Trixie Belden Series 10 - 12

10) The Marshland Mystery

Miss Bennett, the Biology teacher, has lost all her herbs. Trixie decides that the Bob Whites, with the benefit of Brian's superior botanical knowledge, will scour the local Martin's Marsh and replenish them. They come across an elderly recluse named Miss Rachel Martin who has a tragic past. Meanwhile the Wheelers are hosting a child prodigy violinist, Gaye Hunya, who is on a concert tour. When Gaye follows the girls to the marsh and disappears, suspicion falls on Miss Rachel. Trixie's foraging for herbs becomes an urgent quest to find Gaye, clear Miss Rachel's name and also help her out when the local council threatens to evict her. 

* This story takes place in spring. It's April and Jim and Brian are planning to finish High School and begin college in the fall. I wonder how the authors will manage cram in all the action of the rest of the series before the awesome duo is supposed to pack up and leave.

* The Bob Whites realise through prickly but poignant little Gaye Hunya that being a famous celebrity isn't all it's cracked up to be. Sure, she draws huge crowds, but her schedule is jam-packed and gruelling. Gaye's stern aunt, Miss Della Crandall, seems to be exploiting her as if she's a little cash cow. I found this little brat growing on me, and wish she could appear in later books. 

* Since Miss Rachel's great grandfather was said to be a friend of the notorious Captain Kidd, it's possible to date this book. Captain Kidd was executed in 1701, which Mr Belden calls (approximately) 250 years ago. More like 320 years ago now, for anyone choosing to read this series as if it's contemporary. His words plus the Martin family tree set this book around the mid-twentieth century. With a bit of a stretch it could still be early to mid eighties, which is when I imagine it.  

* Both Trixie and Mart share the same 'speak-before-they-think' gene. These 'almost twins' stick their feet in their mouths incredibly often, but I'm convinced she does it most yet he gets paid out for it more. In fact, Trixie is downright rude about Gaye's little dog, Mr Poo, but Mart gets the blame from Honey for first stirring Trixie about Reddy's disobedience and prompting her to make a comparison. So even when Trixie is disparaging and offensive, it's Mart's fault. Go figure.

* As for the dialogue between the Bob Whites in general, some of it is pure gold. I love these guys. 

* There are some inconsistencies. Reddy runs up against a copperhead snake and when Trixie yells at him to leave it, we're told he reluctantly lays off because 'training took over!' But hold on, we all know Reddy is completely untrained! That's one of the running Belden family jokes. So I don't buy this at all.

* Trixie is now looking after the chickens, which Books 1-3 indicate was supposed to be Mart's job. However, since their Dad is being very demanding with the boys regarding gardening in this story, perhaps Mart is temporarily let off the hook with the chooks. Sometimes it appears the two older Belden boys shoulder the heaviest work of Crabapple Farm singlehandedly. It's a huge demand from Helen and Peter when you think about it, since Brian and Mart are also expected not to let their schoolwork slip.

* Thanks to the Belden kids, I've learned how to get blueberry stain off a white shirt.  

* We get Sergeant Rooney on the case this time, and not Sergeant Molinson.  

* Trixie mentions asking Regan or Dan about Irish legendary fairy folk, such as leprechauns and pookies. It seems our uncle/nephew duo must have roots in the Emerald Isle, to be sure, to be sure, to be sure. 

* We are introduced to another character who everyone loves to hiss and boo. It's Paul Trent, a young troublemaker who manages to land himself a job as a reporter with the Sleepyside Sun fresh out of school. His misinformed poisonous pen does lots of damage, prompting Peter Belden to tell his kids, 'There seems to be something magical about printer's ink. Once people read a story in a newspaper, most of them believe that story is true, even if it's retracted.' That's good enough to be the quote of the book. 

* In the spirit of her father's wisdom, another good one comes from Trixie. 'I'm glad I'm not gifted. It must be sort of like being in prison.' 

* I've reached the quarter mark in my re-read of the Trixie Belden series. I'm pleased to say that thus far, despite the change of authorship, the time trajectory has been fairly consistent. Book 1 starts in the summer holidays around July when Trixie first meets Honey and Jim, and this book ends on May 1st the following year with Trixie's 14th birthday. She's been 13 for a quarter of the series and I believe she'll be 14 for the three quarters still to come. It remains to be seen how the Kathryn Kenny authors will manage to compress time without banging their heads against the wall of her 15th birthday.    

11) The Mystery at Bob White Cave

The Bob Whites are holidaying with Uncle Andrew at his fishing lodge deep in the heart of the Ozarks. Trixie discovers a current competition in a science journal calling for three white, cave-dwelling 'ghost' fish at different stages of evolution. But her impatient quest to win the $500 prize is interrupted by the antagonism of their young cave guide, the action of other tourists on the same quest and a vicious arson attempt. Will the Bob Whites be able to sort out these other messes and still have a chance to win?

* The timeline running through the series still holds up for now. The previous book ends on May 1st with Trixie's 14th birthday. We are now in early summer again, and Mart is said to be 15, so this story presumably takes place after June 1st, which was his birthday. That could prove to be a bit shortsighted on behalf of the author, who has just thrown away the whole month of May as non-eventful. I would have liked at least one novel when both 'almost twins' are 14.   

* Sadly, neither Di nor Dan can make it this trip. We're pared back to the core 5. 

* Uncle Andrew must be loaded with dough for a Belden. He has a sheep farm in Iowa AND this getaway lodge in the Ozarks. It sounds like he could rival the Wheelers and Lynches for wealth, but I suppose having no wife and kids probably helps. 

* Once again, 'Kathryn Kenny' has nailed the sense of place. We're talking modern times, whether you're imagining 1962, 2022 or anywhere in between, but this Ozark community are genuine hillbillies, driving mules and carts because the mountainous terrain and treacherous roads are still not set up for cars. The caves are magnificent and we learn a bit about cave exploring (or spelunking) in a safe way. 

* To satisfy his concern for the young peoples' safety, Uncle Andrew hires a cave guide, Slim Sanderson, who is only a little older than the Bob Whites. Yet cultural chasms create friction from the outset, even though they're all fellow Americans. It seems every state has its own strong pride and prejudice.  

* Uncle Andrew's widowed housekeeper Mrs Moore and her 14-year-old daughter Linnie feature strongly in this book, with all their Ozark deference for supernatural forces at work behind the scenes. Their superstitious outlook is terrifying on the surface, but ultimately a great source of comfort to them. Although this pair has had fierce struggles and live a spartan lifestyle, there is something enviable about their calm, faithful outlook, and most of all their deep sense of their own roots. When the land on which you live flows in your blood, you surely have fewer identity issues to contend with than fly-by-night city slickers. 

* I remember finding some of Mrs Moore's ghost stories a bit hair-raising back when I was the target audience. They're so vivid and told with such conviction. 

* Honey (in the absence of Diana) is the sole voice of caution and timidity in this book. There are implications that she's cramping everyone's style and her pleas to reconsider reckless schemes are consistently shot down. Yet on two life-threatening occasions, her anxious forebodings turn out to be absolutely grounded. Personally, I'd take Honey's inner compass over Brian's and Jim's any day. 

* Mart quotes Latin in perfect context to fit the occasion. He says, 'Non fatuus persecutis ignem' meaning, 'It is no will-o'-the-wisp that I have followed here.' That's pretty impressive for a 15-year-old, but the girls always brush him off as pompous and showy compared to Brian and Jim's confident air of authority. I don't think there's anything Mart can do about it. I always get the feeling his ostentatious brand of showing off is all to do with reminding the others he's there, but birth order is real. I'm not a middle kid myself, but can see they do it tough.  

* My word, I find Trixie particularly abrasive in this book!! To me she's the spoiled brat of the family on a par with Bobby; spotlight seeking, demanding and manipulative. From Page 1 she's throwing a tantrum because it's raining outside. She insists on forcing her fish chasing plans on the others, and it's too bad if they have different priorities because she knows she'll wear them down. Brian and Jim's interest in geology must cave in to her agenda (pardon the pun). Because she's confident that everyone finds her so earnest and cute. 

* Oh gosh, she just has to take centre stage. It kills her not to. She's already had one crazy plunge into the sinkhole, almost drowned herself and pushed poor Uncle Andrew to the edge of having a nervous breakdown. When he weakens against his better judgement and allows them all back for one last try, Mart says, 'Let me be the one to go down this time. I weigh less than Brian or Jim.' Then instead of rolling with it after the trouble she's caused, Trixie insists that it absolutely has to be her. 'I want to be the one to go. I saw the fish and I want to go after them.' Then, instead of calling her downright spoiled, the adults call her 'spunky' and let her have her way. 

* Trixie is also dismissive and tactless to Mrs Moore, trying to convince her that her husband's ghost doesn't exist, without pausing to consider that the conviction has been a source of comfort and strength to the older woman for a decade; or that belief in spirits is deeply woven into her worldview. But Trixie trivialises everyone whose ideas differ from her own. Even when friends and family express horror at her near escapes from death, she shrugs off their reactions as irrelevant because they don't match her own resilient way of moving straight on. 

* Toward the end of the story, Moms writes to ask her brood to return home early, since she has to go and support Aunt Helen because Uncle Mart is in hospital having tests. Hmm, where do these family connections fit in? I'm guessing they're from her side of the family. She must be Aunt Helen's namesake, and presumably thinks highly enough of Uncle Mart to have named her own second son after him. These relatives never actually appear in the story.

* Trixie announces, 'We've never had one penny given to us for one of our projects.' Ha, she fails to consider that Uncle Andrew has just forked out money to set up all five of them with expensive cave exploring gear, and he's also paying Slim big bucks to be their guide. Their rule of never accepting anything they haven't earned is conveniently overlooked in this instance.  

* I can't pinpoint a standout quote of this book. Uncle Andrew's dramatic, 'My own brother's child almost drowned!' is such tiresome deja vu from The Happy Valley Mystery. Trixie's confident, 'Nothing will happen to one of us when the others are near,' is cringeworthy. She would have been killed within the first few chapters if not for the foresight of an outsider, and there would have been nothing the other Bob Whites could do about it. Another of Uncle Andrew's lines springs to mind as the best, but it reveals too much about the motivation of the villain, so I'd better leave it. Ah well, no stand-out quotes but just a few 'anti-quotes' this time round. 

* Overall, I'm torn about this book. The two main plot twists are extremely far-fetched, and Trixie drove me nuts at times. Overall, it's possibly my most face-palmy so far, yet I can't deny there's something haunting and vivid about the setting and local folk that stands out over some of the others. I still enjoyed it immensely, but dearly hope the author of the next book will tone down Trixie's smugness just a smidgen. 

12) The Mystery of the Blinking Eye

Destination is the Big Apple, New York City itself. The Bob Whites have made plans to meet their friends Ned, Bob and Barbara to show them a great time they won't forget. Trixie helps a foreign lady at the airport, and receives a disturbing prophetic poem in way of thanks, which seems to anticipate everything that unfolds on the trip. This is scary, since some desperate crooks are on their tails the whole time, presumably after a quirky little wooden idol which Trixie bought at an antique shop. Will strength in numbers apply, or are their pursuers just too savage and cutthroat for ten teenagers?    

* It's great to see all the Bob Whites enjoying a trip together for once. Dan has made up his grades to stay abreast of the two brains, Brian and Jim, for now. (He even calls them this himself.) I guess he can make it along only because the destination is close to home and just for a few days. With the addition of their Iowan friends, there are ten young people enjoying time together, and I think it's terrific. 

* Although the sole purpose for the trip is to have fun together in the Big Smoke, Trixie's magnetism for danger and adventure can't be switched off. Their Iowan friends claim to love it, but it is disturbing and disruptive for Miss Trask and Diana, at least. Di openly admits that it's not the sort of lifestyle she'd court, if she had the choice. I've got to say neither would I, but it's fun to read about. 

* Miss Trask is a lady of many hidden talents. She can translate the gypsy lady's poem from Spanish to English for the girls without sacrificing any of the rhyme. That's some feat.  

* A hansom cab driver at Central Park boasts to all the kids that he used to drive Mrs Andrew Carnegie around. This dates the series for sure, even if he was stretching the truth, seeing that Louise Whitfield Carnegie was born in 1847 and died in 1946. 

* I guess it could only happen in New York City. A renowned talent scout overhears Bob and Barbara Hubbell entertaining their own small group of friends with folk songs in a private apartment. He comes knocking on their door to see if they'd like to appear on daytime TV. Would this be feasible anywhere else in the world?

* I like the Hubbells, who are actually real twins, unlike Trixie and Mart. Bubbly Barbara has just one all-purpose adjective for everything (wonderful), while her brother Bob's vocabulary is broad enough to give Mart a run for his money. I don't remember if their guest appearance on TV was a career springboard for these singing siblings, but I hope so. Their friend Ned is very cool too. 

* Here's a possible inconsistency. The Bob Whites and Co are firmly told no extra tickets are available when they front up at the studio, until they explain that Bob and Barbara are expected on set. Then later our little gang discover the crooks got through to the audience auditorium with seemingly no hitches. What's with that? I'll assume the doormen were instructed there was no more room for nine or ten, but maybe two or three could be squeezed in. 

* There really should be a series cookbook. Trixie and Mart give their mother's reputation a run for its money on this trip. She whips up mouthwatering beef stroganoff and he ad-libs French themed mashed potatoes based on a restaurant dish he tasted with many herbs and spices. Plus Diana makes delicious Chinese fried rice.

* Poor underprivileged former street kid Dan. I love how he tells his good friend Mart that he didn't recognise any ingredient he rattled off except for cheese, but the combo is to die for! 

* The Marvelous Mart's magic act! What a laugh.

* Diana has changed her ambition from airline stewardess (in books 6 & 7) to a tour guide at the United Nations Centre like Betsy Tucker, a former student at their school in Sleepyside. 

* Trixie and Honey have a quiet dig at Di for bringing two suitcases of clothes for a three day trip. I see their point, yet I suspect this is Di's way of controlling what she can. Her low self esteem makes her focus on her outer appearance, which is probably the main thing she ever receives praise for. She suffers from vertigo too, and it's extremely brave for her to push on up the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building, rather than losing face. 

* The gang hooks up with Dr Joe Reed, a beloved orthopedic paediatric surgeon who has earned their devotion over the years. He set Diana's brother Terry's broken leg and let keen student Brian Belden watch, to his satisfaction. Brian is still a High School kid and not even a medical student yet, but he's had plenty of hands-on experience already by taking part in his sister's adventures.  

* Mr Moneybags himself, Honey's dad, Matthew Wheeler, puts in a fairly long appearance toward the end. I find this guy formidable, even though the Belden kids seem to be chill with him. He comes across as friendly, yet there's a distinct, 'Don't mess with me' vibe about him.  

* Jim instantly recognises the quirky way Trixie writes the number 4. Okay, everyone chorus with me after one, two, three.  'Awwwww.' 

* Quote of the book goes to Miss Trask. 'Maybe Trixie has learned her her lesson, this time. But we always think so until something else happens.'  

   Catch my last thoughts on Books 7 - 9.

And please join me next time for Books 13 - 15.