So I'd have to say my ultimate favourite is #7, because it's a fantastic mystery with great adventure and a very homey and friendly atmosphere. The Bob-White interaction is great, which is half the reason I read these books. Growing up as a city girl, I never had my best friends as neighbours, and most of the time they weren't even within walking distance. Except I'd meet up with my absolute best friend at the library and we'd just read together.
ANWYAYS, I digress again. When I got older, I started collecting them, but only from local bookstores and such. I managed to get my collection of 16, which is great, but less than half the series! When I got EVEN older, I started doing some online research and found they were popular, and there was a ton of information on them, including the ghost writers, which I found really intruiging. I'd always thought Kathryn Kenny was one person and thought she sounded a bit odd from one book to the next. Some lacked continuity. I'd have to say, knowing everything I know now, that my favourite ghost author is probably Stack. Because she authored #7 which is unbeatable in my eyes. I read that one a gazillion times. Which makes me really interested in her other series, Robin Kane, which is supposed to be a 'West Coast Trixie Belden'. Except, living in an obscure area, I can't get any =_=.
But speaking of favourites, #12 has to be another one of my favorites, not sure where it stands on the list. Really have to read my Trixies all in one sitting to find out and I really don't have the time. And I swear, even though a researcher assigned #12 to an anonymous author 'D' who could and could not be Stack, I'm sure it is her because she mentions the EXACT same tip for cooking hamburger patties (ie. soak in milk and breadcrumbs to keep the juice in) as in #7 and yes, I did read it that well. Anyways, #12 has an awesome, coherent mystery (which is why I believe also that #11 could not have been by Stack or else she must have been bipolar or something because that author really did not have a clue), great in-character characters and the whole thing was a lot of fun! It also has in depth knowledge of New York, which makes you feel like a real NY tourist into the bargain, except without the danger of getting pockets picked and such.
So the Bob-Whites are in New York, meeting Bob and Barbara and Ned, their friends from Iowa (#9 The Happy Valley Mystery) and are setting out to see the sights. Trixie helps a frightened Mexican woman find her plane. She claims that she's a real fortune teller and gives her a purse as a gift. Trixie ponders about it for a long time, but unlike #11, she's not bratty and doesn't bully others into getting into a mystery, which means she is IN-CHARACTER!
She and Honey go walking whilst everyone's unpacking and go to an antique store. She picks up this ugly little wooden carving, "so ugly it's darling" and buys it. Really not the thing normal people would do, and Honey tells her so. The owner is out and his friend is looking after the shop (which is significant later on).
After a day of sightseeing, Trix and Honey discover a slip of paper covered in Spanish verse (that rhymes in english!) in the purse the Mexican woman gave Trix. Miss Trask translates it into:
Great-headed man, with blinking eye,
A shaded road, a horses cry,
Foreign words for all to hear,
First clue is so very near.
Watch out for thieves; they're everywhere,
At home, on island, in dead beasts' lair.
Where shines a beacon cross the sky,
Beware, great danger lurks close by.
Be not misled by evening's fun
A villain's work is never done.
While guitars play thieves linger round
But not til later are they found.
Twin rails of steel, a trembling square,
Watch close, you'll see the guilty pair.
A lonesome journey, gleaming gun,
Foolish girl what have you done?
Great-headed man does prostrate lie,
A great big stone in his blinking eye,
All is not lost though, little friend;
Rejoice for peril, danger end
Near silver wings, past river's bend.
Fortune is yours, fit for a king,
And the hearts of little children sing.
From then on, they keep being shadowed by 2 men, one that is short and ugly and has a scar running down his face and one that's just plain tall and ugly. They go for a hansom cab ride through Central Park and the men try to grab Trix's purse. She cuts her leg and Jim, Brian, Trixie and Honey return to their apartment (it belongs to the Wheelers, like every single prop in the whole series =P) where she lets them in on the poem prophecy. In an incredibly short amount of time, coincidently just after they've finished talking, the Iowans and Mart come back from Central zoo and they're let in on the secret. They figure out the prophecy is coming true, because the first 4 lines all happen in the Park.
Then they go to the UN, where they meet a Sleepysider who's now a UN guide called Betty. It seems a little farfetched that she would recognise them, but why quibble? While everyone goes for a tour, Trixie and Honey go to the gift store and have the idol priced. There's a Peruvian expert randomly there and he tells them it's worthless and tries to take it off Trixie, very suspiciously, but she causes a scene and he fails. The real Honey is back in this book, because she tells Trixie he's dodgy and to keep a firm hold on it. When everyone gets back to the apartment, they find it ransacked, but nothing taken! The police are brought in, and the Bob Whites make dinner. Never knew Trixie was a good cook, but she is. Mart does some 'magic' tricks, and the best part is he explains how he did everything. And Bob and Barbara, the Twins from here on, sing and play guitars. A TV man hears them and asks them to perform the next night!
The next day, it's the Statue of Liberty. They climb near the top and they have another run in with the scar-faced man, but it's another failed attempt to grab her purse. At a museum, Honey and Trixie get separated and stay behind accidently after closing time, and one of the men catches them, and it's quite a frightening scene because there's no one else there. They finally get rescued by Brian and Jim who have alerted the museum man (sorry, can't remember the name at the moment) that the girls are still inside. So another close shave.
Then it's time for the twin's performance, which is fun. They sing and song and the show is taped and shown again. They're "showstoppers" according to the title. The next day, it's the Empire State building, and Trixie and Di are separated because she's too afraid to go up high. And one of the men start chasing them, and it's awfully scary, but they duck into a room with two women, who take care of them. They even report it to the police, but they can't do anything until they know what the people look like.
In a museum full of trains, their next destination, they meet Doctor Joe, who is a famous surgeon and an avid train collector. They go over to his house, where his wife and many kids invite them to stay for lunch. There, they watch the video broadcast of the twins and see the thieves lingering in the background! See if you can figure out where in the prophecy it is, it's a little obscure.
At home, Trixie gets a call that the others don't know about. It's from one of the men, saying they're following her because they want the little wooden carving she's got, and how it belongs to some peruvian rich man who's willing to give her $1000 for it back and to meet them at such and such a place in broad daylight. Well it turns out to be in aseedy part of a seedy town and when Trix walks in, not letting anyone else know about it, there's only 3 men there. The 2 that have been shadowing her, and the 'carving expert' at the UN. And they hold a gun to her and tell her to give them the carving. She's really frightened, and it is really terrifying, until the police just come in with guns and the boys of the Bob-Whites. Stack explains their presence pretty well, how they figure out where she is by her scribbling the address on the inside of the public phone book, so it's all believeable. It turns out the 3 who have been following Trixie are hard, international thieves! Back at the apartment, Mr. Wheeler is there and everyone's relieved but it's really emotionally tense.
What I love about this part is that Trixie actually realises the enormity of what she did and how much danger she was in. Unlike her near-death experience in #11 in the sink-hole, that she just completely blows off and gets away with, pretty much, she's actually visibly shaken, as is everyone else. Mr. Wheeler decidfes to accompany them everywhere and Trixie turns over the wooden carving to him.
When they next go out for a big dinner, they're all talking about it and Mr. Wheeler takes it out of his pocket to show it's safe (which is a silly thing to do in my opnion) and it's promptly knocked out of his hand by Blinky, the short, scarred man. They realise it's lost forever.
Untiil...a phone call late at night from Blinky reveals there was a diamond inside the carving, but it's not there anymore! So they notify the police and are ready to look through the sweepings and rubbish from the restaurant the next morning. But it's not there, and all is lost again.
Until...haha Trixie turns up with the diamond clutched in her hand! Itwas lodged in a crevice in the floor of the restaurant all the time! It was the centre stone in a valuable necklace stolen by the 3 men, and the jewels were separated and embedded into wooden statues that went to the antique shop Trixie went to. But the friend looking after the shop sold it to her, and that's how everything started. Trixie is donating the reward to the station waggon for crippled children, the thing she was as tenacious-as-a-bulldog about in #11.
Awesome story eh? See if you can match up the things in the prophecy with the story!
I started reading my Trixie Beldens again, right from where I left off at #10 (which despite some people not liking, I quite liked. A lot more than this one). And I must say this one is quite a disappointment. I did some research and this book is supposed to be written by Nicolete Meredith Stack, one of the ghostwriters of Trixie Belden, or an unknown author who also wrote the next book in the series "The Mystery of the Blinking Eye". And I completely disagree because I've started the Blinking Eye and even in chapter 2 it's shaping up to be a great mystery with spot-on characters, whilst this one was a bit hopeless.
So the Bob-Whites are at another property of Uncle Andrew (they went to his sheep farm in Iowa in #9) in the Missouris (I think...I never pay much attention to locales which is bad of me >_<) It's raining and Trixie is complaining in a way that is completely new for her. I mean sure, impatience is her middle name, but Trixie has never been bratty before. She flips through a magazine and finds an article about ghost fish, which some scientists are willing to offer $500 for 3 specimens of, all in different stages of change. I would like to point out here that I don't believe in evolution. I know that God created the world, and what people commonly refer to as evidence for evolution is the change in animals behaviour and characteristics, like the ghost fish that spend years underground and their eyes disappear. The Bible never shows that animals do change according to environment - after Noah's ark, God empowered animals to eat meat, whereas before they were all herbivores, which is why Noah was able to bring them on the ark without getting devoured. Anyways, I digress.
Trixie has a completely one-track mind about the fish. She keeps harping at everyone to go explore the caves as soon as possible, because she wants the $500 for a vehicle for disabled children. Even while they go fishing and catch a whole lot of fish, she doesn't forget. At one point, she almost gets attacked by a wildcat but an unknown shot kills it. It's the beginning of the mystery. What I hate about this book is how Trixie is like a caricature, the author totally gets her wrong and magnifies her bad points until she becomes some sort of brat that you want to slap. She reduces Honey to her pre-#1 personality where she was afraid of literally everything. Honey has grown so much through the series, it's like the author didn't even read the ones before hand. Her most useful contribution was making curtains in the entire book! The whole out-of-characterisation thing almost killed the book for me.
Anyways, eventually Trixie gets her way and they set out to explore a cave on Uncle Andrew's property after he buys a whole lot of expensive equipment and hires a guide for them. Slim is a first-class retard and the Bob-Whites don't get along with him. In the first day, they get one ghostfish, but they still need two more.
There's a lot of talk about ghosts in the book, because the people living in the area genuinely believe in them. So when the Bob-Whites rescue a drowning man (before they find the fish) and they discover he's living in the "haunted" cabin, there's a big scare. Uncle Andrew's housekeeper Mrs. Moore's husband died years ago so she na dher daughter have been through some hard times that perhaps compounds their belief.
Eventually, the Bob-Whites get rid of Slim because he's really mean. He throws a rock at the bats in the cave and they all fly out and get attacked by eagles, so the Bob-Whites are through with him. So when someone steals the ghost-fish they left in a bucket in the cave, they think it's Slim. Also, after a party Mrs. Moore has for the Bob-Whites, complete with great food and dancing, a deliberate fire is set that almost burns down the property and the surrounding properties. And Trixie thinks it's Slim.
But they see a crazy looking stranger around with long white whiskers, and he could be a suspect too. And the man they rescued from drowning (theres gratitude for you) because he has kerosene soaked rags in the cabin. It's a mystery, although it never feels like a mystery, just a few patchy who-dunnits, which is where the failure of the book comes in.
Anyways, Trixie has a few near-escapes from death and danger during ghost-fish-hunting so Uncle Andrew makes a hired man, Bill Hawkins, go with them. Except while he's outside keeping the dangerous Slim away (only he doesn't seem dangerous, just a jerk - again, another bad characterisation), Trixie goes down a well-hole in the cave where there's plenty of fish. She hauls some up, but then there's a sudden downpour of rain outside which fills the well-hole and she's in danger of drowning. Saved at the last moment by Jim and his "strong arms", which almost made me retch. I don't like the Trixie-Jim innuendo. She's only 14. It's natural to admire him because he's responsible and a great person, and Brian and Mart are her brothers and Dan is practically non-existent, but no puppy-love please! Bill Hawkins is shocked that Trixie almost drowned under his care, and Uncle Andrew is really upset, but Trixie just blows it all off in a hey-don't-worry-I'm-safe way that is characteristic of her enough, but somehow doesn't quite work here. It turns out they've got another ghost fish they need, but there's still one more.
Uncle Andrew accompanies them for the last time. Their visit is being cut short because their mum needs them back home as she's going away to visit a sick relative. This time, they get the fish they need, and they also catch Slim, trying to hurt the crazy guy with the white whiskers. They capture Slim, in this unbelievable scene where Jim is practically boxing him (that doesn't quite work either...as if the rest of them would stand around watching the show =_=) and rescue the man who's been dealt a blow on the head. They take him home to Mrs. Moore to rest him, and it turns out he's her husband, back from the dead. No, kidding, he never died, someone tried to attack him and they both fell down the cliff and the man died. Matthew (the husband) got amnesia (where would we be if amnesia had never been invented?) and the blow on the head has done miracles for his memory. Everyone's reuinited and happily ever after.
Except the Bob-Whites, because the fish they've got aren't the real thing. But...wait for it, they've got something even more rare that promises more money. So everyone really is happily ever after.
Now, I could never despise or even not enjoy Trixie Beldens, because she's awesome and has a lot of childhood significance for me, but this is probably my least favourite.
I think most people have probably read this classic from Robin Klein. I picked it up recently and rediscovered this - one of my old time favourites. It's told with humor and skill.
It focuses on an underprivileged area called Barringa East. Though I can't agree with their lifestyle that involves street gangs and divorces and all sorts of bogan-type occurences, Klein writes it well, establishing that this is a reality, but that she does not necessarily support it either.
In the midst of all this low-class existence is Erica Yurken, with one of the most terrible names I have ever heard. She's one of the best characters I have ever come across - precocious, arrogant, yet unbelieveably funny. She feels superior to everything and everyone in her suburb and believes she's destined for great things as a movie star. She's a hypocondriac, belongs to a seriously weird family (her little sister wants to be a horse, dresses like one and acts like one. Unbelievable!).
Then Alison Ashley arrives, from a rich nearby area that has suddenly been plonked into the disadvantaged area by a rezoning incident. She's really high class, with the perfect looks, the perfect clothes, the perfect attitude and work. And suddenly, Erica is up against someone who makes her feel incredibly inferior.
You can read a lot of psychology into this novel which is one of the great things about it. Erica takes an absolute hatred to her, because she's not used to feeling inferior. Alison Ashley shows her up in every aspect of school life - she knows how to work the photography equipment, she's read all the classic books, she's every teacher's favorite. She's also smooth as butter and Erica can't read her, except she tries and reads everything (wrongly)as some sort of snobbish disdain. Yet for all that, she doesn't seem to make any friends. She and Erica have a few tiffs, and the book is filled with Erica's amusing and jealous commentary. Somewhere along the line, Alison visits Erica's house, where everyone is behaving uncultured as usual, but Alison doesn't bat an eyelid, although Erica's sure she's flinching inside. Erica also visits Alison's house, and it's perfect and spotless, but Alison's mum wakes up from her nap and the visit is cut short as she flames her daughter for being "incredibly selfish" etc. You can tell Alison doesn't get much love on the home front.
It all culminates in the school camp, where they are assigned the same room (because they have an instinctive reliance on each other under all that tension and jealousy, and put each other's name on the secret form for roommates). It's Erica's debut as an actress, but she suddenly realises she gets severe stage fright, and tkes up the role of writer and director in the plays they perform for the parents on the final night. Having all her dreams crushed is pretty traumatic, especially as Alison becomes the lead in her place and is pitch perfect and everything. Erica's also homesick and tries to discourage her mum from coming to watch the plays because she thinks she's going to be disappointed that Erica isn't acting a part. At the last minute, everything goes wrong and the props aren't organised and Erica cops it.
But she bumps into her mother's boyfriend Lennie (who she's spent the whole book disdaining as a total bogan) and he fixes everything up and the plays go smoothly. Except Erica's too depressed to watch and goes to her camp room where she discovers a book Alison has made for her, out of all the drafts Erica wrote for the play. It is unbelievably touching, and completely restores her sense of self, and she creeps in for the end.
And for the last chapter or so, she and Alison become great friends, and you can see warmth blooming. It ends with Erica realising her last name would become Grubb because Lennie and her mother are getting married! Which is a hilarious conclusion.
What I love best about the ending is how redeeming it is. Erica's spent the entire time being jealous and condescending and disdainful, but her family really comes through in the end. Her mum is so incredibly supportive of her as the author of the plays, and Lennie is a great help and Erica finally warms to him. She becomes great friends with Alison, who she discovers might have the perfect life in material considerations, but her parents are divorced and her mum hardly cares about her at all. It seems like a new beginning for them both.
