Mandie and the Charleston Phantom

Mandie #7

by Lois Gladys Leppard

Suspense, mystery, and adventure with Mandie and her friends!

Having returned home to Franklin, North Carolina, after helping solve the mystery in Mandie and the Medicine Man, she begins her new adventure with a visit to Charleston. A trip to a friend's ocean-front beach house introduces her to what seems to be a "phantom" rising into the air and then falling into the water. Even though caught up in the excitement of discovering another mystery, Mandie learns some important lessons about friendship and jealousy.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Childrens, Christian Fiction, Young Adult

144 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1986

About the author

Lois Gladys Leppard was the author of the Mandie series of children's novels. Leppard wrote her first Mandie story when she was only eleven and a half years old, but did not become a professional author until she was an adult. Leppard has also worked as a professional singer, actress, and playwright. At one time, she and her two sisters, Sybil and Louise, formed a singing group called the Larke Sisters.
There are forty Mandie books in the main series, an eight-book junior series and several other titles. Leppard said that she could write a Mandie book in two weeks, barring any interruptions.
The eponymous heroine lives in North Carolina in the early 1900s, encountering adventure and solving mysteries with help from her friends, family, and pet cat, Snowball. These young reader novels are meant to teach morals as well as be fun and captivating stories to read. Leppard stated that her books contain "nothing occult or vulgar", and Mandie is depicted as a faithful Christian. The Mandie books often deal with issues of discrimination and prejudice relating to race (particularly with regard to the local Cherokee), class, and disability.
Lois Gladys Leppard based some of the incidents in her Mandie books on her mother's experiences growing up in North Carolina. The dedication in the first book is: "For My Mother, Bessie A. Wilson Leppard, and In Memory of Her Sister, Lillie Margaret Ann Wilson Frady, Orphans of North Carolina Who Outgrew the Sufferings of Childhood".

Reviews

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 3 out of 5]

About this book:

“Having returned home to Franklin, North Carolina, after helping solve the mystery in Mandie and the Medicine Man, she begins her new adventure with a visit to Charleston. A trip to a friend's ocean-front beach house introduces her to what seems to be a "phantom" rising into the air and then falling into the water. Even though caught up in the excitement of discovering another mystery, Mandie learns some important lessons about friendship and jealousy.”


Series: Book #7 in “Mandie” series. (Read the reviews of: #1 Here! #2 Here! #3 Here! #4 Here! #5 Here! And #6 Here!) {There also is the “Young Mandie Mystery” series, (Book #1 review Here and Book #2 review Here!) but they do not connect together well}


Spiritual Content- Ephesians 4:26 at the beginning; Talks about God, Scriptures & forgiving; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Prayers; A couple Scriptures are quoted, mentioned, and prayed; a Mention of what the Bible talks about; Uncle Ned refers to Heaven as “happy hunting ground”;
*Note: Many mentions of phantoms, ghosts & haunted houses.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a ‘stupid’, and two ‘shut up’s (one is teasing); A bit of sarcasm; Josephine does not like Mandie; A family rumor that someone was murdered or she committed suicide (the truth is not known, not-detailed); A story of a man who killed his wife (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of past & present slaves & skin colors (nothing offensive).


Sexual Content- Jealousy between Joe & Mandie; Tommy calls Mandie beautiful & she blushes; Many Mentions of Joe & Mandie marrying when they’re older.

-Amanda “Mandie” Shaw, age 12
P.O.V. of (mostly) Mandie
Set in 1900
136 pages (also available in a collection with four other Mandie books.)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- Four Stars
New Teens- Four Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars
{Ratings are lowered as ages get higher due to the simple plot.}
Another fun Mandie mystery. :)
*See my thought on this series versus the younger series, Here!


Link to review:
http://booksforchristiangirls.blogspo...


*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

so gooddd

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars - English paperback

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery series for the mystery reader!

[Vanessa]

Such a throwback! ☺️

[Kendal Natsis]

Was so fun going back and reading this childhood book!

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Mandie and the Charleston Phantom
Author: Lois Gladys Leppard
Series: Mandie, 7
Format: ebook, bind-up
Length: N/A
Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis: Having returned home to Franklin, North Carolina, after helping solve the mystery in Mandie and the Medicine Man, she begins her new adventure with a visit to Charleston. A trip to a friend's ocean-front beach house introduces her to what seems to be a "phantom" rising into the air and then falling into the water. Even though caught up in the excitement of discovering another mystery, Mandie learns some important lessons about friendship and jealousy.

Favourite character: Tommy
Least favourite character: Josephine

Mini-review: Good book. I liked all the ghost stories. I'm not sure how I feel about all these family plot twists. Like the plot twists are good, but the way they're revealed is too questionable and public. I still don't like the way they write the Negro characters. I am aware that they didn't have an education, but still. I don't get writers who write their characters unintelligibly. I have to read those sentences sometimes three or four times to understand the gist of what's being said.

Fan Cast:
Amanda "Mandie" Shaw - Emma Rayne Lyle
Thomas "Tommy" Patton - Asher Angel
Josephine Patton - Reylynn Caster
Elizabeth Shaw - Malin Akerman
John Shaw - Robert Downey Jr.
Uncle Ned Sweetwater - Zahn McClarnon
Lucille Patton - Claire Danes
George Patton - Lee Pace
Joe Woodard - Louis Hynes
Dr. Woodard - Gideon Emery
Jason Bond - C. Thomas Howell
Liza - Lauryn Alisa McClain

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I realized, in reading this book, that I’d skipped this and many others when I read them as a kid. I went from the first 5 to the teens and so this storyline and plot were new to me.

The basic plot is Fall break and Mandie is visiting her friend Tommy at his house in Charleston, South Carolina so she can see the ocean.

Well, his 3 houses because there’s one in town, one at the beach and a plantation.

Again the racial conversation is approached with the delicacy of a sledge hammer here. Mentions of the “war of northern aggression” alongside casually showing off cabins that housed former slaves who are now paid of course.

Another odd piece of the plot is the rich family’s decision to adopt Hilda after hearing about her once. I guess the adult discuss such things while Mandie stares at the ocean and maintains a grudge against Joe for talking to another girl while she spends a week with another boy?

Maybe it’s because I’m in my 30s and OLD now but the characters move around every other day. That doesn’t feel very relaxing but I suppose if you have servants who do everything for you there’s more time to rest.

[Fariha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yes, not only did I read this series of Christian girl mysteries, but I ate that shit up.

A wonderful middle-grade series that has fun mysteries, memorable characters, and great lessons along the way. I read so many of these but just rating my 2 favourites out of them which are this and Mandie and the Shipboard Mystery

[Riley Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mandie and the Charleston Phantom by Lois Gladys Leppard was definitely a really good one. This is book seven out of forty! That may seem like an overwhelming number but these books are all between 80-130 pages. In this book Mandie and her family go to stay with Tommy and his family. They own three homes but they stay at the beach house the most. Tommy's sister, Josephine, is really weird she continues and insists no matter what anyone tells her to tell Mandie ghost stories. Tommy asks Mandie if she wants to take a walk on the beach early in the morning to see sunrise and to get some sand dollars that the tide washed up. Than... an unexpected thing happens.
This book is written in third person omniscient point of view. The author is all seeing and all knowing and reveals feelings and thoughts of multiple characters. At the beginning of every book there IS a bible verse. There are also multiple mentions of God and praying, which is one things I love about this book. This is book is written with a Christianity perspective.
Like I mentioned above one things I really like about this book is that it has a Christian perspective about it which is hard to find with anything now days. I also really like the suspense. This book definitely is hard to put down (I read the whole thing in one day). This book keeps you on the edge of your seat constantly. This book in particular out of the Mandie books has some romance in it which is always a plus, at least for me. I didn't really dislike anything about this book, it was all around a very good book. If I had to say something I dislikes though it would be how quick the goodbye between Tommy and Mandie were. As a reader I felt a spark there and then it just went away like it was nothing.
This book did leave a great impression on. This book was the type of book and story that when I was laying in bed at night I wonder, what's going to happen now? In this book while Mandie was going to Charleston with Tommy was the first time she had ever seen the ocean. She thought it was so beautiful she could even cry. I can connect with her because though I have been to the ocean many times each time I see it I feel like it's the first time all over again. I think that as I continue to read this series this is one book that will stick with me.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Again I like the fact that these books follow along from each other, forming a serial type atmosphere. This one though was my least favourite so far. A big too much of the cheesy spooky nonsense, it felt almost like it was meant to be a halloween special.
Anyway hopefully the next one will improve matters!

[Debbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just a couple stars because we didn't like the ghost theme and skipped all of that nonsense.

[Josiah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a ok edition to the series. I think the author did a bad job of trying to get a mystery about ghosts.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew who the ghost was...but I'm keeping in mind this is a book directed towards a younger audience

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagine your parents told you you were adopted in front of a bunch of other people lol

[Kynzie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty predictable but it kept me entertained. 3.5 stars

[Noelani · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 3/4 stars by 9 year old.

[wanderer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit it: I am reviewing these books years after reading them. However, do not even suggest that I'm no longer qualified, that too many years have passed to remember. My battered and faded copies of these books testify to how many times I read them growing up and plots and entire passages are seared in my memory forever.

Snowball always ran away, Mandie always got in trouble, Uncle Ned always rescued her, and Joe and Tommy bristled at each other. I myself prefered Joe, but Tommy's cosmopolitan airs nearly tipped the balance a time or two. I recall- fondly and as though it were yesterday- my glee when Mandie went off to Europe, my disgust at the new baby, my delight in Mandie's wardrobe of sky blue frocks, my puzzlement at all her near escapes and handy school vacations, my terror during the daring midnight adventures. Ah me, to be young and silly again...

If I had written goodreads reviews at the age of eleven, all Mandie books would've received automatic five-star ratings and gushing descriptions. As an adult, I will honestly give them all three stars, except for my special pets. And if I ever have a little girl, I will buy her the entire set. Oh, and did you know there are more than forty books in the series by now? And I'm guessing Mandie never grows up, either.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

I only had two problems with this book.

1. It was very generic. I have read several book that are similar, so much so that they are almost identical to other book that I have read.

2. Mandie never got in trouble. Every time she did get in trouble, which was often, she would say sorry, then her mother would say okay don't do it again, she would promise not to, and all would be forgiven.

The only reason this book is getting two stars is because I know it could have been much, much worse. Not for the fact that what was written was good.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic children's book series. I still pick them up from time to time & re-read. Great adventure books w/ always exciting scenes around every bend! If you have children who like to read, like adventure, & don't want them reading "smut" then this series is for you! FYI- they are Christian-based, if that's something you prefer to keep from your kids.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mandie books are fun Christian mysteries for children, but I still love reading them. Even though she doesn't age very quickly and seems to get far too many breaks from school during the year, she's a lot of fun.

[Aditya / · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I sortof enjoyed this book, I found the characters' attitudes towards wealth unappealing, so I don't recommend this book for kids or anyone else. I certainly would not want my kids picking up these characters' attitudes towards wealth.

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mandie goes to Charleston to visit a friend. She has a great time although the homes where her friend lives appear to be haunted. That spoils her fun until she learns what was causing the ghostly apparitions. She also learns how to handle jealousy.

[Partridge Public]

Leppard, Lois G. PB

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute. All the Mandie books are just very cute and suitable for little girls who like old-fashioned adventure.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it but I am not to fond of the ghosts in it!

[Meadow Frisbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mandie and Joe are on the case to find a phantom aka a ghost.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was scary for me at age 10...

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

AWESOME

[Gabrielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was a good book but i dont like Josphine!!!!!!!!!