What do you think?
Rate this book
Trixie Belden #38
El Misterio del Cementerio Indio (Trixie Belden)
Participating in an archaeological dig on an Indian burial ground, Trixie suspects a greedy, treasure-hunting college student of burglarizing several mansions in the area.
146 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1985
4 people are currently reading
454 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.
***
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
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
March 12, 2017
Trixie Belden and her friends are excited to be helping on an archeological dig in their neighborhood. The only flaw is Charles, the student leader, who has taken an immediate dislike to Trixie while being nice to her older brother. Trixie is sure he is up to something, but what?
I love the Trixie Belden series, so it takes something really bad for me to truly hate at book, even the lesser later books in the series. This book certainly has its flaws. The characters are more caricatures, and the villain is very easy to spot. However, there are some complications that make it harder to completely know what is happening until Trixie figures it out. Still, even when the characters aren’t at their strongest, it is still fun for this fan to spend time with them. Go in expecting a simpler book (and don’t pay too much for it), and you’ll be fine.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
I love the Trixie Belden series, so it takes something really bad for me to truly hate at book, even the lesser later books in the series. This book certainly has its flaws. The characters are more caricatures, and the villain is very easy to spot. However, there are some complications that make it harder to completely know what is happening until Trixie figures it out. Still, even when the characters aren’t at their strongest, it is still fun for this fan to spend time with them. Go in expecting a simpler book (and don’t pay too much for it), and you’ll be fine.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
June 18, 2018
The Indian Burial Ground Mystery by Kathryn Kenny is the thirty-eighth book in the Trixie Belden series.
I really disliked this one. The mystery was predictable (I figured it out fairly quickly, plus it had a treasure hunt aspect which I find boring and uncreative) and most of the Bob-Whites felt very out of character. Mart wasn't goofy enough, Trixie had too much of a temper, and Brian was way too aggressive. Jim wasn't in this book, either. We all know by now I love me some Jim&Trixie, so them not even interacting was an instant turn-off.
There was also some head-hopping between Honey and Trixie and some editing errors (Trixie is thinking something to herself, but then suddenly she's thinking in third person? Heh).
Also, Celia is the Wheeler's maid, not their cook.
Compared to the other books this was awful. 2 stars out of 5.
I really disliked this one. The mystery was predictable (I figured it out fairly quickly, plus it had a treasure hunt aspect which I find boring and uncreative) and most of the Bob-Whites felt very out of character. Mart wasn't goofy enough, Trixie had too much of a temper, and Brian was way too aggressive. Jim wasn't in this book, either. We all know by now I love me some Jim&Trixie, so them not even interacting was an instant turn-off.
There was also some head-hopping between Honey and Trixie and some editing errors (Trixie is thinking something to herself, but then suddenly she's thinking in third person? Heh).
Also, Celia is the Wheeler's maid, not their cook.
Compared to the other books this was awful. 2 stars out of 5.
May 30, 2020
Much like the Pet Show Mystery, this one just didn't really do it for me, and everyone felt slightly out of character to me (also not including Jim is an absolute travesty).
June 30, 2019
Me ha encantado volver a recordar las historias
January 6, 2015
This was a later edition to the TB series, which actual had many ghost writers over the years. As a result, some books had inconsistencies (like this one) and earned the ire of Trixie fans.
I think I spent the majority of babysitting income on these books.
I think I spent the majority of babysitting income on these books.
October 14, 2022
The Bob Whites are delighted to be offered the chance to help an archaeological dig in a section of the Wheelers' game preserve. It's headed by Professor Victor Conroy who's certain the area is dense with old Indian relics. It soon becomes apparent that foul business from more recent years may be afoot. Are mysterious treasure seekers the same as the ruthless robbers who are targeting local mansions? And is the dig site really haunted by indignant ghosts of old tribal folk who resent their old stamping ground being tinkered with?
* Trixie is crazy about the opportunity given to High School kids to assist the archaeology college students at the dig. She's so super-excited about getting down and dirty that her mother reminds her not to forget her longstanding commitment to the hospital as a candy striper. Spending part of the school holidays perspiring over shovels, picks and spades searching for something elusive that may or may not even be there doesn't sound like my idea of great fun. But a surprising number of Sleepyside High students volunteer, so the call of the long ago past must be strong.
* Trixie justifies her enthusiasm by reasoning that archaeology is like fascinating detective work, because sometimes the tiniest clue may solve a huge mystery. She goes so far as to say that she'd almost rather be an archaeologist than a detective, because mysteries of the ancient past have their own specific brand of mystique. Yeah, I can buy that.
* Trixie is impressed when Professor Conroy explains that archaeology is really the study of garbage. Lots of what comes to light is essentially gleaned from ancient rubbish tips. In other words, stinky refuge gains romanticism after enough time has passed. (It reminds me of the T-shirt my nephew, an archaeology student, was given to wear on his faculty pub crawl. 'Archaeologists! We'll date anything.')
* Diana must be doing well with her art, because her skills are getting some recognition. She's assigned to be on the sketching team at the dig because she's now so good at drawing. Go Di!
* Bobby attempts to play on his age to dodge responsibility. He says, 'Nobody would arrest a six-year-old for not wearing a seat belt, and I think it's dumb. So there!' That's what you think, you cheeky little punk. However, at this late stage of the series, Bobby seems to have remained six years old for a few years, so he's had plenty of time to perfect his lines.
* Trixie gives Mart a Bronx cheer, and I had to Google what that means, since I've never heard the term before. Haha, I should have guessed, considering the circumstances. In my corner of the globe, we call it blowing someone a raspberry.
* Trixie is back to her old habit of forming an instant grudge against someone without much apparent cause, just because she doesn't like them on first sight. In this case it's Charles Miller, Dr Conroy's 20-year-old assistant. Charles can join others such as Ben, Neil, Slim, Max, Eric, and their very own Dan Mangan, who have formerly been on the top of Trixie's hit list. Funny how it mostly seems to be young men, although she does make the occasional exception, as with Jane Dix-Strauss. In this case though, I think the fact that Charles is pleasant when he's talking to Brian but prickly when he's talking to her might have something to do with it.
* For the first time on record, sensible Brian chooses to distance himself from his sister's suspicions, when he thinks they've crossed a line and got too ridiculous. He doesn't care what the other Bob Whites think, he finds Charles Miller a friendly, above-board type of guy, and refuses to waste his time suspecting him of anything underhanded. Hmm, she has led them all on plenty of wild goose chases before.
* As we've no doubt all suspected, Mart seems to benefit from a young male fast metabolism. Trixie says, 'How can he eat all the time and still look like a bag of bones?' And Mart himself refers to the Five Food Groups as, 'fast food, sweet food, carbonated food, pizza and hamburgers.' It might catch up with him one day.
* This book contains an inaccuracy which I just can't turn a blind eye to. It tells us that Mrs Wheeler's horse, Lady, is supposedly Trixie's favourite, because of the cheeky way she adorably blows herself up when being saddled. No, no, no, no, no, it's always been Susie who Trixie's heart melts for. Even though Susie is technically said to be Miss Trask's horse, Trixie has always considered her to be her own sentimental favourite. It's just so wrong when Trixie trots off on Lady and Honey on Susie, instead of vice versa.
* Oh, and by the way, Reddy goes missing yet again. Just saying.
* I'll give quote of the book to Charles Miller. 'You have a way of closing in on someone even if he's innocent.'
* Trixie is crazy about the opportunity given to High School kids to assist the archaeology college students at the dig. She's so super-excited about getting down and dirty that her mother reminds her not to forget her longstanding commitment to the hospital as a candy striper. Spending part of the school holidays perspiring over shovels, picks and spades searching for something elusive that may or may not even be there doesn't sound like my idea of great fun. But a surprising number of Sleepyside High students volunteer, so the call of the long ago past must be strong.
* Trixie justifies her enthusiasm by reasoning that archaeology is like fascinating detective work, because sometimes the tiniest clue may solve a huge mystery. She goes so far as to say that she'd almost rather be an archaeologist than a detective, because mysteries of the ancient past have their own specific brand of mystique. Yeah, I can buy that.
* Trixie is impressed when Professor Conroy explains that archaeology is really the study of garbage. Lots of what comes to light is essentially gleaned from ancient rubbish tips. In other words, stinky refuge gains romanticism after enough time has passed. (It reminds me of the T-shirt my nephew, an archaeology student, was given to wear on his faculty pub crawl. 'Archaeologists! We'll date anything.')
* Diana must be doing well with her art, because her skills are getting some recognition. She's assigned to be on the sketching team at the dig because she's now so good at drawing. Go Di!
* Bobby attempts to play on his age to dodge responsibility. He says, 'Nobody would arrest a six-year-old for not wearing a seat belt, and I think it's dumb. So there!' That's what you think, you cheeky little punk. However, at this late stage of the series, Bobby seems to have remained six years old for a few years, so he's had plenty of time to perfect his lines.
* Trixie gives Mart a Bronx cheer, and I had to Google what that means, since I've never heard the term before. Haha, I should have guessed, considering the circumstances. In my corner of the globe, we call it blowing someone a raspberry.
* Trixie is back to her old habit of forming an instant grudge against someone without much apparent cause, just because she doesn't like them on first sight. In this case it's Charles Miller, Dr Conroy's 20-year-old assistant. Charles can join others such as Ben, Neil, Slim, Max, Eric, and their very own Dan Mangan, who have formerly been on the top of Trixie's hit list. Funny how it mostly seems to be young men, although she does make the occasional exception, as with Jane Dix-Strauss. In this case though, I think the fact that Charles is pleasant when he's talking to Brian but prickly when he's talking to her might have something to do with it.
* For the first time on record, sensible Brian chooses to distance himself from his sister's suspicions, when he thinks they've crossed a line and got too ridiculous. He doesn't care what the other Bob Whites think, he finds Charles Miller a friendly, above-board type of guy, and refuses to waste his time suspecting him of anything underhanded. Hmm, she has led them all on plenty of wild goose chases before.
* As we've no doubt all suspected, Mart seems to benefit from a young male fast metabolism. Trixie says, 'How can he eat all the time and still look like a bag of bones?' And Mart himself refers to the Five Food Groups as, 'fast food, sweet food, carbonated food, pizza and hamburgers.' It might catch up with him one day.
* This book contains an inaccuracy which I just can't turn a blind eye to. It tells us that Mrs Wheeler's horse, Lady, is supposedly Trixie's favourite, because of the cheeky way she adorably blows herself up when being saddled. No, no, no, no, no, it's always been Susie who Trixie's heart melts for. Even though Susie is technically said to be Miss Trask's horse, Trixie has always considered her to be her own sentimental favourite. It's just so wrong when Trixie trots off on Lady and Honey on Susie, instead of vice versa.
* Oh, and by the way, Reddy goes missing yet again. Just saying.
* I'll give quote of the book to Charles Miller. 'You have a way of closing in on someone even if he's innocent.'
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.
July 28, 2017
Ten days in the hospital under observation for a possible concussion? I had to laugh at this. When I was 9 (in 1973), I slipped and fell, hitting my head against the door frame. My parents took me to the hospital to be checked out and I was sent home with a possible concussion. I was awakened every hour and asked questions to make sure everything was okay. It's obvious Professor Conroy didn't see the Belden family physician (Dr. Ferris) or have an insurance plan rushing him out of the hospital. :-) The mystery itself isn't bad, but Trixie spends a lot of time making jumps to conclusions seemingly for the sake of jumping to conclusions.
February 22, 2021
Some old characters make an appearance that haven’t been around in awhile (Ms. Trask, Reagan, Celia and Tom) but for the most part, pretty lackluster with inconsistency that late Trixie is known for.
Also did they just not want to write about Jim?
Also did they just not want to write about Jim?
June 9, 2022
If you love Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and Tracy Kay Mystery books, then this one's probably right up your alley. I didn't enjoy it as much as the Nancy Drew books but to be fair, maybe because I've read Nancy Drew a long time ago, and my taste in books has changed since then.
September 24, 2022
Vejam a minha opinião em vídeo, AQUI.
August 31, 2023
I FINALLY GOT THE BOOK AFTER YEARS OF SEARCHING I AM SO HAPPY AND IT WAS SO CHEAP. Also no jim ):
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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
June 13, 2014
Another good fun with Trixie and friends ... starting to get old, though, and repeat scenarios. Also this author (not the original, but she DID right many of the earlier books) does not seem to know things as well as I do. She said things like Trixie's favorite horse was Lady, and Honey chose Suzy ... completely forgetting that Suzy was the horse Trixie originally wanted to buy. I have enjoyed these books for so many years, and it's hard for me to think that the author does not share my passion enough to know her own characters.
February 11, 2015
Totally stoked to finally track this down and read it for the first time. There is (obviously, see title) some period-typical problematic language and attitudes in this one, and it was clearly a first-time ghost-writer for the series as they managed to both mess up some really obvious continuity as well as duck out of writing anything about, like, half the Bob-Whites, but there was also some hilarious "look, I know some stuff!" type exposition about archaeology. As a completist, very happy to have read it, but the plot isn't anything special and there's no stunning character beats.
July 27, 2011
If it weren't for Trixie Camp 2008, I might hate this book on an equal level with Antique Doll. Trixie Camp may be this book's only redeeming value. Trixie is suddenly terrified of ghosts? Responsible Miss Trask and Regan actually go along with Trixie's harebrained scheme to trap the bad guys? Pod Brian? Trixie's favorite horse is Lady? Since when? Ugh, ugh, ugh. Awful book!
January 28, 2015
Trixie does it again: suspects the wrong person and misses a big clue, then realizes her mistake JUST IN TIME! Whew! Okay, when it's summer in Sleepyside, I like my girl detectives to have some down time! No pool, barbecues and only one horseback ride in this one! Nothing is as good as the first six books--as a kid, I read those again and again :)
June 19, 2010
Great children's mystery series featuring thirteen year old Trixie and her friends Honey and Diana...
December 26, 2012
book 38
February 1, 2013
Enjoyed this one, though Brian really gets on my nerves.
August 26, 2013
I love this one because 1. it takes place "at home" and 2. Reagan and Miss Task help out.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews