Mystery on the Isle of Skye

by Phyllis A. Whitney

Following instructions contained in the parting gift from her Grandmother when she set out for Isle Of Skye, would lead to startling surprises for Cathy MacLeod. She and her standoffish cousin Don, would be drawn in a search for answers to baffling puzzles. New friends and thrilling adventures wait for Cathy where she learned to love the mountains and legendary magic of her Grandmother's beautiful isle. The greatest surprise of all came when she least expected it....

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Scotland, Fiction, Childrens, Gothic, Juvenile

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Phyllis Ayame Whitney (1903 – 2008) was an American mystery writer. Rare for her genre, she wrote mysteries for both the juvenile and the adult markets, many of which feature exotic locations. A review in The New York Times once dubbed her "The Queen of the American Gothics".

She was born in Japan to American parents and spent her early years in Asia. Whitney wrote more than seventy novels. In 1961, her book The Mystery of the Haunted Pool won an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Juvenile novel, and she duplicated the honor in 1964, for The Mystery of the Hidden Hand. In 1988, the MWA gave her a Grand Master Award for lifetime achievement. Whitney died of pneumonia on February 8, 2008, aged 104.

Reviews

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was a little girl, this was a favorite book of mine; so much so that I've always wanted to go to Skye, even though I have little Scottish heritage or know much about its history. I finally went, and it was delightful. Decided to re-read the book, and am so glad I did! It has its weaknesses, but overall, it really stood the test of time. The only ways in which it felt "dated" were welcome, little glimpses of how the world has changed since it was written. A charming book, although less a "mystery" than a coming-of-age tale.

[C. (Don't blank click my reviews, comment please! · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve wanted “Mystery On The Isle Of Skye” for years and encountered a perfect copy. Phyllis A. Whitney’s mysteries are worth reading anyplace you can acquire them. This one starts out with the awe of travel in 1955; when a plane ride would be momentous. Kathy is meeting her Mom’s family for the first time, en route to her Grandma’s birthplace. She encourages Kathy to explore Skye while she is healing in hospital.

Aside from this airport atmosphere that has become common for us, this novel is timeless. It’s about feelings and a stout landscape that hasn’t changed. Ancient beliefs and customs sparkle with the same mystique in modern times. We have no trouble riding along with a girl who wishes her elder cousin would be less sour and shares secrets with his young brother. Phyllis turned the format of adventure on its head. Mystery doesn’t find her in Scotland: she brings it! To maximize the trip for Kathy and introduce her homeland as well as she can from afar; Grandma wrapped a variety of errands. They are well-timed tasks each set to her with a note. A sacred stone to put back from whence it came, a page to return from a borrowed book, and their clan head to meet at tea in a castle.

Other than locating the right mountain for Grandma’s stone, the page makes the most compelling puzzle because hers only partially shows what looks like a famous battle; won by asking the help of a fairy flag. Celts regard fairies seriously but I was taken aback by the degree of Skye’s etherealness. It stands apart from other Scottish places and I long to see it. Even if there were no mystery, this book beautifully describes unusual, magical terrain. We are immersed vividly into their culture.

[Andria Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isle of Skye and follow through on various instructions to receive her prize. The book starts off with Cathy joining her aunt, uncle and two cousins Don and Punch on the trip of a lifetime. She's swept away into learning all about Scotland and it's people, especially her family the Macleod's. I was pleased to note the Battle of Culloden being mentioned, the Sith, fey and magic also having mentions scattered in the book. But those mentions were brief and the story focused more on Cathy becoming friends with Don and Punch. I'm happy to add there's zero romance in the book. It's a straight up ya mystery with elements of suspense and a fun quest. While the ending felt abrupt it was a happy ending. The characters felt believable though some of the writing definitely felt dated in the "portly" aunt Bertha. Overall I'm happy to rate this 4.5 ⭐

[CLM · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://perfectretort.blogspot.com/202...

My favorite Phyllis Whitney - American Cathy visits the Isle of Skye with relatives and both she and the reader are charmed by its history.

[CrystalIsReading on StoryGraph · Rating 2 out of 5]

boring. that's about it. I picked this up because I enjoyed Lois Lenski's work, and I love anything about Scotland. I thought for sure I would enjoy this. But it was dull. You can old fashioned in a charming way, like Little Women or Anne of Green Gables, or you can have just dated, like this book. I did learn a little about the Isle of Skye that was interesting, but otherwise it was just a story about a girl trying to find a family, but disguised as a mystery. oh well. I've read worse.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phyllis Whitney was one of my favorite authors when I was younger. This is just a re-read of one of my favorites to see if I still like it so many years later.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first book by this very prolific author. Kind of between a 3 and a 4, really, as parts of it are a bit slow, but rounding up because I'm so impressed by the general caliber of writing for a young audience (arguably young adult, but with a 12-year-old protagonist I would imagine it appealed more to readers under 14). Part of that is due to its age alone, but even among its peers it stands out to me in terms of both style and how unafraid it is to go in depth into giving readers a historical & cultural education about Scotland, not to mention some walking tours. Which I generally enjoyed as someone with a bit of Scotch heritage as well.

And while there is not a particularly grand mystery to solve in the way the title implies, I absolutely loved the little extra suitcase her grandmother packs for her. Half a dozen mystery packages wrapped in tissue paper with instructions about when to open them, inside of which she finds little items and brief letters or instructions explaining what she should try to do with them -- tiny mysteries on their own, often a sort of scavenger hunt to find a person, place or thing, but not always straightforward. They certainly get her engaged in both the trip and the people around her, and the ultimate goal is that by working together with others to help her solve things, she will find she has made both new friends and firmer bonds with her extended family.

I also have to talk about the one status update I made before getting entirely wrapped up in the story, which is that there are a couple of chapters that detail the process of boarding, layovers, and flying in an airplane, and it showed me exactly why my mom waxes nostalgic about how genuinely nice flying used to be. Nowhere was it more apparent than in this description of one of their meals:

The stewardess came down the aisle with Cathy's lunch. A small pillow was pulled from the pocket of the seat ahead and set on her knees. Then the stewardess handed her a small blue cardboard tray, notched to hold little blue plastic dishes containing everything from the main serving of steak and gravy to soup, salad and dessert. There were even tiny shakers of salt and pepper and an envelope of sugar.

I will say that the ending feels a bit abrupt. (though invited to continue traveling with her aunt & uncle after they leave the Isle, who have just let her know they want her to live with them upon returning home rather than her stodgy maiden aunt, she gets word that her grandmother has "taken a turn for the worse" and so must rush home to visit her. There are a few more pages to wrap up the loose ends of her quests, and she's perfectly satisfied with her visit, but it ends with her on her way home. Why would you leave me dangling on the anxious feeling that Grandma's on her deathbed??))

Still, I'm very glad I scooped this up at a book sale on a whim because I was frankly stunned to see how expensive secondhand copies are, despite this having been published in many editions. Nothing under $20 online right now, and for mass market paperbacks at that. (which, side note: even for mass market this is bitty font, which gets even smaller in her grandmother's letters)

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twelve-year-old Cathy MacLeod is going on an adventure of a lifetime...an adventure that may change her life forever. Ever since her parents had died when she was small, Cathy has lived with her grandmother. But now her grandmother is ill and Cathy will need to live with a distant cousin of Grandmother's named "Aunt Bertha." Aunt Bertha is a formidable woman and Cathy isn't sure how much she will enjoy living with her. But before she makes that move, her mother's brother Jerry invites Cathy to join their family on a trip to the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Uncle Jerry is a climber and has always wanted to climb the hills and mountains of Scotland. Aunt Lila is a MacDonald and has always wanted to visit the land of her ancestors. And Grandmother thought it would be a good opportunity for Cathy to see the home of the MacLeods.

Before she leaves, Cathy's grandmother puts together a red case with wrapped surprise packages. It includes a letter that tells Cathy to open the packages according to the instructions included on each. Some of them require Cathy to perform certain tasks first and others instruct her to enlist the help of her cousins. Speaking of cousins--Punch, the younger of the two boys, takes to Cathy right away. But Don is at that stage (as her Aunt Lila tells her) "when he thinks all girls are poison." So Cathy isn't too sure that Don will want to help her with her tasks. But a series of adventures, including a scary hike on a mist-covered crag and a visit to a legendary castle, will bring Cathy the biggest surprise of all...when she least expects. Along the way she makes new friends and learns to be more sure of herself and what she wants.

I think this might have been more properly called "Magic" on the Island of Skye rather than mystery. There isn't much mystery (in the traditional genre sense) in this story. But there's a fair bit of magic--from the magic of the Island of Skye itself--the beautiful countryside, the brooding mountains, and the fog that cloak with mystical swiftness--to the magic of the little people, whom Cathy's grandmother tells her may be able to help her when she least expects it to the magic of meeting new people and making new friends. It is also a lovely coming of age story and also a good story about finding family and a place where you belong. And a place that will always belong to you--even if you can't stay there forever.

First posted on my blog My Reader's Block.

[Laura Bang · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Cathy's grandmother falls ill, she has to stay with other relatives for a while. Her uncle and his family are off on a trip to the Isle of Skye, where their family is from, so Cathy is invited to tag along. Her grandmother arranges an adventure for her, by way of sending her off with a carry-on bag full of packages to be opened at certain points of her journey. (International adventures arranged through letters/packages is one of my fave things -- like Maureen Johnson's 13 Little Blue Envelopes.) It's not really a proper mystery, but it's an enjoyable ramble across the Isle of Skye, with wonderful descriptions of the terrain and I enjoyed Cathy's quest to find the meaning behind her grandmother's "assignments."

[Terri Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only reason I'm giving this one three stars is because it was definitely written for kids and didn't really appeal to me; otherwise, Phyllis Whitney's descriptive writing and her ability to teach me about other places is, as always, a pleasant experience.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not her best work, and it hasn't aged well. Even when this was fresh and new you would have had to groove on your Scotch/Celtic heritage to really enjoy it. The characters were flat and exist only to move through a guided tour of Skye.

[Scoozer]

I read all of Phyllis A. Whitney's books as a teen and want to reread them.

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

O.K. plot--nice ending--easy reading--not suspenseful

[Rebecca Berinstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting mystery and puzzle. even with countless rereadings I can never figure out the ending.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Different cover than shown. mainly bought because Calhouns are from Isle of Skye!

[Plethora]

Review to follow...delightful read.

[Charlotte Osborn-bensaada · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just read another book set in the Hebrides and it reminded of this book I read way back when I was in 4th grade.

[Amber Dulaney · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an entertaining young adult mystery. The main appeal for me was Isle of Skye, Scotland. It is now my dream vacation. I had fun seeing it through the eyes of the characters.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phyllis A Whitney was one of my favorites as a kid! I'd love to get my mitts on her books and read them again:)

[Allie]

I remember reading this a long time ago... it immediately rang a bell while I saw it in "Quidditch Through the Ages."

[Werefox by moonlight: Half man, half beast, but all horror]

Back when everyone else my age was reading stuff like Twilight or Harry Potter, I was reading my mom's old Phyllis Whitney books. It's probably no surprise that I'm now obsessed with 60s and 70s gothic romance books as an adult.

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.2

Scotland -- its history, bagpiping, sites on the island of Skye
Perfect for young readers who will be visiting Scotland.
A map of the island would have been appropriate.

Not really a mystery.

Messages from Grandmother were wise.

[Nicci · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this very much. Especially since I recently visited Skye and toured Dunvegan Castle, and went to many of the places Cathy sees, so I could picture everything vividly!

I did expect more of a mystery given the title.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful re-read of a childhood treasure.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Alii · Rating 5 out of 5]

A childhood favorite that I had to re-read before a long awaited trip the Isle of Skye!

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This wasn’t an actual mystery so that was disappointing

[Franceseattle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rereading this book was my attempt to rediscover what set me on a life-long fascination with Scotland. Having read this probably some 60 years later, I can see that it is a gentle story which may or may not interest an elementary school-aged girl. I agree that it hasn't aged especially well, but then the internet, photography books, and life experiences have filled in for me the look and atmosphere of Scotland, and of course, the Isle of Skye. I adored this book as a 7 and 8 year old, but it seems somewhat tame now. I have a feeling that the Brits could make a wonderful little film out of the story that could add a bit of color to the characters, as long as they don't destroy the innocence of the zeitgeist of the book. My four star rating reflects how I felt about it back in the early 1960s. Today's re-read I might give it three stars instead.