Mandie and the Ghost Bandits

Mandie #3

by Lois Gladys Leppard

A gold shipment, a train wreck on a moonlit night, and a gang of robbers disguised as "ghosts" are all part of this suspense-filled adventure! Ages 8-13.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Christian Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult

126 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1984

About the author

Lois 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".

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun episode.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't believe Mandie was such a heroine in my adolescent eyes. I'm glad she has human struggles to make her relatable, but she's kind of a spoiled brat. Which doesn't always make sense, because she was raised where she had to pull her own weight around the house. She throws tantrums like a toddler.
Her jealousy gets annoying at times.

This one isn't my favorite. It seems crazy that the adults allow the young people to chase down dangerous bandits with the adults. And then uncle Ned is on his deathbed, but gallivanting about the mountain just a short time later.

It drives me crazy that Elizabeth wants to send Mandie away so soon after being reunited with her daughter.

What happened to T'sani's character development from the last book? He's back to being rude and insufferable in this one.

[wanderer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit it: I am reviewing these books years after reading them. However, do not even suggest that I'm no longer qualified, that too many years have passed to remember. My battered and faded copies of these books testify to how many times I read them growing up and plots and entire passages are seared in my memory forever.

Snowball always ran away, Mandie always got in trouble, Uncle Ned always rescued her, and Joe and Tommy bristled at each other. I myself prefered Joe, but Tommy's cosmopolitan airs nearly tipped the balance a time or two. I recall- fondly and as though it were yesterday- my glee when Mandie went off to Europe, my disgust at the new baby, my delight in Mandie's wardrobe of sky blue frocks, my puzzlement at all her near escapes and handy school vacations, my terror during the daring midnight adventures. Ah me, to be young and silly again...

If I had written goodreads reviews at the age of eleven, all Mandie books would've received automatic five-star ratings and gushing descriptions. As an adult, I will honestly give them all three stars, except for my special pets. And if I ever have a little girl, I will buy her the entire set. Oh, and did you know there are more than forty books in the series by now? And I'm guessing Mandie never grows up, either.

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars - English paperback

Review follows later.

[Alise · Rating 5 out of 5]

I looooooove these books. I'm reading 7 per week nowadays.

[Olde American Spirit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't enjoy this one as much. There was one annoying character above the rest and I honestly was over all the drama.

[Katt Hansen · Rating 3 out of 5]

For goodness sake, I would hate to be the parents of any of these kids the way they disappear for days on end and wind up in dangerous situations!

Mandie and her friends are on a train taking the Cherokee gold to the big city, only someone has gotten wise to the plan and made off with the gold - and with Uncle Ned! A derailment, a long wandering in the wilderness keeps the pace moving quickly. Again, I get a little fed up with the preachiness aspect, but I like the characters despite all of that and am glad to see some flaws surfacing in the perfect Mandie now and again. Overall this is not my favorite of the series, but it's worth reading, especially for the sake of continuity as you go forward in the series.

[Michelle Hernandez · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a fun story, and I remember being captivated by Mandie's adventure chasing after the bandits. However, upon rereading as an adult, I found that there's theology in here that's just troublesome.

The idea that God will bless them because they tithed or God will heal Uncle Ned because they prayed just isn't theological sound. God isn't a genie that just grants us what we want, nor does He operate on a works-based mentality of "if people do this, I will do this." Sometimes He does, but look at Job. Just because you're doing good doesn't guarantee His "blessing" in the way we perceive blessings. I also don't like the Uncle Ned is heralded as someone who is a devout Christian, yet keeps talking about "bad luck" when there's no such thing as luck. There's evil, greed, and sin, but not luck. When they talk about why the gold was stolen, they conclude it was because of the bad people, and dismiss God's plan and sovereignty in all situations.

The jealousies and hurt feelings among the young people are a bit laughable and seem to come out of nowhere. I did like that Mandie apologizes to Polly, though. I know these books are short, but I would have just liked to see more development of the relationships and characters before bringing things like jealousies out of left field. But, I get that this is a middle grade book. Speaking of characters, what happened to Tsani's character development from book 2? It's like that was completely disregarded so he could be the annoying, bad character again.

One of the things that irked me most was the poor decisions of the parents. They are chasing after bandits, and they let a bunch of 12-year olds come along on dangerous treks across the mountain to find and confront potentially armed and dangerous people? Where's the proper authorities in all of this? Also, as a mom I was appalled at Elizabeth. How dare she even entertain the thought of sending Mandie so far away when she missed twelve years of her life! They hardly even know each other, and Elizabeth just says she has to make sacrifices for Mandie's good. If the school in Franklin doesn't teach everything Elizabeth wanted for Mandie, she should have supplemented by teaching her herself or hiring a tutor!

I digress. Even with the poor theology, plot conveniences, and a writing style that makes me cringe at times, I still loved Mandie as a girl, and I still want to keep rereading her adventures.

[Izzy Y · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like all of the Mandie books and I really get into books when I’m reading (as my friends already know 😜)…I’m sorry but I don’t like Polly one bit! She’s so annoying! This may sound a little dramatic but I wanted to jump into the book and explain (or scream) that Mandie and Joe are meant for each other, they don’t need her, and to go away and never come back. (At least until she decides to stop flirting) I’m probably just overreacting and overthinking it like I usually do.😉☺️ Other than Polly I really liked this book! I don’t really understand what’s going on with Mandie and Dimar but…. I don’t really mind him because I like to imagine that he ended up falling in love with Sallie. Although I would like to know who else thinks it’s funny and corny that Mandie has so many admirers? 😆
It seems like a new boy in every book, again maybe I’m just overthinking!

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book for my daughter’s book club. I read this book when I was her age, and it is so fun to read it with her.
Mandie seems to always find herself on some adventure. Mandie and the Ghost Bandits is no exception. Mandie finds her and her friends being kidnapped by bandits. Escaping the bandits and finding Uncle Ned, the children find themselves needing to rely on God to get them through. Mandie also struggles with jealousy and fear of going to school far away.
Liza struggles with trying to enjoy herself and not being a servant.
I love how Lois Gladys Leppard weaves faith throughout the book. She touches on a lot of subjects and a lot of interesting aspects.
Excited to see what Mandie will do next with the Cherokee’s gold to help them and what adventures she will find herself in ad she goes off to school.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book series for the mystery readers!

[Kate Walton · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a really good book with a hole lot of mystery and adventure.

[Makenzie Muñoz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love rereading these!!!!

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 4 out of 5]

About this book:

“A gold shipment, a train wreck on a moonlit night, and a gang of robbers disguised as "ghosts" are all part of this suspense-filled adventure!
Will Mandie and her friends be able to unravel the mystery of the missing gold?
Join Mandie and her friends on another exciting adventure!”


Series: Book #3 in “Mandie” series. (Read #1’s review Here! Read #2’s review Here!) {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- Acts 30:35 at the beginning; Talks about God & trusting Him; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Prayers; A few Scriptures are quoted, mentioned, and prayed; Uncle Ned referrers to Heaven as the “happy hunting ground”; Tsa’ni does not believe in God.
*Note: Mentions of spooky ghosts.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a ‘dumbhead’, and a form of ‘shut up’; A tiny bit of sarcasm; A mention of tobacco juice; Blood (barely-above-not-detailed).


Sexual Content- Noticing handsome boys and beautiful girls (Dimar thinks Mandie is beautiful & Joe gets jealous; Mandie tries not to be jealous when Polly is talking/flirting to Joe); Joe intends to marry Mandie when they’re grown & calls Mandie he future wife; Mentions of Irene & her boyfriend.

-Amanda “Mandie” Shaw, age 12
P.O.V. of Mandie
Set in 1900
126 pages (also available in a collection with four other Mandie books.)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
New Teens- Five Stars
Early High School Teens- Four Stars
Older High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
I’ll always have a special place in my heart (& bookshelf) for this series! Since I’m older now, though, I’m noticing a few grammar things and it can be a bit corny, but it’s still sweet. :)
*See my thought on this series versus the younger series, Here!


Link to review:
http://booksforchristiangirls.blogspo...


*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.

[Jill Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mandie was excited to be going on a train journey. She waits while her Uncle John and two Cherokee Indian friends load bags of gold into the wagon. They wanted to keep the gold a secret so very few people knew about it.

They start out towards Asheville, where the gold was to be put in a bigger bank for security, however, they didn't get that far before disaster struck. Mandie and her friends wanted to go to the baggage car to see Uncle Ned, the Indian who was charged with keeping her safe since her father had died. On the way the group of children saw horsemen outside, they looked like ghosts with white faces and flowing capes.

The train stopped suddenly and the baggage car was unhooked and plummeted down a ravine. The children left the train to see what had happened. Before they could get back on the train started off again leaving them precariously on the tracks. The horsemen captured the children and threw them into a windowless cabin, locking them in.

Could they escape and find Uncle Ned? Would the other adults come back to find them? What happened to the gold? Would they ever be able to build a hospital for the Cherokee Indians as planned?

The book is full of excitement for the young adventurers. Mandie and her friends face a difficult escape and seeing the shattered box car, fear the worst for Uncle Ned.

Although this is a tale of a bygone era, it is exciting and still a great read for youngsters.

[Leta Blake · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 9yo says, "It got interesting after the first few chapters."

[Karina (Karina's Christian Reads) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Number of pages: 98

Genre: Children’s fiction

Series: Mandie Series #3

Age recommendation: 8-12; parents might want to discuss racism with younger readers

Summary: When Mandie and her family try to bring the gold safely to the bank where it can be protected, the train is attacked and the gold is stolen. Can Mandie and her friends recover the gold before it’s too late?

My thoughts: The books are getting slightly better. By that I mean I think they’re getting slightly less racist (or I might just be more used to it now).
The plot is ridiculous. Mandie and her friends are kidnapped and escape within the first five chapters (thanks to some help from Snowball – Mandie’s kitten). It drives me crazy when super unrealistic things happen, and the characters give the recognition to their pets.
I don’t like the importance put on tithing. Don’t get me wrong, I think it is important for us to give back to God (I mean, He is the one who provided for us in the first place so He definitely deserves it), but Mandie turned it into legalism: i.e., she must tithe, or else God will punish her. At least Uncle Ned assured her that isn’t true.
There’s a lot of random sentences that add a romance to this book… Joe reminding Mandie she’s going to be his wife someday and comments about Dimar finding Mandie cute/looking at her. I found it annoying and unnecessary. I personally don’t even like a lot of romance in the books I read now, let alone introducing romantic books to nine-year-old girls.
Although I mentioned the racism might be improving, it is still a pretty racist book, and for that reason (plus the plot is awful), I wouldn't really recommend this book.

My personal rating: 2/5 stars.

[Isaac Butterworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mandie and the Ghost Bandits is the third book in Lois Gladys Leppard's Mandie series. (There are twenty-four in all!) The reader of Ms. Leppard's books should bear in mind that these volumes were (1) written for preteens, for girls in particular, (2) based on her grandmother's experiences growing up in the first few years of the Twentieth Century, and (3) characterized by a dated writing style. They are, however, entertaining, and they bear witness to a strong faith.

The dramatic question that moves Mandie and the Ghost Bandits forward is whether Mandie and her friends will find the gold they discovered in a cave and the bandits who stole it. During the course of pursuing that goal, the eleven-year-old lead character learns important lessons about herself and others. Her faith in God's Providence and her obedience to His commands are rewarded with blessing upon blessing. Mandie is pure-hearted, loving, loyal, and very likeable, even if she is sometimes a bit "preachy."

Parents of upper elementary age children will find Leppard's books suitable for good, family-friendly reading. Each volume is short (less than 150 pages), highly readable, and easy to carry around.

[Nikki Slezak · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love how the book starts up right where the last one left off, they flow so nice and seamlessly together. I really hope that continues throughout the series.

I felt so much anger when Snuff and Rennie Lou were brought back into the story. Like, more anger than I should have, like I should probably work on that, but anyways, they better never come up again because omgosh if they’re the reason something else bad happens to Mandie and company, I am going to scream into a jar, put the jar into a box, and fedex that box to Ms. Leppard’s remaining relatives with a note saying “my jarred feelings about Rennie Lou and Snuff.” That’s all I have to say about that.

Oh! I almost forgot! I loooooved Uncle Ned’s view on tithing. I grew up hearing that “God will get His money, one way or another”, so like if you don’t tithe, your car will break down or whatever, and I just don’t see evidence in the Bible that God punishes those who don’t tithe. Instead, the Bible seems to say that God rewards tithers with additional blessings. I enjoyed the fact that tithing was even discussed in the book, and even more that it was from what I would consider a biblically accurate angle.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Mandie and the Ghost Bandits
Author: Lois Gladys Leppard
Series: Mandie, 3
Format: ebook, bind-up
Length: N/A
Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis: A gold shipment, a train wreck on a moonlit night, and a gang of robbers disguised as "ghosts" are all part of this suspense-filled adventure!

Favourite character: Sallie
Least favourite character: N/A

Mini-review: Mandie starting to become more and more selfish. You'd think for someone who did all the chores in one household wouldn't become selfish that quickly, but maybe it's just me.

Fan Cast:
Amanda "Mandie" Shaw - Emma Rayne Lyle
Uncle Ned Sweetwater - Zahn McClarnon
Uncle John Shaw - Jeffery Dean Morgan
Elizabeth Shaw - Malin Akerman
Joe Woodard - Louis Hynes
Jason Bond - C. Thomas Howell
Aunt Lou - Alfre Woodard
Liza - Lauryn Alisa McClain
Polly Cornwallis - Nikki Hahn
Morning Star Sweetwater - Irene Bedard
Dr. Woodard - Gideon Emery
Irene - Matia Jackett

[Karissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Childhood nostalgia at its' finest.

This story picks up right at the end of the previous one. Mandie and her Cherokee friends and family are moving the Cherokee gold to a more secure bank. The train it is on gets waylaid and the gold stolen, of course. Mandie and the other youngsters are nabbed when they get off the train to check on Mandie's beloved Uncle Ned. Left in an abandoned shack they work together to get free and then to locate the gold and Uncle Ned. Meanwhile the adults alight from the train at its' destination, borrow horses and rush home where they grab supplies and a meal and head out again. Mandie and her friends find Uncle Ned hurt in the woods and are trying to figure out how to help when the adults hear their call and come to the rescue. After making sure Uncle Ned will be okay, Mandie and the others head out again to try and track the robbers. Finding a few clues, and with help from Indian friends, they discover where they are holed up. A minimum of fuss and violence later they capture them and locate the gold, with the help of the always inquisitive kitten Snowball.

[Kynzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have been reading this series in order and I feel that it has progressively gotten worse. I loved the first book, it had a good plot and was well written. I struggled to even finish this book. My main complaints are that it is very over dramatic. I understand that the girls are supposed to be like 12 years old but they cry over EVERYTHING. It makes it really cringy when they seem to burst into tears every chapter for (often) silly reasons. The book as a whole was cheesy and most of the dialog was repetitive (for example, Uncle Ned always saying "he bad indian" ect.
This particular book was badly written imo. It was repetitive, cheesy, dramatic and not a ton seemed to happen.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Third Mandie book follows on directly from book two, where the gold found there is taken by bandits.
Those varmints!
More hints of Christianity, like looking for sultanas in a box od sultana bran, they are their somewhere, but perhaps they will all be in the last book!
Anyway a good fun story, I hope she grows older and doesn't stay the same age for the whole series as some of those book series tend to do.
Anyway on to book #4

[Truly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sebenarnya seru, namun karena buku ini diterjemahkan sekitar tahun 2007 maka ada beberapa kalimat yang harus saya baca ulang. Harap malum, gaya terjemahan tahun tersebut tentunya sangat berbeda dengan saat saya membaca buku ini.

beberapa adegan membuat saya teringat pada adegan seru film cobow. Begitulah, pada akhirnya Mendie dan teman-teman selamat dan sukses membantu memecahkan misteri di mana emas curian disembunyikan.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good clean Christian story full of mystery and laughter.

[Deevena Jemima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it!!

[Joy Gerbode · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another good story for kids ...

[Renee Haug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read with my daughter.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't remember so much childish whining and jealousy in the series' but as I'm older I'm appreciating the realistic representation of Mandie and her friend's they are all just kids after all

[Audrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Cherokee gold was stolen off the train by bandits while in transit to a larger bank. Mandie, along with her friends and relatives, go in pursuit of the thieves.