Trixie Belden - A Guide
Nov 18 '05 (Updated Aug 17 '08)
The Bottom Line Tired of Nancy and the Hardy's? This series is just what the doctor ordered.
When I was entering Jr. High, I was looking for a new mystery series. I had already read many of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series and was beginning to tire of them. I happened to stumble on the Trixie Belden series, and I was hooked. Before long, I decided to collect all 39 books. Unfortunately, the books had just gone out of print, so I had to haunt used book stores. (Yes, this was in the days before the internet.) It took me a few years, but I found them all. And I still read them. They are some of my favorite books.
And before anyone objects that a guy is reading a book series about a girl, I'll just point out that of the seven main characters, four were boys.
There were several things that drew me to these books. The first is the friendship the main characters shared. I was lonely off and on during my teen years, and I loved escaping into a world were the main character had a group of friends who would support her no matter what.
The second is that they are much more realistic than the Hardy Boys or Nancy Drew series. Trixie had chores she had to finish before she could go solve the mystery. Her little brother annoyed her. She fought with her older brothers. She would even fight with her friends. Of course, everyone makes up by the end of the book, but I found these relationships so much more real then in other series I was reading at the time.
Finally, the characters had strengths and weaknesses. Trixie is determined to find the answers. But sometimes that turns into stubbornness that puts her in danger. Trixie's friend Honey is very tactful but can be afraid of things. Trixie jumps to conclusions, sometimes leading her down the wrong path before she finds the real solution.
Trixie has a very traditional home life. This only makes sense since the series started in 1948. Julie Campbell wrote the first six, and then tired of the characters. Her publisher bought the rights to the characters and continued the series under the pen name Kathryn Kenny. There have been many Kathryn Kennys over the years, some better then others.
The books were out of print for almost twenty years until Random House started republishing them in 2003. After 2006, the first 16 will be back in print, with the fate of the second half of the series to be announced later.
I'm going to give a brief background on the main characters. This will, in some cases, require spoiling events in some of the early books, especially 2 and 8. You have been warned.
Trixie Belden lives with her family on Crabapple Farm in the town of Sleepyside on the Hudson, New York (Ossining in Westchester County). Her father works in the bank in town and her mother stays home. She also has three brothers, Brian, who's the oldest at 16, Mart who is fourteen, and Bobby, who is six. She's thirteen when the series starts but does get one birthday in book 10.
Honey Wheeler is also thirteen. In the first book, she moves into Manor House, just up the hill from Crabapple Farm. She is a sheltered rich girl when the series starts, but comes out of her shell after meeting Trixie. Trixie and Honey spend lots of time on the Wheeler's property because it includes a lake, horses, and a game preserve. The estate is run by many servants who make appearances throughout the books as well.
Jim Frayne is a fifteen year old orphan who is abused by his step-father when Trixie and Honey find him in the first book. After running away from Sleepyside, Trixie and Honey track him down and his is adopted by Honey's parents.
Diana Lynch grew up in Sleepyside. The same age as Trixie, the two had been friends for years. They drifted apart when Di's family made lots of money, but Honey brought the two friends back together.
Dan Mangan is the nephew of the Wheeler's groom. He grew up in New York City but moves to Sleepyside after he is orphaned. He lives with the Wheeler's game keeper and helps patrol the preserve.
Together, these seven friends for the Bob Whites of the Glen. Starting in book 7, they begin doing various service projects for charity that seem to involve mysteries along the way.
Trixie Belden Mysteries:
1. The Secret of the Mansion
2. The Red Trailer Mystery
3. The Gatehouse Mystery
4. The Mysterious Visitor
5. The Mystery off Glen Road
6. The Mystery in Arizona
7. The Mysterious Code
8. The Black Jacket Mystery
9. The Happy Valley Mystery
10. The Marshland Mystery
11. The Mystery at Bob-White Cave
12. The Mystery of the Blinking Eye
13. The Mystery on Cobbett's Island
14. The Mystery of the Emeralds
15. The Mystery on the Mississippi
16. The Mystery of the Missing Heiress
17. The Mystery of the Uninvited Guest
18. The Mystery of the Phantom Grasshopper
19. The Secret of the Unseen Treasure
20. The Mystery off Old Telegraph Road
21. The Mystery of the Castaway Children
22. The Mystery on Mead's Mountain
23. The Mystery of the Queen's Necklace
24. The Mystery in Saratoga
25. The Sasquatch Mystery
26. The Mystery of the Headless Horseman
27. The Mystery of the Ghostly Galleon
28. The Hudson River Mystery
29. The Mystery of the Velvet Gown
30. The Mystery of the Midnight Marauder
31. The Mystery at Maypenny's
32. The Mystery of the Whispering Witch
33. The Mystery of the Vanishing Victim
34. The Mystery of the Missing Millionaire
35. The Mystery of the Memorial Day Fire
36. The Antique Doll Mystery
37. The Pet Show Mystery
38. The Indian Burial Ground Mystery
39. The Mystery of the Galloping Ghost
Or get the first three books in one set.
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