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Trixie Belden #28
Trixie Belden and the Hudson River Mystery
Frantically she darted her flashlight around the cave, searching for something big enough to hide behind. There was something… What am I going to do? she thought, starting to panic. She lost her grip on the flashlight, which fell with a plop into the pit… Trixie swiveled toward the cave's opening. There, silhouetted against the bright blue of the Hudson stood a misshapen, hulking figure…
210 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1979
5 people are currently reading
399 people want to read
About the author
Kathryn Kenny
50 books98 followersThe Kathryn Kenny pseudonym was created by Western Publishing House in 1961, three years after Julie Campbell wrote her last book (#6) of the Trixie Belden series. There were several ghost writers who wrote Trixie Belden stories under this pseudonym. Some have been identified and later credited but some are still unknown.
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http://www.trixie-belden.com/books/Ka...
The Kathryn Kenny pseudonym was born in 1961, three years after Campbell wrote her last book of the Trixie Belden series. Did it take Western Publishing several years to find a suitable author? The answer is unknown and the identity of the authors of the 33 Kathryn Kenny books are not known for sure but there is some information about the ghost writers.
Nicolete Meredith Stack
Nicolete Meredith StackStack is thought to be the first author to tackle the Trixie Belden series, although there is much debate about which books were actually written by her. She was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1896 but lived in Webster Groves in St. Louis, Missouri for most of her adult life. Stack wrote other children's books under her own name and various pen names, including the Robin Kane series by Eileen Hill for Whitman between 1966 and 1971.
Stack is said to have written five books in the Trixie Belden series between 1961 and 1971, but Who's Who in the Midwest claims that she wrote eight titles between 1961 and 1966. There were eight Trixie Belden titles published between 1961 and 1966, but it is doubtful that she wrote them all.
James Keeline in his article, Trixie Belden "Schoolgirl Shamus", believes that books 7, 9 and 16 can be attributed to Stack but there are others that may have been written by her.
Virginia McDonnell
Virginia Bleecher McDonnell was born in 1917 and was a registered nurse who trained at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York. McDonnell wrote the Nurses Three series from 1963 to 1965 using the pen name Jean Kirby, and the Kim Aldrich series as Jinny McDonnell, both for Whitman. She is also wrote volume six of The Waltons.
McDonnell and her husband were avid skiiers and many of her books featured details of nursing or skiing. It seems likely that she wrote three Trixie Belden books, The Mystery of Cobbett's Island (1964), The Mystery of the Emeralds (1965) and The Mystery of Mead's Mountain (1978). Skiing is mentioned early in The Mystery of Cobbett's Island, although this is not the theme of the book.
McDonnell also wrote another book called Country Agent that has a number of similarities with The Mystery at Happy Valley, although her book was published in 1968. Read a review of this book, and see what you think.
There is little biographical information available on McDonnell, but the three books attributed to her are three of the most widely loved books in the Trixie Belden series.
Gladys Baker Bond
Gladys Baker BondGladys Baker Bond was born in Berryville, Arkansas on the 7th of May, 1912. On September 2, 1934, she married Floyd James Bond and had one son, Nicholas Peter. Bond's childhood years were spent in the Ozarks of Arkansas. She lived in Idaho and Washington all her adult life and was an officer of the Idaho Writers League between 1952-54.
Bond's books for children cover a wide range of subjects and are often autobiographical. Mrs. Bond wrote under the pseudonymns, Jo Mendel (The Tucker series) and Holly Beth Walker (the Meg series), as well as her own name. She also wrote volume five of The Waltons.
She is credited with writing The Mystery of the Uninvited Guest (1977), The Mystery of the Castaway Children (1978), and The Sasquatch Mystery (1979). However, with her childhood spent in the Ozarks, she could be the author of The Mystery at Bob-White Cave (1963).
Carl Henry Rathjen
Carl Henry RathjenRathjen was born on the 28th of August 1909 in Jersey City, New Jersey and died in 1984. His ambition was to become a mechanical engineer, but when things didn't go
***
http://www.trixie-belden.com/books/Ka...
The Kathryn Kenny pseudonym was born in 1961, three years after Campbell wrote her last book of the Trixie Belden series. Did it take Western Publishing several years to find a suitable author? The answer is unknown and the identity of the authors of the 33 Kathryn Kenny books are not known for sure but there is some information about the ghost writers.
Nicolete Meredith Stack
Nicolete Meredith StackStack is thought to be the first author to tackle the Trixie Belden series, although there is much debate about which books were actually written by her. She was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1896 but lived in Webster Groves in St. Louis, Missouri for most of her adult life. Stack wrote other children's books under her own name and various pen names, including the Robin Kane series by Eileen Hill for Whitman between 1966 and 1971.
Stack is said to have written five books in the Trixie Belden series between 1961 and 1971, but Who's Who in the Midwest claims that she wrote eight titles between 1961 and 1966. There were eight Trixie Belden titles published between 1961 and 1966, but it is doubtful that she wrote them all.
James Keeline in his article, Trixie Belden "Schoolgirl Shamus", believes that books 7, 9 and 16 can be attributed to Stack but there are others that may have been written by her.
Virginia McDonnell
Virginia Bleecher McDonnell was born in 1917 and was a registered nurse who trained at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York. McDonnell wrote the Nurses Three series from 1963 to 1965 using the pen name Jean Kirby, and the Kim Aldrich series as Jinny McDonnell, both for Whitman. She is also wrote volume six of The Waltons.
McDonnell and her husband were avid skiiers and many of her books featured details of nursing or skiing. It seems likely that she wrote three Trixie Belden books, The Mystery of Cobbett's Island (1964), The Mystery of the Emeralds (1965) and The Mystery of Mead's Mountain (1978). Skiing is mentioned early in The Mystery of Cobbett's Island, although this is not the theme of the book.
McDonnell also wrote another book called Country Agent that has a number of similarities with The Mystery at Happy Valley, although her book was published in 1968. Read a review of this book, and see what you think.
There is little biographical information available on McDonnell, but the three books attributed to her are three of the most widely loved books in the Trixie Belden series.
Gladys Baker Bond
Gladys Baker BondGladys Baker Bond was born in Berryville, Arkansas on the 7th of May, 1912. On September 2, 1934, she married Floyd James Bond and had one son, Nicholas Peter. Bond's childhood years were spent in the Ozarks of Arkansas. She lived in Idaho and Washington all her adult life and was an officer of the Idaho Writers League between 1952-54.
Bond's books for children cover a wide range of subjects and are often autobiographical. Mrs. Bond wrote under the pseudonymns, Jo Mendel (The Tucker series) and Holly Beth Walker (the Meg series), as well as her own name. She also wrote volume five of The Waltons.
She is credited with writing The Mystery of the Uninvited Guest (1977), The Mystery of the Castaway Children (1978), and The Sasquatch Mystery (1979). However, with her childhood spent in the Ozarks, she could be the author of The Mystery at Bob-White Cave (1963).
Carl Henry Rathjen
Carl Henry RathjenRathjen was born on the 28th of August 1909 in Jersey City, New Jersey and died in 1984. His ambition was to become a mechanical engineer, but when things didn't go
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 31 reviews
September 7, 2020
2 stars & 2/10 hearts. So I read a review stating that this book was awful and a waste of time. They turned out right. The plot was poorly done. You had no idea how Trixie got stuff together--it made no sense. The positing of Brian with something that doesn't really poison you was ridiculous. It had a lot of potential, but it was poorly done, and the characters somehow barely showed up... Thea was way more a point of the story than Jim or Di! I was cringing continually over Trixie's jumping to conclusions, big mouth, and rudeness--it was way worse than usual and I had to take more than one break from reading! Just a book with lots of potential (I mean, the poisoning thing was super cool) but poorly done. I felt really cheated.
April 9, 2023
Libro que me ha gustado, en el que contamos además con una supuesta escritora de libros. Y donde aprenderemos más sobre la historia en el pueblo donde viven
August 12, 2022
Jaws music would create a suitable backdrop for this story. Trixie spots the impossible; a triangular shark fin gliding along the Hudson River near home. She becomes a laughingstock because saltwater fish cannot inhabit their freshwater section of the river, yet she knows what she saw. Trixie picks the brains of two experts, commercial fisherman Pat Bunker and river author Thea Van Loon, who give her contradictory feedback. Meanwhile Brian is in a serious plight. His crucial college entrance work is due soon, yet he can't shake off a feeling of sickness, despair and always feeling shattered.
* The Bob White station wagon now has three eligible drivers, since Dan has recently acquired his license, like Brian and Jim.
* Brian hangs out along the river with a girl named Loyola Kevins, who is his Chemistry lab partner at school. They are collecting water samples for an ecological survey which could have potential environmental benefit, depending on the results. Loyola is described as a 'short skinny black girl' who lives with her grandfather. Somehow, she puts me in mind of Hermione Granger. She's the same sort of brilliant, intense student.
* Mart teaches Bobby to use Spoonerisms; those verbal errors in which initial beginnings of words are swapped around. Bobby is so hooked on them, he can't get lo. (Oops, can't let go.)
* Honey is surprised and sympathetic when the author Thea Van Loon informs the two girls that there is not much money to be made writing books. She 'shakes her head in stunned disbelief.' I find myself rolling my eyes in sympathy with Thea in this instance, when she reflects that little rich girls like Honey are out of touch with the paltry salary authors earn.
* Oh gosh, the Trixie Belden books are cosy escapist reads generally, but real life intrudes for poor Brian. And the Belden family is not immune from curve balls after all. The drama plays out vividly as I read it. Brian collapsing on the floor during his birthday dinner, the paramedics carrying him out on a gurney, Peter and Helen rushing to hospital after the ambulance, Mart and Trixie barely keeping a lid on their own dread and trying to pacify terrified Bobby at the same time, and Mart dashing to the phone as soon as their mother touches base with an update. Phew, it's a rude awakening to see Brian, our favourite first aid dispenser, needing drastic medical intervention himself.
* I considered not mentioning the cause of Brian's illness. But since it has nothing to do with the main shark mystery, I'll go for it. It's one of the few incidents from the series which stuck in my mind from my teens. He has arsenic poisoning, from crunching loads of Loyola's Waldorf salad, which is packed with apple seeds. I shudder at the thought of crunching all those gritty seeds myself, as Brian must have done to have had such a terrible effect on him. Perhaps she at least pulverised them, yet it doesn't sound likely. Yucky! (Loyola's Waldorf salad won't make it into my dream Trixie Belden cookbook.)
* I appreciate the dash of black comedy, when Trixie jumps to conclusions and accuses Loyola of trying to poison Brian deliberately, since he's her most brilliant rival for the best college offers. And poor Loyola has to convince Trixie that although she's a serious and focused scholar, she wouldn't stoop to actually trying to kill her competition off.
* This story takes place in late October, so Brian's birthday, which is said to be a full week before Halloween, can be traced to October 22nd. But since Mystery on Mead's Mountain (number 22 in the series) ended with New Year's Eve, Trixie, Honey and Di should be fifteen by now, and Mart should be sixteen. Yet they're clearly not. This is why the latter books of the series must be taken as anecdotal rather than chronological. The timing is totally messed up at this point.
* Ah, the nostalgic old library days of the twentieth century. Trixie wants to look up information on sharks, and the librarian tells her to try to encyclopedias first, then the card catalogue.
* Trixie teases Mart that he's ugly and their mother reminds her that the taunt might come back to bite her, since the pair of them look alike enough to be twins. Touche.
* Trixie and Mart are roped into helping their mother can loads and loads of tomatoes. It seems Brian is now exempt to focus on his senior studies and Bobby is still too flaky to be much help. Fair enough. Middle kid power.
* I really had to laugh. Trixie is so annoying, intrusive and pesky that she drives the villain to want to kill her and Honey, just to get rid of them, a bit like swatting mosquitoes. Honestly, it's not in the baddie's best interest to dabble in murder. It's just the Trixie Belden effect to the extreme.
* It seems Mart and Brian don't share a bedroom now (even though they clearly did in Mystery of the Emeralds). Mart has been locking himself away in his room working on a secret craft project which he's keeping from everyone until the big reveal. Presumably that includes Brian.
* Four of the Bob Whites decide to wear Halloween costumes to their own little clubhouse gathering. Mart and Diana's homemade costumes make Trixie groan, but hers and Honey's are arguably even cornier.
* I love this observation about the Hudson River on the eve of the storm at the start. 'Trixie stared at it for a long moment, awed by the thought of nature transforming a joy into a threat in such a short time.' Yes, never underestimate the force of nature.
* My quote of the book is this exchange between Trixie and Brian. Trixie: Doesn't she (Loyola) seem kind of inhuman to you? Brian: No, you're the one who's striking me that way! (Haha, I love it. This bit of dialogue sums up the overall Trixie effect on many people in this book.)
* The Bob White station wagon now has three eligible drivers, since Dan has recently acquired his license, like Brian and Jim.
* Brian hangs out along the river with a girl named Loyola Kevins, who is his Chemistry lab partner at school. They are collecting water samples for an ecological survey which could have potential environmental benefit, depending on the results. Loyola is described as a 'short skinny black girl' who lives with her grandfather. Somehow, she puts me in mind of Hermione Granger. She's the same sort of brilliant, intense student.
* Mart teaches Bobby to use Spoonerisms; those verbal errors in which initial beginnings of words are swapped around. Bobby is so hooked on them, he can't get lo. (Oops, can't let go.)
* Honey is surprised and sympathetic when the author Thea Van Loon informs the two girls that there is not much money to be made writing books. She 'shakes her head in stunned disbelief.' I find myself rolling my eyes in sympathy with Thea in this instance, when she reflects that little rich girls like Honey are out of touch with the paltry salary authors earn.
* Oh gosh, the Trixie Belden books are cosy escapist reads generally, but real life intrudes for poor Brian. And the Belden family is not immune from curve balls after all. The drama plays out vividly as I read it. Brian collapsing on the floor during his birthday dinner, the paramedics carrying him out on a gurney, Peter and Helen rushing to hospital after the ambulance, Mart and Trixie barely keeping a lid on their own dread and trying to pacify terrified Bobby at the same time, and Mart dashing to the phone as soon as their mother touches base with an update. Phew, it's a rude awakening to see Brian, our favourite first aid dispenser, needing drastic medical intervention himself.
* I considered not mentioning the cause of Brian's illness. But since it has nothing to do with the main shark mystery, I'll go for it. It's one of the few incidents from the series which stuck in my mind from my teens. He has arsenic poisoning, from crunching loads of Loyola's Waldorf salad, which is packed with apple seeds. I shudder at the thought of crunching all those gritty seeds myself, as Brian must have done to have had such a terrible effect on him. Perhaps she at least pulverised them, yet it doesn't sound likely. Yucky! (Loyola's Waldorf salad won't make it into my dream Trixie Belden cookbook.)
* I appreciate the dash of black comedy, when Trixie jumps to conclusions and accuses Loyola of trying to poison Brian deliberately, since he's her most brilliant rival for the best college offers. And poor Loyola has to convince Trixie that although she's a serious and focused scholar, she wouldn't stoop to actually trying to kill her competition off.
* This story takes place in late October, so Brian's birthday, which is said to be a full week before Halloween, can be traced to October 22nd. But since Mystery on Mead's Mountain (number 22 in the series) ended with New Year's Eve, Trixie, Honey and Di should be fifteen by now, and Mart should be sixteen. Yet they're clearly not. This is why the latter books of the series must be taken as anecdotal rather than chronological. The timing is totally messed up at this point.
* Ah, the nostalgic old library days of the twentieth century. Trixie wants to look up information on sharks, and the librarian tells her to try to encyclopedias first, then the card catalogue.
* Trixie teases Mart that he's ugly and their mother reminds her that the taunt might come back to bite her, since the pair of them look alike enough to be twins. Touche.
* Trixie and Mart are roped into helping their mother can loads and loads of tomatoes. It seems Brian is now exempt to focus on his senior studies and Bobby is still too flaky to be much help. Fair enough. Middle kid power.
* I really had to laugh. Trixie is so annoying, intrusive and pesky that she drives the villain to want to kill her and Honey, just to get rid of them, a bit like swatting mosquitoes. Honestly, it's not in the baddie's best interest to dabble in murder. It's just the Trixie Belden effect to the extreme.
* It seems Mart and Brian don't share a bedroom now (even though they clearly did in Mystery of the Emeralds). Mart has been locking himself away in his room working on a secret craft project which he's keeping from everyone until the big reveal. Presumably that includes Brian.
* Four of the Bob Whites decide to wear Halloween costumes to their own little clubhouse gathering. Mart and Diana's homemade costumes make Trixie groan, but hers and Honey's are arguably even cornier.
* I love this observation about the Hudson River on the eve of the storm at the start. 'Trixie stared at it for a long moment, awed by the thought of nature transforming a joy into a threat in such a short time.' Yes, never underestimate the force of nature.
* My quote of the book is this exchange between Trixie and Brian. Trixie: Doesn't she (Loyola) seem kind of inhuman to you? Brian: No, you're the one who's striking me that way! (Haha, I love it. This bit of dialogue sums up the overall Trixie effect on many people in this book.)
July 10, 2017
This has always been a favorite Trixie Belden story for me, though I'm not sure it holds up nearly as well as what my memory thinks it does. :-) For some reason, though, the Brian-in-peril part of the book makes up for any aggravating circumstances or leaps to judgment in which Trixie finds herself (probably because I wondered if the writer would actually kill one of the BWGs).
August 11, 2022
Vejam a minha opinião em vídeo, AQUI.
May 3, 2015
a HUGE and most dedicated fan of Trixie and her crew. This is odd, of course, because they were MEANT for teen and pre-teen girls, but I was a young boy that read everything he could get his hands on and when I first stumbled on my first TRIXIE BELDON book I was instantly hooked!
I immediately sat about reading them all, as quickly as I could get my greedy little paws on them. Trixie is the star, or "lead" character, followed by Jim and Honey (who quickly became the love of my young life, I had a total crush on a fictional character that only existed in ink) and this brave trio was constantly getting into trouble, solving mysteries and murders; that sort of thing.
It falls along the line of the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and other similar series, but the Trixie series carries more of the teenage angst and a subtle love triangle of conflicted who likes whom mystery that battles back and forth throughout the series. All of the while though, the same cheerful, effervescent and energetic positive attitude and domineering never quit/never let them see you down philosophy is the major subtext all through the books.
It is simply impossible to read these and NOT feel good about yourself and about LIFE, to have a sense of "all is well" in the world and a cheerful demeanor just naturally permeate your soul. I know, it SOUNDS crazy, but it is true.
I lost all of my Trixie books years ago, lending them to friends and that sort of thing. Since then, I have been on a quest to rebuild my collection of hardbacks. I find most of them at "Friends of the Library Sales" and things like that, but I am ever watchful at garage sales and places, for I do not have even a third of them built back
I immediately sat about reading them all, as quickly as I could get my greedy little paws on them. Trixie is the star, or "lead" character, followed by Jim and Honey (who quickly became the love of my young life, I had a total crush on a fictional character that only existed in ink) and this brave trio was constantly getting into trouble, solving mysteries and murders; that sort of thing.
It falls along the line of the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew and other similar series, but the Trixie series carries more of the teenage angst and a subtle love triangle of conflicted who likes whom mystery that battles back and forth throughout the series. All of the while though, the same cheerful, effervescent and energetic positive attitude and domineering never quit/never let them see you down philosophy is the major subtext all through the books.
It is simply impossible to read these and NOT feel good about yourself and about LIFE, to have a sense of "all is well" in the world and a cheerful demeanor just naturally permeate your soul. I know, it SOUNDS crazy, but it is true.
I lost all of my Trixie books years ago, lending them to friends and that sort of thing. Since then, I have been on a quest to rebuild my collection of hardbacks. I find most of them at "Friends of the Library Sales" and things like that, but I am ever watchful at garage sales and places, for I do not have even a third of them built back
March 26, 2018
I loved the Trixie Belden books as a kid (nice to see they got republished). I'm still unsure how they ended up in my corner of the world. I slowly amassed the whole series as first editions (it seemed so glamourous as a kid owning precious books that were older than me!) by saving all my pocket money to buy them from the local secondhand store. I can only guess that some adult (probably having moved to our sleepy town from overseas) had sold them off in bulk. They sat in a back corner of the store, thankfully ignored by everyone else, as I slowly acquired them through pocket money and then in a mass swoop for Christmas. It helped that back then secondhand books sold for anywhere from 10 cents to 50 cents rather than $7-10 as they do these days!
They were wonderful mystery books for children of a similar ilk to Famous Five, Secret Seven, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators etc.; set in a time long before cellphones when sleuthing into mysterious mansions, smugglers, and strange sounds in the night wouldn't cause any real harm to befall our child investigators.
They were wonderful mystery books for children of a similar ilk to Famous Five, Secret Seven, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, The Three Investigators etc.; set in a time long before cellphones when sleuthing into mysterious mansions, smugglers, and strange sounds in the night wouldn't cause any real harm to befall our child investigators.
October 31, 2014
Trixie thinks she sees a shark in the Hudson, and her brother Brian is losing health and focus.
And the fact that I can summarize the plot in one complex sentence like that tells you about all you need to know on this one. The characters are out of character (all of them, not just Brian), with Trixie being at her worst. And the two plots? Neither carries the book and both are rather disappointing. There are a few fun character moments, but that’s about it.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
And the fact that I can summarize the plot in one complex sentence like that tells you about all you need to know on this one. The characters are out of character (all of them, not just Brian), with Trixie being at her worst. And the two plots? Neither carries the book and both are rather disappointing. There are a few fun character moments, but that’s about it.
Read my full review at Carstairs Considers.
July 3, 2020
It feels like it's been a while since I spent some time with Trixie! Weekends are the perfect time for hurtling through a Bob-White mystery, as I really do enjoy reading them in one sitting.
This was a good one. There's something strange happening on the Hudson river - but also with Trixie's brother Brian, who is usually the most steady and level-headed of the group. Mart is enjoying wordplay, Dan makes an appearance, Di wears an odd costume. And Trixie drags Honey along with her while she tries to work out if there really are sharks in the Hudson River!
As much as I enjoyed it, it just seems that there will be things the ghost writers and their editors can't get right. It's killing me!
This was a good one. There's something strange happening on the Hudson river - but also with Trixie's brother Brian, who is usually the most steady and level-headed of the group. Mart is enjoying wordplay, Dan makes an appearance, Di wears an odd costume. And Trixie drags Honey along with her while she tries to work out if there really are sharks in the Hudson River!
As much as I enjoyed it, it just seems that there will be things the ghost writers and their editors can't get right. It's killing me!
June 19, 2017
The Hudson River Mystery by Kathryn Kenny is the 28th book in the Trixie Belden series.
An OK book. I rather enjoyed the plotline. It was as if Jim didn't exist, though, and Trixie and Honey were way OOC. The note about apple seeds at the end made me laugh.
I don't write my normal long reviews for Trixie books, so that's all I've got to say about this one.
3.5 stars out of 5.
An OK book. I rather enjoyed the plotline. It was as if Jim didn't exist, though, and Trixie and Honey were way OOC. The note about apple seeds at the end made me laugh.
I don't write my normal long reviews for Trixie books, so that's all I've got to say about this one.
3.5 stars out of 5.
February 20, 2019
Kind of a weird one, it felt like nothing in particular was happening for the majority of the book because Trixie kept shooting her mouth off and getting in trouble for it over and over but the mystery was solid, even if it did take a lot of waffle to get to the point
June 20, 2024
I love that they stayed in sleepy side, but focus more on Hudson River. We have never really had a mystery on the river. But overall, I love the book. Super super mysterious. I was so scared for honey and Trixie to be in a car, drowning or sinking.
January 5, 2018
Shark fins in the Hudson River?! What the heck?? and what's wrong with Brian?!!?
December 27, 2019
An entertaining mystery, but with annoyingly obvious clues that are missed by the heroine.
March 26, 2020
nostalgic read. last time i read this book, it was being read aloud to me. this book is also why i am afraid of eating whole apples.
Read
August 15, 2022Must have read this when I was ten?
January 1, 2026
This is one of my least favorite stories, but it has some of Dan so I give it a pass.
Recommended 9+ for mysteries and a medical emergency younger readers may not understand.
Recommended 9+ for mysteries and a medical emergency younger readers may not understand.
March 9, 2017
Very memorable because this was my first Trixie Beldon ever.
February 10, 2013
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 - computer, pre - air conditioning, pre - cell phone.
Written approximately? – 1979.
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 story - as the teens are given far more freedom to come and go as they please than would be safe today. Also, the absence of computers and cell phones.
Short storyline: Trixie Belden, Honey, Jim, Brian, Mart, and Diana attempt to help an author with information about the Hudson River, along which Trixie has recently spotted a shark fin.
Notes for the reader: A great mystery! No violence and no murder. This novel covers studying science, river life, and even how to escape a car as it plunges into the river.
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 - computer, pre - air conditioning, pre - cell phone.
Written approximately? – 1979.
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 story - as the teens are given far more freedom to come and go as they please than would be safe today. Also, the absence of computers and cell phones.
Short storyline: Trixie Belden, Honey, Jim, Brian, Mart, and Diana attempt to help an author with information about the Hudson River, along which Trixie has recently spotted a shark fin.
Notes for the reader: A great mystery! No violence and no murder. This novel covers studying science, river life, and even how to escape a car as it plunges into the river.
August 20, 2012
i decided to read this book as i have read most of the other nancy drew books and wanted to read this as i enjoyed them. this completes the 'book with a female main character' category on the bingo bored. i enjoyed this category as it gives a different perspective to my usual male perspective.
my favourite quote from the book is .. 'there, silhouetted against the bright blue of the hudson, stood a misshapen, hulking figure' as it just shows how much trouble curiousity can get you in.
something new that i learned from this book is curiousity is dangerous but should be encouraged.
trixie interested me as always as she is described in such vivd detail with many interesting quirks that just make the whole story interesting.
my favourite quote from the book is .. 'there, silhouetted against the bright blue of the hudson, stood a misshapen, hulking figure' as it just shows how much trouble curiousity can get you in.
something new that i learned from this book is curiousity is dangerous but should be encouraged.
trixie interested me as always as she is described in such vivd detail with many interesting quirks that just make the whole story interesting.
August 6, 2016
For Christmas one year, my parents grabbed me the entire Trixie Belden set and I couldn't put them down. After I finished with them, they continued to purchase them as quickly as I could read them. Even with a learning disability, I devoured the books. I look back now and I find that Trixie Belden was much more age related to young girls, particularly to me, reading the books than Nancy Drew. There was something in these books that I found to be a greater escape than I did ND, too. I found that they weren't so "over the top" or dated. I will be doing the same thing with my granddaughters, if and when I have them, even if I have to stalk every used bookstore to get them
July 27, 2011
Always liked the cream oval cover of this book for some reason. Trixie looks more grown up and it's a shame the series didn't stretch out the timeline a little more instead of keeping the Bob-Whites in endless cycles of seasons without ever growing older. On the other hand, more possibilities for us fanfic writers! Grumpy Brian is the highlight of this book, though I do remember being terrified of Trixie and Honey's plunge into the Hudson in the car. Scared me more than the bad guys, I guess because I thought it could actually happen.
January 29, 2014
Another good mystery ... although this one Trixie didn't even really know what the mystery was until the end when she walked into a trap. Until then, all she has was a bunch of suspicion that "something" was amiss. But it was good, quick, enjoyable reading.
May 7, 2011
A Trixie I haven't read!
....And now I have. A shark in the Hudson? Trixie was clearly not a student of science.
Re-read May 2011.
Re-read February 2013.
....And now I have. A shark in the Hudson? Trixie was clearly not a student of science.
Re-read May 2011.
Re-read February 2013.
June 7, 2014
Re-reading in June 2014
November 21, 2011
I distinctly remember reading this one - as it is how I learned that apple seeds, if consumed in large enough quantities, are poisonous.
January 12, 2013
A little more action than the last, but I found this book discouraging, as no one believed trixie.
August 18, 2013
I like Brian Belden a lot; therefore, I liked this story a lot, too. This story has two mysteries: why is Brian not himself, and is there really a shark in the Hudson?
April 28, 2019
Funny how when you reread books, your opinion of them changes.
January 27, 2024
Trixie Belden she's our (wo)man
if she can't do it no-one can!
Well unless Nancy Drew, or The Hardy Boys or The Famous Five or some other team of clowns turned up!
if she can't do it no-one can!
Well unless Nancy Drew, or The Hardy Boys or The Famous Five or some other team of clowns turned up!
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