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Mandie #27
Mandie and the Courtroom Battle
Etta Shaw, Mandie's stepmother, has been the source of unending problems for Mandie. And when Etta comes to town to file papers she claims are a will that Mandie's father made giving her the house at Charley Gap, it appears that a courtroom battle is about to take place.
But Mandie has papers that declare her to have the right to the house that she loves so much. Who has the true legal document? Could Mandie's father have changed his mind and made a new will? And when it's discovered that Mandie's will has been stolen or hidden, how will they ever be able to prove that Mandie has any legal right to the house?
Where is Mandie's will? How will the judge decide?
But Mandie has papers that declare her to have the right to the house that she loves so much. Who has the true legal document? Could Mandie's father have changed his mind and made a new will? And when it's discovered that Mandie's will has been stolen or hidden, how will they ever be able to prove that Mandie has any legal right to the house?
Where is Mandie's will? How will the judge decide?
176 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
About the author
Lois Gladys Leppard
120 books290 followersLois Gladys Leppard was the author of the Mandie series of children's novels. Leppard wrote her first Mandie story when she was only eleven and a half years old, but did not become a professional author until she was an adult. Leppard has also worked as a professional singer, actress, and playwright. At one time, she and her two sisters, Sybil and Louise, formed a singing group called the Larke Sisters.
There are forty Mandie books in the main series, an eight-book junior series and several other titles. Leppard said that she could write a Mandie book in two weeks, barring any interruptions.
The eponymous heroine lives in North Carolina in the early 1900s, encountering adventure and solving mysteries with help from her friends, family, and pet cat, Snowball. These young reader novels are meant to teach morals as well as be fun and captivating stories to read. Leppard stated that her books contain "nothing occult or vulgar", and Mandie is depicted as a faithful Christian. The Mandie books often deal with issues of discrimination and prejudice relating to race (particularly with regard to the local Cherokee), class, and disability.
Lois Gladys Leppard based some of the incidents in her Mandie books on her mother's experiences growing up in North Carolina. The dedication in the first book is: "For My Mother, Bessie A. Wilson Leppard, and In Memory of Her Sister, Lillie Margaret Ann Wilson Frady, Orphans of North Carolina Who Outgrew the Sufferings of Childhood".
There are forty Mandie books in the main series, an eight-book junior series and several other titles. Leppard said that she could write a Mandie book in two weeks, barring any interruptions.
The eponymous heroine lives in North Carolina in the early 1900s, encountering adventure and solving mysteries with help from her friends, family, and pet cat, Snowball. These young reader novels are meant to teach morals as well as be fun and captivating stories to read. Leppard stated that her books contain "nothing occult or vulgar", and Mandie is depicted as a faithful Christian. The Mandie books often deal with issues of discrimination and prejudice relating to race (particularly with regard to the local Cherokee), class, and disability.
Lois Gladys Leppard based some of the incidents in her Mandie books on her mother's experiences growing up in North Carolina. The dedication in the first book is: "For My Mother, Bessie A. Wilson Leppard, and In Memory of Her Sister, Lillie Margaret Ann Wilson Frady, Orphans of North Carolina Who Outgrew the Sufferings of Childhood".
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
June 11, 2020
The Mandie books are fun Christian mysteries for children, but I still love reading them. Even though she doesn't age very quickly and seems to get far too many breaks from school during the year, she's a lot of fun.
August 28, 2014
my favorite part was when mandie found the will and got her fathers house. the worst part was when someone stole and hid the will so mandie wouldnt get the house. my favorite character was mandie. the worst character was mandies stepmom. auryn 11 years old, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 8, 2021
*THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS*
I was gearing up for dramatic and emotional courtroom drama. “Mandie and the Courtroom Battle” seemed to offer just this. But alas, I did not find it to be the case. Let’s set the scene: Mandie’s ownership over her old home is now being challenged by none other than the abhorred Etta Hughes, Mandie’s stepmother. Mandie is obviously furious over this matter, and pledges to battle it to the very end. I really liked the mystery in this one, but the mystery solution was terrible. Also, the title is very misleading. They were actually only in court for 2 chapters. Ugh!
So I would rate this book much higher if it weren’t for some things, which I will get into. But here’s what I like: Characters were unique, and I love following their drama and adventures. The story was entertaining, and really genuinely fun for me to read. Finally, I really liked the mystery of a missing will, and following Mandie and Joe looking for it was great!
The mystery’s ending was just terribly predictable. Right from the first chapters I really was guessing that it would be someone Etta demanded to break in via the famed secret tunnel to the office, and then hide the will in the house. Well... low and behold, this is exactly what happens. Very disappointing. I was really hoping for a plot twist up the the very end, like it being an inside job by one of the servants and/or family members. As noted earlier, there was not the dramatic court scenes as I had hoped. It was just two chapters of slightly blah storyline. Of course the annoying Snowball shows up.. oh, don’t get me started on how annoying that cat is! Another problem that I think ruined the court scenes was how the whole last 2 chapters were rushed. The author spent too much time on the previous chapters of just Mandie and Joe wondering where everyone in the house had went. There’s also a weird side mystery of the ruby mine on the Shaw’s property having gold, but in the end it doesn’t turn out to the true. This mystery didn’t fit in at all and kind of jumbled the last chapters. Also we have some unanswered questions: 1. Why did the Hughes hide the will in the very house they stole it from? We are to assume that they are trailer-trash, but are they actually that unintelligent!? 2. We know that Zach entered the Shaws’ mansion at least 3 times... but why? Only the first time was necessary to hide the will. 3. How did Zach get into the office? Yes, it is probably via the secret tunnel, but it is made clear that the door to the office from the tunnel was not tampered with. Strange...
I have to say the family was just so strange in this book. Taft is in an obviously awkward position, as it’s her fault that they are in this situation in the first place. But it’s Uncle John and Elizabeth who just confuse me. When the Hughes, as the top suspects of the stolen will as spotted near the Shaw’s’ property, both shrug it off as nothing. The adults just spend the book lounging in the house and acting like they don’t really care about the mystery. They themselves never look for the will, all they do is just wait for news from Uncle John’s lawyer. It was this inaction that was giving me hope for a plot twist like an inside job, but alas it was not to be. I guess my best explanation of their strange attitudes was the fact that their pockets are so loaded with money they don’t need Jim Shaw’s petty inheritance, nor his house via the court case. They could buy it from Etta without making a dent in their wealth.
Mandie is on an emotion roller coaster as always. She gets worked up over the smallest things, like a little scrap of dirty receipt that belonged to her Grandfather (a piece of trash). On the other hand, she is nonchalant when showing Grandmother Taft (the source of all of Mandie’s problems in the first place) her old home. Of course she’s rude to Joe as always. That poor boy deals with all of her mood swings and insults too well. He is so kind to her even after insult after insult is hurled at him. I am very pleased that it was partly owed to him for the finding of the will.
GRANDMOTHER TAFT. She is the most entertaining character in this whole book. She’s obviously uncomfortable the whole time and wants to go hide in her mansion in Asheville to get away. My favorite part about her is how she avoids awkward situations. You see, some people make the excuse of having to use the toilet to avoid such situations or extra work, but Grandmother Taft uses the excuse of having to “change into something more comfortable”. She says this so, so many times in this book that it is actually hilarious. If I made some money every time she said it, I’d be filthy rich!
So in conclusion, if this book had a better solution to the mystery I actually think it would be one if the better Mandie books. But that being said, this one still I think was better than the average is hilarious! I cannot wait to have an adventure with Jonathan next book. The Europe books, in my opinion, will go down as the best books in this whole series, and that is party because of him! Onto Jonathan!
Favorite Quote: “‘Dat woman, she be white trash, dat whut she be,’ Aunt Lou repeated to herself as she stood by the door.”
I was gearing up for dramatic and emotional courtroom drama. “Mandie and the Courtroom Battle” seemed to offer just this. But alas, I did not find it to be the case. Let’s set the scene: Mandie’s ownership over her old home is now being challenged by none other than the abhorred Etta Hughes, Mandie’s stepmother. Mandie is obviously furious over this matter, and pledges to battle it to the very end. I really liked the mystery in this one, but the mystery solution was terrible. Also, the title is very misleading. They were actually only in court for 2 chapters. Ugh!
So I would rate this book much higher if it weren’t for some things, which I will get into. But here’s what I like: Characters were unique, and I love following their drama and adventures. The story was entertaining, and really genuinely fun for me to read. Finally, I really liked the mystery of a missing will, and following Mandie and Joe looking for it was great!
The mystery’s ending was just terribly predictable. Right from the first chapters I really was guessing that it would be someone Etta demanded to break in via the famed secret tunnel to the office, and then hide the will in the house. Well... low and behold, this is exactly what happens. Very disappointing. I was really hoping for a plot twist up the the very end, like it being an inside job by one of the servants and/or family members. As noted earlier, there was not the dramatic court scenes as I had hoped. It was just two chapters of slightly blah storyline. Of course the annoying Snowball shows up.. oh, don’t get me started on how annoying that cat is! Another problem that I think ruined the court scenes was how the whole last 2 chapters were rushed. The author spent too much time on the previous chapters of just Mandie and Joe wondering where everyone in the house had went. There’s also a weird side mystery of the ruby mine on the Shaw’s property having gold, but in the end it doesn’t turn out to the true. This mystery didn’t fit in at all and kind of jumbled the last chapters. Also we have some unanswered questions: 1. Why did the Hughes hide the will in the very house they stole it from? We are to assume that they are trailer-trash, but are they actually that unintelligent!? 2. We know that Zach entered the Shaws’ mansion at least 3 times... but why? Only the first time was necessary to hide the will. 3. How did Zach get into the office? Yes, it is probably via the secret tunnel, but it is made clear that the door to the office from the tunnel was not tampered with. Strange...
I have to say the family was just so strange in this book. Taft is in an obviously awkward position, as it’s her fault that they are in this situation in the first place. But it’s Uncle John and Elizabeth who just confuse me. When the Hughes, as the top suspects of the stolen will as spotted near the Shaw’s’ property, both shrug it off as nothing. The adults just spend the book lounging in the house and acting like they don’t really care about the mystery. They themselves never look for the will, all they do is just wait for news from Uncle John’s lawyer. It was this inaction that was giving me hope for a plot twist like an inside job, but alas it was not to be. I guess my best explanation of their strange attitudes was the fact that their pockets are so loaded with money they don’t need Jim Shaw’s petty inheritance, nor his house via the court case. They could buy it from Etta without making a dent in their wealth.
Mandie is on an emotion roller coaster as always. She gets worked up over the smallest things, like a little scrap of dirty receipt that belonged to her Grandfather (a piece of trash). On the other hand, she is nonchalant when showing Grandmother Taft (the source of all of Mandie’s problems in the first place) her old home. Of course she’s rude to Joe as always. That poor boy deals with all of her mood swings and insults too well. He is so kind to her even after insult after insult is hurled at him. I am very pleased that it was partly owed to him for the finding of the will.
GRANDMOTHER TAFT. She is the most entertaining character in this whole book. She’s obviously uncomfortable the whole time and wants to go hide in her mansion in Asheville to get away. My favorite part about her is how she avoids awkward situations. You see, some people make the excuse of having to use the toilet to avoid such situations or extra work, but Grandmother Taft uses the excuse of having to “change into something more comfortable”. She says this so, so many times in this book that it is actually hilarious. If I made some money every time she said it, I’d be filthy rich!
So in conclusion, if this book had a better solution to the mystery I actually think it would be one if the better Mandie books. But that being said, this one still I think was better than the average is hilarious! I cannot wait to have an adventure with Jonathan next book. The Europe books, in my opinion, will go down as the best books in this whole series, and that is party because of him! Onto Jonathan!
Favorite Quote: “‘Dat woman, she be white trash, dat whut she be,’ Aunt Lou repeated to herself as she stood by the door.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
September 21, 2007Leppard, Lois G. PB
July 6, 2011
it was so so so so so ect. boring!!!!!!!!!!!!
December 27, 2011
So far it is a good book and I am going to finish it soon
June 30, 2017
About this book:
“Etta Shaw, Mandie's stepmother, has been the source of unending problems for Mandie. And when Etta comes to town to file papers she claims are a will that Mandie's father made giving her the house at Charley Gap, it appears that a courtroom battle is about to take place.
But Mandie has papers that declare her to have the right to the house that she loves so much. Who has the true legal document? Could Mandie's father have changed his mind and made a new will? And when it's discovered that Mandie's will has been stolen or hidden, how will they ever be able to prove that Mandie has any legal right to the house?
Where is Mandie's will? How will the judge decide?”
Series: Book #27 in “Mandie” series. (To read the reviews of the previous books in this series, click the number to be taken to that review: #1! #2! #3! #4! #5! #6! #7! #8! #9! #10! #11! #12! #13! #14! #15! #16! #17! #18! #19! #20! #21! #22! #23! #24! #25! #26!) {There also is the “Young Mandie Mystery” series, (Book #1 review Here and Book #2 review Here!) but they do not connect together well}
Spiritual Content- Proverbs 16:8 at the beginning; A Scripture is quoted & prayed; A few mentions of God; A few mentions of prayers & praying; A few mentions of church going; A couple mentions of prayer meetings; A mention of “happy hunting ground” when referring to Heaven.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, two ‘idiot’s, and four ‘shucks’; Many mentions of a stolen item & a thief; Mentions of deaths, illnesses, & a fever; Mentions of hunting & a man shot by accident; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of a divorce; Mentions of a dead rat that a cat caught.
Sexual Content- Mentions of Joe & Mandie possibly marrying when they’re older.
-Amanda “Mandie” Shaw, age 13
P.O.V. of Mandie
Set in 1901
176 pages (also available in a collection with two other Mandie books.)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
New Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
Another fun Mandie mystery! Continues well from the last book and opens the door for the next book’s plot!
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
“Etta Shaw, Mandie's stepmother, has been the source of unending problems for Mandie. And when Etta comes to town to file papers she claims are a will that Mandie's father made giving her the house at Charley Gap, it appears that a courtroom battle is about to take place.
But Mandie has papers that declare her to have the right to the house that she loves so much. Who has the true legal document? Could Mandie's father have changed his mind and made a new will? And when it's discovered that Mandie's will has been stolen or hidden, how will they ever be able to prove that Mandie has any legal right to the house?
Where is Mandie's will? How will the judge decide?”
Series: Book #27 in “Mandie” series. (To read the reviews of the previous books in this series, click the number to be taken to that review: #1! #2! #3! #4! #5! #6! #7! #8! #9! #10! #11! #12! #13! #14! #15! #16! #17! #18! #19! #20! #21! #22! #23! #24! #25! #26!) {There also is the “Young Mandie Mystery” series, (Book #1 review Here and Book #2 review Here!) but they do not connect together well}
Spiritual Content- Proverbs 16:8 at the beginning; A Scripture is quoted & prayed; A few mentions of God; A few mentions of prayers & praying; A few mentions of church going; A couple mentions of prayer meetings; A mention of “happy hunting ground” when referring to Heaven.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, two ‘idiot’s, and four ‘shucks’; Many mentions of a stolen item & a thief; Mentions of deaths, illnesses, & a fever; Mentions of hunting & a man shot by accident; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of a divorce; Mentions of a dead rat that a cat caught.
Sexual Content- Mentions of Joe & Mandie possibly marrying when they’re older.
-Amanda “Mandie” Shaw, age 13
P.O.V. of Mandie
Set in 1901
176 pages (also available in a collection with two other Mandie books.)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
New Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Three Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
Another fun Mandie mystery! Continues well from the last book and opens the door for the next book’s plot!
Link to review:
https://booksforchristiangirls.blogsp...
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
August 16, 2019
The Mandie series was one of my favorites while I was growing up. Last year, I decided to embark on a mission of rereading every title in this series, and I'm continuing on with doing so this year. Whenever you pick up a Mandie book you expect that a mystery will appear no matter where Mandie finds herself, that Snowball will gets in eons of mischief, and that a vibrant secondary cast of Mandie's friends and family will make the story that much more interesting.
In Mandie and the Courtroom Battle, Mandie is once and for all going to find out the truth about who owns her late father's house at Charley Gap. Ever since coming to live with her mother and her uncle, Mandie's wanted to someday get the house she grew up in back into her possession, and this is the closest she's ever come to doing so. However, a mystery emerges when important papers surrounding the estate disappear, and Mandie's stepmother and her new husband seem to be mixed up somehow in the occurrence. Mandie's determined with the help of her friends and family to get to the bottom of the mystery, and she won't stop until she does.
While I wouldn't consider this to be one of my favorite Mandie titles, I did really enjoy the fact that it mixes her life at Charley Gap with her life in Franklin. It was interesting to see grandmother Taft's first visit to Swain Country, and to find out more of the reasons between the gap that existed between Mandie's father and the rest of his family.
This continues to be one of my top recommend series for young girls, and I'm definitely feeling nostalgic as I reread all of these titles as an adult. Mandie will always hold a special place in my heart, and I hope to share these titles with future generations for Mandie's stories to live on.
Final Rating: 3/5
It's not my favorite Mandie title, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
In Mandie and the Courtroom Battle, Mandie is once and for all going to find out the truth about who owns her late father's house at Charley Gap. Ever since coming to live with her mother and her uncle, Mandie's wanted to someday get the house she grew up in back into her possession, and this is the closest she's ever come to doing so. However, a mystery emerges when important papers surrounding the estate disappear, and Mandie's stepmother and her new husband seem to be mixed up somehow in the occurrence. Mandie's determined with the help of her friends and family to get to the bottom of the mystery, and she won't stop until she does.
While I wouldn't consider this to be one of my favorite Mandie titles, I did really enjoy the fact that it mixes her life at Charley Gap with her life in Franklin. It was interesting to see grandmother Taft's first visit to Swain Country, and to find out more of the reasons between the gap that existed between Mandie's father and the rest of his family.
This continues to be one of my top recommend series for young girls, and I'm definitely feeling nostalgic as I reread all of these titles as an adult. Mandie will always hold a special place in my heart, and I hope to share these titles with future generations for Mandie's stories to live on.
Final Rating: 3/5
It's not my favorite Mandie title, but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
February 14, 2024
Disclaimer, as usual, that there are blatant inappropriate and offensive portrayals of people of color in this book.
I thought the whole thing was very anticlimactic. I enjoyed Mandie discovering some pieces of her own history throughout the book, but the exposition at the end of what happened with the will was so boring. Mandie and Joe should have found clues throughout the book that led them to the final conclusion of what happened. In addition, it made no sense to have the will hidden behind tacked up wallpaper. It would have made a much better story if they were rushing to trace the will in the house, dropped it on the floor on their way out, and Liza unwittingly put it away in Uncle John's office somewhere. Perhaps it was shoved away into a drawer with a few tracing practice attempts. Dirty footprints left behind or papers in the secret tunnel as well. Witnesses reporting that they saw mountain people around the house the day the will went missing. Poor disguise attempts to play the "witnesses" on the fake will for a dramatic final courtroom scene.
I also thought it was strange to bring up the Miller's daughter for no reason. Leppard could have just brought up Jacob Smith's living situation without involving any other options.
A bunch of weird writing decisions that were not well executed. This could have been so interesting, but it just wasn't.
I thought the whole thing was very anticlimactic. I enjoyed Mandie discovering some pieces of her own history throughout the book, but the exposition at the end of what happened with the will was so boring. Mandie and Joe should have found clues throughout the book that led them to the final conclusion of what happened. In addition, it made no sense to have the will hidden behind tacked up wallpaper. It would have made a much better story if they were rushing to trace the will in the house, dropped it on the floor on their way out, and Liza unwittingly put it away in Uncle John's office somewhere. Perhaps it was shoved away into a drawer with a few tracing practice attempts. Dirty footprints left behind or papers in the secret tunnel as well. Witnesses reporting that they saw mountain people around the house the day the will went missing. Poor disguise attempts to play the "witnesses" on the fake will for a dramatic final courtroom scene.
I also thought it was strange to bring up the Miller's daughter for no reason. Leppard could have just brought up Jacob Smith's living situation without involving any other options.
A bunch of weird writing decisions that were not well executed. This could have been so interesting, but it just wasn't.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2020
3.5 stars & 4/10 hearts. I’ve read this story before, but I still found it interesting and exciting. I think Leppard is one of those authors that you either like or dislike as you read various books. This one was enjoyable. I liked seeing the home life in 1901, although I don’t like all the divorcing, Joe & Mandie touching hands at one point, and calling God “the big God.” I really liked legal part and the search for the will, and the servants too.
Read
January 23, 2026I really enjoyed the plot of this book and how the story ended. It was so well written and the ending was great! One of my favorite parts from this book is when Mandie and her family find out that her stepmother Etta tries to trick everyone into thinking she has ownership of Mandie’s father's homeland; eventually Mandie and her family find out the truth and she gets full ownership of her father's land.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2022
Besides the first one, this Mandie book is probably my favorite. I really enjoyed the mystery as well as the execution. Lois Gladys Leppard did an amazing job on this book!
June 7, 2025
etta shows up again.
I forgot how much I hated her
I forgot how much I hated her
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 19, 2016
Mandie books are always interesting. I've been reading them for years now. "Mandie and the Courtroom Battle" was a good one, because a storyline like this one has never been in the Mandie books before.
Young Mandie was so excited when she found out from her father's will that she owns the house he built. Problems arise when Etta Shaw claims that she has a copy of that will that states the house belongs to her. How is Mandie going to battle this argument in court? But then, things grow even worse and more confusing after that. Mandie will have to gather all her strength and rely on God to get her through this.
Although I did enjoy this book, mainly because there was a unique storyline, it also wasn't the best. There is a certain element of the book that I didn't understand the reasoning of why Mandie was so set on a particular idea that really wasn't even logical. (I can't tell about this part without revealing too much). However, it was still a good book in the series.
Young Mandie was so excited when she found out from her father's will that she owns the house he built. Problems arise when Etta Shaw claims that she has a copy of that will that states the house belongs to her. How is Mandie going to battle this argument in court? But then, things grow even worse and more confusing after that. Mandie will have to gather all her strength and rely on God to get her through this.
Although I did enjoy this book, mainly because there was a unique storyline, it also wasn't the best. There is a certain element of the book that I didn't understand the reasoning of why Mandie was so set on a particular idea that really wasn't even logical. (I can't tell about this part without revealing too much). However, it was still a good book in the series.
January 30, 2024
Nice closure to one of the underlying plot lines
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