsen before but I love these books! In my opinion, it’s much better than Nancy Drew. It actually has a storyline, not just a mystery. Trixie isn’t the perfect detective, and the whole gang is needed, which I really appreciated!”

I still love this series a lot more than Nancy Drew, even if I love ND anyways. ;) Back to Trixie though… Okay, so yeah, it is a bit crazy how they can just happen to hop off to the south for the sake of the mystery, but it does sorta work out with the birthday and all. Anyways, that small thing aside, I love the mystery! Of course the characters are really awesome. The Bobwhites are as epic as ever, and particularly Mart & Trixie, because when is their banter not amazing; and I love Neil (IYKYK) and Mr. Edgar is such a lovely man and Miss Caroline is SO like Miss Cornelia from “Anne's House of Dreams” &c. Also, the villain was a real, scary villain, which is not always the case in Trixie books; and I really enjoyed how old the mystery was, how the kids got involved, and what the whole storyline was!

Content: euphemisms

[Subashini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Post-Fight Club ancient remedy: a jolly good dose of Trixie Belden to cure the Tyler Durden in your head.

[Melissa McShane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This...was actually a pretty good adventure, though not much of a mystery aside from Trixie and Honey's detective work to find the emerald necklace. Aside from a moment of misdirection about who the villain was, it played out smoothly, and whoever the syndicate writer was did some good research. There's always a point in a Trixie Belden mystery where the story goes off into Wholesome Educational Material, in this case Colonial reenactment history, but this is less obnoxious than most. I thought the overbearing Miss Bates was pretty funny, with her repeated comments about men being useless (which she doesn't really mean, hence the funny). My lone memory of this one is Trixie nearly suffocating in the secret stairwell, but that beats not remembering anything.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unlike my other Trixie Belden reads, this mystery was absolutely new to me as it was not one of the volumes I had as a child. Civil war history leads Trixie, Honey, Jim, Brian, Mart and Diana to take a trip to Washington D.C and Virginia to try and find emeralds belonging to two sisters. They find a descendant, historical properties and a mean neighbor. Trixie Belden is once again going to solve a mystery!


Goodreads review published 02/12/23

[Tita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vejam a minha opinião em vídeo, AQUI.

[Bailey Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though this wasn't very fast-paced, there was an actual mystery mixed in with some history of the Civil War so that was good. Dan didn't go on this trip and that's why the rating isn't higher.

(Yes, I love Trixie but Dan is my fave. I make no apology for that.)

Recommended 10+ for scary situations.

[Eva-Joy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bland compared to other Trixie books I've read, but Jim is still the best.

[Dawn Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS is my other "most favorite" of the series. I am not sure why I love this one so much, but I do. It was such thrill for me two summers ago to finally get to go to Williamsburg and see it "up close and personal". I would love to go back and really do the tours and have a full day of it.
The good that the Bob-Whites do in this book is another reason I love this read!!!

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[Sheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This and Cobbett's Island are definitely a step up, in terms of the writing, over the other Kathryn Kenny books so far. The writing is not as good as Julie Campbell's, mostly because it dips into "Nancy Drewisms" ("Trixie, you're so wonderful!" kind of stuff in particular), and the author has a slightly different view of the characters, but still a pleasure. The next one is supposedly by the lady who wrote #s7-12, alas.

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my absolute favorites in the series! I love the interaction of characters, the development of characters, the happy ending for almost everyone ... except the bad guy! ... It's just my kind of book!

I needed a quick and easy read that would just satisfy me today ... and this was the ticket. One of my favorites!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

2025 needed a quick win of a reread

[Katt Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trixie travels to Virginia on the trail of a family legend concerning a missing emerald necklace. But can she find something which was hidden more than a hundred years before?

Okay, so Trixie gets lucky, a lot, in this plot. It just so happens Di's parents need to go to Washington D.C. They just happen to be into the restoration of old plantation houses. Everyone just happens to meet the right people at the right time. Forget all that. This is a twisty tail, full of fun even if the plot is a little too contrived. Trixie is still amazing, especially given how she doesn't give up, even when things get dangerous (and man, does she ever fall into danger. Over...and over...and over...)

No matter what, I'm always going to love Trixie, no matter how old I get. Half of that is because of the great joy I had reading these books the first time around. For that, I'm giving an extra star just for the sake of nostalgia.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just a blast from a very long ago past!

[JJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Great Trixie Belden Re-Read of 2025: #14
OMG, this one actually rocked. This was a proper, solid mystery with some genuine twists that I didn't expect. I really dig Di's parents, they're super cool. In fact one thing I think is uncommon in stories like these are the parents being in on the adventures sometimes, rather than a) killed off, or b) useless. It's a fresh change from most books revolving around teenagers on adventures.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

These four books in a row in the series (12, 13, 14, 15) and the perfect summer travelogue. This book takes the Bob-Whites (minus Dan...of course) to Virginia, with a stop in Washington D.C. along the way, for a decades old mystery discovered in the Belden's Sleepyside attic. Loved the connection to the Underground Railroad that sparked the mystery. Loved the old house with its secret tunnel.

2012 Review:
Like Cobbett's Island before it, The Mystery of the Emeralds is a treasure hunt mystery, easily my favorite kind of mystery. The Bob-Whites (sans Dan, sigh...the author didn't even bother to come up with any excuses, they just never bothered to try to include him or explain why he couldn't come...nice) go to Virginia, spending a day in Washington D.C. and some time in Williamsburg, before heading to a tiny town called Cliveden to try and solve a 100-year old mystery. I like that the story starts so firmly in Sleepyside and that Crabapple Farm appears to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. I love the atmosphere of the old southern homes, Rosewood Hall and Green Trees. I love the treasure hunt and especially the underground tunnel! What I don't like? Well, I've never been a big Jim fan, plus I've always felt Jim liked Trixie more than Trixie liked Jim, but as with Cobbett's Island, his constant praise and sucking up to Trixie in this one is really obnoxious. I thought I disliked overprotective, scolding, pompous Jim but kiss-ass Jim is far worse.

[April Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

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? – 1965.

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, cell phones, and air conditioning in homes, especially the mansion.

Short storyline: Trixie Belden finds a link the Civil War past of her own home. She, Honey, and her brothers work to find the living descendants of the people mentioned in the letter, and return a set of rare family jewels to their rightful owners.


Notes for the reader: A great mystery! No violence (only referred to from the past), no murder.

[Paula Vince · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's Gone with the Wind mode for the Bob Whites, in both time and place. Trixie accidentally uncovers a long forgotten secret in her own attic. Just before the Civil War, a woman named Ruth from an estate called Rosewood Hall down south wrote to her sister Helen about the whereabouts of a valuable emerald necklace. Trixie and the others grasp the opportunity to travel to Williamsburg, Virginia with the Lynches. Maybe if they're able to set foot in Rosewood Hall they can use the vague clues in the letter to track down this heirloom to return to Ruth's descendants. It's just a matter of getting in past the hostile new owner.

* Talk about instant deja vu! It's the exact same theme as Mystery on Cobbett's Island. The discovery of a tucked-away old letter suggesting the whereabouts of something valuable. I'm not complaining though, since I enjoy the concept of peeling back layers of time to discover what took place.

* Wow, Crabapple Farm is a really old place. Sure, we've been told that it's been in the Belden family for several generations, but it's just sunk in for me that this encompasses the Civil War, when we find out about Rufus the runaway slave with his canteen and contraband letter, hiding in the hidey hole. The unassuming Crabapple Farm was part of the Underground Railway. Lucky Belden family, to live in a place which could be heritage listed. There is talk about ghosts at other places throughout the series, but it seems to me they more than qualify to have a few of their own.

* Brian and Mart share a bedroom. That's made clear when Trixie rushes in to wake them up after shouting, 'Rabbit, rabbit!' I wouldn't mind having a floor plan of the house, and I'm sure the various Kathryn Kenny authors might have benefited to pass one along to each other too.

* Trixie and Honey visit Miss Julie Sunderland, whose father fought in the Civil War. This dates the Trixie Belden series like nothing we've seen so far. For the War ended in 1865, so if Mr Sunderland returned in 1866 and Julie was born some years later (I'll say 1875 to be extra generous, but it could have been even earlier) it'd still have to be around 1965 to bring her to the age of 90. Since this book was said to be published in 1965, that fits perfectly with the author's time concept. But it sure doesn't fit for any of us who prefer to imagine the series taking place a little later, such as the eighties, nineties, or even into the 21st century. All genuine Civil War Baby Boomers are long gone.

* We meet two descendants of Ruth Sunderland Fields, the writer of the old letter. Apart from Miss Julie, her niece, there is Edgar Carver, her wheelchair bound grandson in Virginia, a really nice middle-aged gentleman and new friend.

* Trixie takes an immediate dislike to Miss Julie's young friend Neil, just as she had to Dan. It seems she hasn't learned her lesson about first impressions. Neil even reminds her of Dan back in those early days, yet she still carries her unaccountable grudge.

* Neil must be pretty agile, to jump a fence no-handed with milk in one hand and eggs in the other. No spillage or cracks occur either. Maybe that's why Trixie is suspicious of him. Is the guy super-human?

* Since the Lynches plan to incorporate Diana's birthday into their impromptu visit down south, it must make her a few months younger than Trixie, who had her birthday on May 1st. After all that's gone down since, it must be at least July, especially since Trixie just celebrated the turn into a new month by shouting, 'Rabbit, rabbit.' What an intense June it's been.

* Mr Lynch comes across as a different style of millionaire to Mr Wheeler. He's jolly and matey, and his daughter clearly adores him. He calls his wife 'Mother', suggesting the title extends to Diana's friends for the duration of the trip. Not only is Mr Lynch altruistic about the restoration of old buildings, but his money enables him to lend helping hands to those who may need it. What a nice guy.

* On the road with Mr Lynch, Brian decides to make a classier lunch order than Trixie and Mart's inevitable hamburgers, opting for 'barbecued beef on a soft bun with coleslaw.' Trixie accuses him of breaking their family tradition. Even though Brian might have been a hipster before his time, it doesn't strike me as that radical a lunch.

* All the Bob Whites are sort of reverential about Abraham Lincoln's statue in Washington. The president who would have been in at the time of this book's publication was Lyndon Johnson and it was a few years after JFK's assassination. They were still in the era of hero presidents. Trixie makes a joke about Mart becoming a future president. I'm sure some readers probably think he might have made a better job of it than some of the more recent ones who spring to mind :)

* Jenkins, the current owner of Rosewood Hall, is a nasty piece of work who should surely have been convicted of physical assault after his treatment of at least two people. It amazes me what bullies from years ago could get away with.

* Oh for heaven's sake, Trixie goes totally bonkers after one of Mart's offhand comments and jumps on him with talons bared and fists flying until Jim forcibly restrains her. I wish someone would tell her to grow up and learn to take a joke. As it is, Jim asks Mart to take back what he said. This pattern irks me a lot. Because she has anger management issues, he is forced to apologise and retract. As John Cleese once said, people who can't control their own emotions have to control other people's behavior.

* Sure, her bossiness is based on kindness and altruism, but it's still damn bossy!

* If you're wondering about Mart's comment, which sent Trixie off her nut, I might as well make it the quote of the book. He says, 'We know what you're getting at. You just don't want any of us stealing your thunder. You want to find the emeralds all by yourself, don't you?' And we're even told that he said it in a good natured spirit. I think perhaps she gets so mad because he strikes a little too close to home.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

My husband thinks I have too many books. While I don't think there is such a thing, I am trying to purge. I have been rereading my childhood books. I don't usually put them in here, but this book was my favorite Trixie Belden book so far, so I thought I'd put it in here as a reminder of these classic books. A bit old-fashioned at this point, but enjoyable.

[Scout Langley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the characters especially the sibling bond between Mart and Trixie. I love that it is a whole group of friends solving mysteries instead of just one person. I also loved the side characters from sweet Mr. Edgar to Miss Caroline who is such a personality. My favorite part of the book is the kids interacting with Mr. Edgar. He was so lonely but really lit up when they included him in their group and mystery hunting. I think it is really important to have characters with disabilities in books to normalize their existence especially with kids.

I loved the drawings of the characters that they had a few times in the book. It helped to visualize the characters and what was going on.

"Honey's real name was Madeleine, but no one ever caller her that now, and no one seemed to remember who first gave her the nickname."
I like that you don't have to read the books in order, but some of the explanation of characters and previous events in the series felt unnecessary.

"The question of slavery is on everyone's lips. Fortunately, Lee and I are of the same opinion about this matter. We freed all the slaves here at Rosewood some time ago. Most of them did not want to leave the plantation where they had spent all their lives, and they stayed on, either for wages or a share of the crops. But on other plantations where their relationship with the owners is not so good, slaves have been escaping to the North in great numbers. Feelings are running high, and there is bound to be trouble soon."
This part felt thrown in as the mystery goes back all the way to the Civil War era so we need to throw in some history. Kind of interesting that every book that you read that has characters with slaves it is always some were bad slave owners but not us!

[Laura Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty interesting mystery. I liked the tunnel aspect, the Civil War connection (even if it's not fully explored, we hear about the Underground Railroad initially and then it's never mentioned again) and Mr. Carver was a wonderful secondary character. But there are definitely shortcomings.

First off, the ghostwriters (after the first six books) don't pay attention to detail (or they've never read the first books in the series). In "Mystery of the Emeralds" it states that Jim is the oldest of the Bob Whites. He's not, Brian is. Also, in the beginning of the series Reddy is referred to as Trixie's dog. I even seem to remember Mart teasing Trixie about taking care of him because he belongs to her. Now in the last several books, Reddy is said to belong to Bobby. I reconcile that in my head by having Trixie gift Reddy to Bobby because they are all away from home so much that Bobby must get lonely.

I was also disappointed that the author missed a great opportunity when setting this particular mystery in (or near) Williamsburg. What a great setting! Too bad the kids spend hardly any time in the town and even when they do, the scenes are short and the setting glossed over. I remember one of my favorite Bobbsey Twins mysteries was set in Williamsburg with the town an intricate part of the story. It was so much better than "The Mystery of the Emeralds" and really piqued my interest in Williamsburg.

[Sam Erickson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written before 1970

I choose this book because I needed to have a novel written from before 1970, and this book was being passed around. It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be; incredibly cheesy? Yes. Mary-sue and Gary-stu characters? Yes. I guessed the plot and the characters involved fairly early on. But the mystery was fun and if you're looking for a nice clean mystery, here you go.

This book could be used in high school or middle schools, as a demonstration over how literature has changed over the years. It can also be used as a guide for seeing how subtle sexism/racism was (and in some cases, still is) when writing books. There were no poc's, and there was the common joke about how Trixie is useless in the kitchen. Could have been aiming to be more progressive, but at times it definitely came across as sexist. But it's a cute story, obviously written in the 60's or so.

Content Warnings:
Drugs- None.
Sex- None. Character has a crush on someone else, seemed to be a long-standing crush.
Language- Old fashioned kind of swear words but they really just make you laugh because of how ridiculous they sometimes sound.
Violence- Mentions of antagonist beating a worker/horses, pushes an old crippled man, but it's tame, no graphic descriptions.
Miscellaneous- Curing of a disabled character in the end. Bothered me a bit, might bother others as well.

[Amy Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this one for a Reading Challenge category to re-read a book I read as a child. I have had the hardest time with this category. First I tried to re-read Caddie Woodlawn because I remember loving it as a young girl. The overt racism in the first few pages nixed that re-read. Then I tried to read a Nancy Drew book because those are the first "chapter books" I remember devouring as a new reader. The clunky writing and overt sexism nixed that one. After a friend reminded me about Trixie Belden, I settled on re-reading one of those. The Mystery of the Emeralds was definitely better written than the Nancy Drew I attempted, but overt sexism still wound throughout the book. Apparently no male in the worlds of these books had the ability to feed himself, even if the feeding just involved getting himself a cup of tea. And SO MANY eye roll-inducing comments about the "girls" looks. "Their hair was shining, and their discreetly applied light lipstick made them look unusually pretty." GAG The story-line often got lost for me amid all the annoying comments about women cooking and primping. Trying to re-read the books I remember loving as a child has made me all the more amazed that I somehow have been able to break out of so much early patriarchal indoctrination.

[Tatiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

The reason that I choose to read this book because it fell under the category of reading a book that was written before 1970. This book seemed interesting because of the plot of the main girl, Trixie, finding an old letter in a secret passage in her house that no one knew about. It was an old part of the house that even her father had forgotten about but had heard of from his father. Another reason that I choose to read this book for this category is because Sister Soper had read a line of the book that had just sounded funny because of the time that it was written in. Someone who I would recommend this book to is to my friend Kim because as I was reading this book, there were certain parts that really amazed me and that I couldn't believe that this was the way that they talked. As I found these things funny, I read some to her and she thought it was amusing as well and said that she would read it.
In a classroom setting, I would teach this to students who are in middle school. This is not a hard read, it is very short, and it has a good story line. I would teach this to students who are in sixth grade specifically because it kind of reminded me of the book series "the Magic Tree House" with all the adventures. This story can keep you on your toes and can also make you laugh because of the humor that is in it. It is a good way for the students to see how the time varies and how certain things change as the years go by. Not only would they have something different than what they are use to but it would also be something that their parents are not use to. It is probably something that their grandparents are use to and it could be a conversation starter at home.
-there is a fighting scene is this book but it isn't that much in detail

[Nicola · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Nat McJunkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had to read a book written and published before 1970, and this one fit the bill. I read a few Trixie Belden novels when I was younger, but I forgot or didn't realize at the time how cheesy or corny they are. Not to mention the blatant display of gender roles and sexism. But that was typical for the time. Aside from these things, I did enjoy the book well enough and would recommend it to middle school or high school aged readers just so they can see how much writings have changed in the last few decades. Plus, who doesn't like a light, cheesy mystery to read every now and then?

I think The Mystery of the Emeralds would be a great book to use in a literature class, if just to show what used to be acceptable to have in books and how they used to be written. There's a lot that can be discussed, such as the sexism displayed (girls work in the house and boys work outside).

Content warning:
Mild abuse of an older cripple
Mild animal abuse (as in not discussed in great detail)

[Allison Jackson]

I chose to read this story because I love mysteries and old fashioned writing. It is particularly interesting to read older stories through a feminist lens and see how women were viewed. I would recommend this story to my younger cousin, Taylor, just entering the 6th grade. She enjoys mysteries and history. As this story is about discovering a historical secret, I believe she would be very interested in it.
I would use this book in a classroom to compare and contrast modern and older books. This would be interesting to study the time period language, assumptions, and gender roles and then discuss them in tandem with more modern books. Assigning a “Then and Now” project would be interesting with a class of 7th graders.

[Hannah Thatcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book because I needed something written before 1970. Honestly, I would recommend this book to 7-10 year old’s. It is so clean cut that pretty much children can read it. Today it might be marketed to a children age audience. It doesn’t have any hard themes or anything.

I would not teach this book in school. It was funny, but idealistic and unrealistic. It is not something that would teach anybody anything other then what books were like in before 1970. Definantly a weird read though and I’m glad I wasn’t born then.

Warnings:
None

[Don Heiman · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Trixie Belden: The Mystery of the Emeralds:” was reissued by Western Publishing in 1971 under author pseudonym “Kathryn Kenny.” The book is about a search for an emerald necklace that was hidden in a tunnel connecting two manors in Cliveden, Virginia. It was hidden by a newly married couple during the American civil war. They hid the necklace to protect it from from being taken by civil war combatants. Trixie learned about the treasure when she was cleaning the attic in her parents’ Sleepyside, New York home. When she was cleaning, Trixie discovered a letter in a pocket of a civil war era pair of pants. The letter talked about a map inside a locket showing where the necklace is hidden . Trixie and her Bob-Whites friendship club members followed the letter clues and found the map. They then used the map to find the necklace behind a brick in the tunnel between the two manors. The mystery is about how Trixie and her club researched clues, overcame the ugly strategies of a nefarious owner of the Cliveden Rosewood Hall manor, and the help they gave to the very kind owner of the adjacent Green Trees manor. Their help also allowed the manor owner Edgar Carver survive violence and trickery. The book storylines describe the Bob-Whites amazing detective skills, their ability to overcome dangers, and their success in finding and gifting the emerald necklace to Edgar Carver. The novel is #14 in the Trixie Belden mystery series. It is very fun to read. (P)