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263rd out of 2,636 books
—
4,861 voters
The Secret of the Mansion (Trixie Belden #1)
Trixie’s summer is going to be sooo boring with her two older brothers away at camp. But then a millionaire’s daughter moves into the next-door mansion, an old miser hides a fortune in his decrepit house, and a runaway kid starts hiding out in Sleepyside!
Hardcover, 264 pages
Published
June 24th 2003
by Random House Books for Young Readers
(first published 1948)
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A formulaic series, but what a formula!!! I read probably 95% of the Trixie Belden series growing up and can't wait for Amanda to get into them.
Trixie is a girl detective, much like Nancy Drew, only (I think) much better (and I did like Nancy).
To avoid diluting my goodreads list, I'll spare rating them individually, but know that I recommend them all whole-heartedly.
Trixie is a girl detective, much like Nancy Drew, only (I think) much better (and I did like Nancy).
To avoid diluting my goodreads list, I'll spare rating them individually, but know that I recommend them all whole-heartedly.
Apr 20, 2008
Annie
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Young Girls, my daughter
Recommended to Annie by:
My mother
I adored the Trixie Belden series and read all of them for years. I truly credit this series, along with a few others, with fostering my voracious love of reading, and also with sowing the seeds of love of the Adventure/Quest novel. Trixie is a spunky, smart heroine, and I really wanted to be her when I was a girl. Can't wait to share with my daughter one day.
Over Thanksgiving, we had fun digging through Mom and Dad's closet to find Sheila's old set of Trixie Belden books. She's missing some of them, but I'm going to spend some time re-reading the ones we found. I won't do an entry for each one, so you might not hear from me for awhile. We both LOVED these books growing up!!
Trixie Belden was not perfect. She got into trouble, she got dirty, she argued and lost, and she got kidnapped! Truly, if you cut her, did she not bleed?! yes!
My Mom bought me two Trixie Belden books to take on a family vacation to Florida the summer after 2nd grade. I think I had finished them before we hit the Florida state line much to my mom's dismay. I immediately re-read them. I spent the next two years buying them as fast as my allowance would allow. Until 1986 when they went out of print...more
My Mom bought me two Trixie Belden books to take on a family vacation to Florida the summer after 2nd grade. I think I had finished them before we hit the Florida state line much to my mom's dismay. I immediately re-read them. I spent the next two years buying them as fast as my allowance would allow. Until 1986 when they went out of print...more
August 9, 2012: Just another summer re-read. Partly because I'm trying to get back on pace with my reading goal (I have three YA books on hold at the library to pick up this weekend) and partly because I just love this series and the first three are awesome books to read in the summer! :)
A great start to a wonderful series that is still making an impact in my life. Even the bad books are good because they're there (and I enjoy mocking them *g*). But this book gets everything off to a great start...more
A great start to a wonderful series that is still making an impact in my life. Even the bad books are good because they're there (and I enjoy mocking them *g*). But this book gets everything off to a great start...more
1 like · like · see review
Even though the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew TV show was a big hit at the time, like much of my generation, I was hooked on Trixie Belden. These were the first books that I bought on my own -- waiting until the newest were published, scrambling to find the older copies that were slightly cheaper, taking them to the counter all by myself. I'd get so excited when I figured out how it was going to end, that tears would stream from my eyes as I tried to finish the last chapters (not crying, just an odd...more
I don't remember the exact time in my life when I read Trixie Belden and the Secret of the Mansion. I do remember that it was the first book where I related to the romantic interest between Trixie and Jim. I must have been about twelve..perhaps it was 1963. My sister had given me the book as a Christmas present. After reading it, I couldn't wait to get my hands on any Trixie Belden book that was published. And when a new one was published, it was pure heaven! These books made me feel that I was...more
The only Trixie Belden book I'd ever read back in the day was a special edition called Club-Buch für Detektive (Club Book for Detectives), a book of puzzles and activities in a similar style to the Quiz books.
I got a few old children detective story books recently, and after the big disappointment that Nancy Drew turned out to be, I wasn't overly enthusiastic when I started reading the first Trixie Belden book. Surprisingly I immediately liked this 13-year-old farm kid a lot better than 17-year-...more
I got a few old children detective story books recently, and after the big disappointment that Nancy Drew turned out to be, I wasn't overly enthusiastic when I started reading the first Trixie Belden book. Surprisingly I immediately liked this 13-year-old farm kid a lot better than 17-year-...more
I always saw these books hanging around my grandmother's house and couldn't be bothered. They seemed so old-fashioned. But actually, I was really, really impressed.
Trixie Belden, our heroine, is a spunky kid who goes on adventures with an enthusiastic disregard for rules. She makes a friend named Honey who is too saccharine and protected for her own good and brings her out of her shell. This book was written in 1950, when Disney's new princess was Cinderella--but here we have a strong, young fem...more
Trixie Belden, our heroine, is a spunky kid who goes on adventures with an enthusiastic disregard for rules. She makes a friend named Honey who is too saccharine and protected for her own good and brings her out of her shell. This book was written in 1950, when Disney's new princess was Cinderella--but here we have a strong, young fem...more
I loved Trixie Belden growing up and I wanted to be her! Never did quite make it. Still these books should be in young girls library.
The hardback cover style of the 70's are probably my favorite. When they turned into paperback with Trixie's face taking most of the cover I didn't like that artwork as much. Still it didn't wreck the inside story!
Never had a chance to read them all, but I did have all of them up to #27. In the beginning my folks could get them for around .87 cents. The paperbacks...more
The hardback cover style of the 70's are probably my favorite. When they turned into paperback with Trixie's face taking most of the cover I didn't like that artwork as much. Still it didn't wreck the inside story!
Never had a chance to read them all, but I did have all of them up to #27. In the beginning my folks could get them for around .87 cents. The paperbacks...more
I don't know if I can stress how much I enjoyed this series, and others like it as a child. I grew up reading the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, the Bobbsey Twins, Trixie Belden, Cherry Ames, and Tom Swift. Most of these early editions were my mothers', some inherited from her father, saved and put away for her own children, just as I have saved them and put them away for my own. I loved the comraderie and inherent but not overwhelming morality of each story. Most of the bad guys were truly bad, and th...more
When I was in elementary school, there were several girls' book series that I avoided because I thought they sounded so . . . insipid. For example, the Betsy-Tacy books. What kind of a dumb name was Betsy-Tacy? Another series that I gave the stink-eye to when I saw it on the shelves was Trixie Belden. What kind of a name was Trixie?! Trixie sounded like the sugar cereal with the rabbit mascot that I knew from TV commercials, not like the name of a girl who solved mysteries.
Two years ago I final...more
Two years ago I final...more
Dec 16, 2011
Melody
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
burton-browbeating,
making-wendy-suffer
I know many wonderful people who love, love, love Trixie. My earliest memories of this series center around a supermarket in Coldwater Michigan which sold cheap Whitman hardcovers for 69 cents. Every so often, if I'd completely run out of REAL books (which is to say, books about HORSES), my mom would buy me a Whitman book. It's where I first learned about abridged books, to my everlasting shock and chagrin. I remember the odd Trixie Belden, but didn't retain anything more concrete than a dismiss...more
3 likes · like · see review
In this first Trixie Belden adventure, Trixie's two older brothers are away at camp and Trixie is excited to meet the girl who's just moved into the Manor House, Honey Wheeler. Honey has horses, and Trixie wants to learn to ride, while Honey wants to learn to ride a bike. They like each other immediately. When Trixie's father tells them that the grumpy old neighbour has been taken to the hospital, the girls go to his falling down house to make sure it's locked up. There they meet Jim Frayne, his...more
I grew up on the likes of The Bobbsey Twins, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames, and of course, Trixie Belden. I think she resonated with me when I was young because she was a tomboy who hated housework and math.
Going back and reading them as an adult (my sister went out and bought me a bunch of secondhand books after I had surgery a few years ago), I find they really are a riot. They come from such an age of innocence. Everyone who wears a leather jacket and boots and/or who smokes, must be a...more
Going back and reading them as an adult (my sister went out and bought me a bunch of secondhand books after I had surgery a few years ago), I find they really are a riot. They come from such an age of innocence. Everyone who wears a leather jacket and boots and/or who smokes, must be a...more
I LOVED this series when I was a kid. I searched far and wide to collect all 39 titles... I remember noticing the change in authors, and I was more than a little disappointed when I learned that the author whose writing I had enjoyed would not be the one I would be reading for the remaining 30 books, and I was downright disgruntled when I found out that the "new author" was not one person named Kathryn Kenny, but a whole variety of writers. I still read and enjoyed them all, but preferred the st...more
Apr 04, 2012
Dolly
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
children starting to read longer chapter books
I adored the Nancy Drew series when I was a preteen. I remember seeing the familiar yellow bindings everywhere while I was growing up. On the other hand, I'm not sure if I ever even heard of Trixie Belden until recently. And now I am hearing that this series is way better than my beloved Nancy Drew stories. So now I get to enjoy a second childhood as I share these books with our girls.
This is the first story in the series and I read it to our oldest on my hubby's iPad. It was the first real ebo...more
This is the first story in the series and I read it to our oldest on my hubby's iPad. It was the first real ebo...more
A childhood favorite re-visited.
Is the story as good as I remember? – Yes
What ages would I recommend it too? – Ten and up.
Length? – Most of a day’s read.
Characters? – Memorable, several characters.
Setting? – Real world - pre internet, computers, air conditioning, and cell phones.
Written approximately? – 1948.
Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Ready to read more.
Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? Yes. A slight mention of the time frame of the stor...more
Is the story as good as I remember? – Yes
What ages would I recommend it too? – Ten and up.
Length? – Most of a day’s read.
Characters? – Memorable, several characters.
Setting? – Real world - pre internet, computers, air conditioning, and cell phones.
Written approximately? – 1948.
Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Ready to read more.
Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? Yes. A slight mention of the time frame of the stor...more
Crap: why didn't I have a good librarian at my disposal as a child to put this book in my hand? Instead I was left to my own devices and so reread All of a Kind Family and Ramona over and over. Great, but much like just eating fishsticks and tater tots every day (of gefilte fish and potato kugel in the AoaKF case.)
See, this is the reason why we should all have known the Burton sisters as children. We'd be much more well-read. If someone asked me what historical figure I would most want to be ab...more
See, this is the reason why we should all have known the Burton sisters as children. We'd be much more well-read. If someone asked me what historical figure I would most want to be ab...more
I was wondering if I would like Trixie as well at 58 as I did at 11 or 12 (or whenever I read it as a child). The answer was yes. I have a different perspective of Trixie than I did when I was a child. (Of course.) Trixie tends to do something before she thinks and is constantly having mishaps because of that. She is also rather careless. I'm sure as a child I was awed by her daring.
I don't remember the story line at all in this book and I'm not sure as a child if I read all of the books or even...more
I don't remember the story line at all in this book and I'm not sure as a child if I read all of the books or even...more
I just recently read the 1st Trixie Belden book by Julie Campbbell. The first book is about a girl named Trixie Belden and she lives on a farm in the country. She has a younger brother and two older brothers. School just got out for the summer and she really wants a horse bbut doesnt know were she is going to get the money. One day she gets neighbors. The people that moved in have a daughter her age with horses. Recently her other neighbor died who was always mean. Trixie and her new friend get...more
May 06, 2013
Janet Flora
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
all-time-favorites
I wish you could see the smile on my face right now. I am tripping down Memory Lane. I LOVED this series so much as a kid. Even more than Nancy Drew! Something about this series just moved me: the friend and family relationships, Trixie's spunk and mood swings, and of course, the mysteries. It really was a huge part of my coming of age. My best friend and I played Trixie and Honey ( I was Honey, but never had a horse, le sigh). And, whenever I scrub my grungy dirt manicure with an old toothbrush...more
Back in the day, I was obsessed with Trixie. I know I read all the books multiple times and imagined being a part of the Bob Whites. I recently discovered my 1988 library summer reading log, and I think all the Trixies were on it. From a nostalgia perspective, this is definitely a 5 star series.
As an adult, it doesn't hold up quite as well as some of my other childhood favorites. But here are a few things I noticed on this reread:
the immense medical detail and random accidents--malnourishment,...more
As an adult, it doesn't hold up quite as well as some of my other childhood favorites. But here are a few things I noticed on this reread:
the immense medical detail and random accidents--malnourishment,...more
1 like · like · see review
I love this series. I first discovered it on my mother's bookshelf. She had kept the first volumes of the series in excellent condition from her own childhood, hoping that one day her own children would be able to enjoy them.
And I did.
I was never able to get into Nancy Drew or similar series, but Trixie Belden won my heart from the first page. I looked up to her and wanted to be like her.
Admittedly all of the books are very similar, sort of like a weekly hour long program. You know there is goin...more
And I did.
I was never able to get into Nancy Drew or similar series, but Trixie Belden won my heart from the first page. I looked up to her and wanted to be like her.
Admittedly all of the books are very similar, sort of like a weekly hour long program. You know there is goin...more
Aug 13, 2012
Samantha
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
any preson who loves mysterys
Recommended to Samantha by:
my mother
Trixie Belden and her new friend Honey Wheeler decide to explore the old Frane mansion up at the top of the hill. Rumor has it that the old Frane place has a million dollers hidden inside of it and when the old mizer Mr. Frane goes to the hospital, Trixie and Honey want to go make sure that all the windows and doors are locked. On trixie's way in to lock the windows, she finds a runawy boy asleep on a matress. The boy turns out to be the missing hier to the Mizer's Mansion. Follow Tixie and her...more
The book that started my lifetime obsession with serialized Girl detective books. I had already read Nancy Drew when I discovered Trixie. Trix was far more appealing to me as she was younger and more accessible than Nancy who was elusively glamorous, poised, wore smart suits and drove a car. Trixie was a farm girl in "dungarees" who ride a bike or her horse as her mode of transport.
Trixie, 13, exits in that fleeting period between childhood and teenagerdom, when girls and boys still co exist as...more
Trixie, 13, exits in that fleeting period between childhood and teenagerdom, when girls and boys still co exist as...more
I recently reread the first two Trixie Belden, going down memory lane before handing them off to my daughters to read. I loved this series growing up, but my copies (handed down my from my mother) were lost when the basement was flooded one year, so I was delighted to see they were republished and still available. I was even more excited to see the stories have not lost anything through the years. Even as a adult I found them an enjoyable read. While the setting and terminology is a bit dated 50...more
I didn't get into this series until after I'd finished all 56 books of the original Nancy Drew series, but I have to say...I liked these soooo much more. I felt like I could just connect far more easily with Trixie and Honey and Jim and Brian and Mart than I ever could with Nancy, Bess and George. I loved the rural setting and the way Trixie always ran around in dungarees. And I found her mysteries so much more interesting somehow than Nancy's were. I'm going to reread these at some point now th...more
This book starts off with us learning about Trixie Belden, a lonely teenager on a Crab-apple farm. When I read it, it was exciting because not only did Trixie get 2 new best friends, Jim and Honey, they became her co-detectives (Toward the end...) It was interesting to see them put all the clues together and solve all the mysteries. I highly recommend this to those who are just getting started on the mystery genre.
But seriously, it's good for everyone. It made me feel smart for guessing some of...more
But seriously, it's good for everyone. It made me feel smart for guessing some of...more
My mom read this book to me when I was in 3rd grade. She had saved her collection of Trixie Belden books from her childhood (1960s) when they were first released. I immediately fell in love with the characters & read the books over & over for years.
I felt that I had a special bond with this series because it was so unknown to my generation. I'm embarrassed to say that when I saw the reprinted books released in a bookstore recently, I broke down into tears because I felt like my childhoo...more
I felt that I had a special bond with this series because it was so unknown to my generation. I'm embarrassed to say that when I saw the reprinted books released in a bookstore recently, I broke down into tears because I felt like my childhoo...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| This was awesome!! | 22 | 38 | Aug 24, 2012 05:36pm | |
| Trixie Belden Group | 2 | 44 | Jul 29, 2012 12:33pm |
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Julie Campbell was born on the 1st of June 1908 in Flushing, New York and shares the same birthday as her character, Mart Belden. As the daughter of an Army Officer, she travelled widely during her childhood and, at the age of eight, won her first short story contest while...more
More about Julie Campbell...
Julie Campbell was born on the 1st of June 1908 in Flushing, New York and shares the same birthday as her character, Mart Belden. As the daughter of an Army Officer, she travelled widely during her childhood and, at the age of eight, won her first short story contest while...more
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Dec 02, 2007 02:29pm