What do you think?
Rate this book
Mandie #16
Mandie and the Silent Catacombs
Mandie, Celia, Mrs. Taft, Senator Morton and Jonathan leave the problems of Paris behind them as they board an express train whose destination is Rome, Italy. Mandie and Celia are excited about seeing the Colosseum, the Sistine Chapel, the Forum, the Pantheon, and the hundreds of fountains in Italy. They've nearly forgotten the vanishing woman who has followed them wherever they've gone. Without warning she reappears!
Mandie determines she'll find out who the woman is of it's the last thing she does in Europe. But the fact remains that the woman may be dangerous. And when their sightseeing time in the Catacombs turns into a near nightmare with an accompanying burglary, their time in Rome promises more surprises than even Mandie can handle!
The Catacombs are no place for Mandie and her friends on their own!
Mandie determines she'll find out who the woman is of it's the last thing she does in Europe. But the fact remains that the woman may be dangerous. And when their sightseeing time in the Catacombs turns into a near nightmare with an accompanying burglary, their time in Rome promises more surprises than even Mandie can handle!
The Catacombs are no place for Mandie and her friends on their own!
160 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1990
3 people are currently reading
335 people want to read
About the author
Lois Gladys Leppard
120 books289 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".
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 26, 2016
About this book:
“Mandie, Celia, Mrs. Taft, Senator Morton and Jonathan leave the problems of Paris behind them as they board an express train whose destination is Rome, Italy. Mandie and Celia are excited about seeing the Colosseum, the Sistine Chapel, the Forum, the Pantheon, and the hundreds of fountains in Italy. They've nearly forgotten the vanishing woman who has followed them wherever they've gone. Without warning she reappears!
Mandie determines she'll find out who the woman is of it's the last thing she does in Europe. But the fact remains that the woman may be dangerous. And when their sightseeing time in the Catacombs turns into a near nightmare with an accompanying burglary, their time in Rome promises more surprises than even Mandie can handle!
The Catacombs are no place for Mandie and her friends on their own!”
Series: Book #16 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!) {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- Exodus 20:15 at the beginning; Prayers & Thanking the Lord; A couple Scriptures are quoted & prayed; Talks about God & Jesus; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God & Jesus; Going to & mentions of the Catacombs and the history of them being ancient cemeteries of Christians; Mentions of God; Mentions of Bibles & those in the Bible; Mentions of chapels; Mentions of monks; A few mentions of praying.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’ and two ‘shucks’; A bit of eye rolling; Mentions of the dead & caskets (not-detailed); Mentions of the Roman Colosseum & the fighting that happen there; Mentions of lying.
Sexual Content- A couple mentions that Joe expects Mandie to marry him when they’re older.
-Amanda “Mandie” Shaw, age 13
P.O.V. of Mandie
Set in 1901
140 pages (also available in a collection with four other Mandie books.)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
New Teens- Four Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
What a fun Mandie mystery! The mentions of the different Biblical time-periods were another neat historical aspect of this book! And just who is the strange woman from the ship? ;)
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.
“Mandie, Celia, Mrs. Taft, Senator Morton and Jonathan leave the problems of Paris behind them as they board an express train whose destination is Rome, Italy. Mandie and Celia are excited about seeing the Colosseum, the Sistine Chapel, the Forum, the Pantheon, and the hundreds of fountains in Italy. They've nearly forgotten the vanishing woman who has followed them wherever they've gone. Without warning she reappears!
Mandie determines she'll find out who the woman is of it's the last thing she does in Europe. But the fact remains that the woman may be dangerous. And when their sightseeing time in the Catacombs turns into a near nightmare with an accompanying burglary, their time in Rome promises more surprises than even Mandie can handle!
The Catacombs are no place for Mandie and her friends on their own!”
Series: Book #16 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!) {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- Exodus 20:15 at the beginning; Prayers & Thanking the Lord; A couple Scriptures are quoted & prayed; Talks about God & Jesus; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God & Jesus; Going to & mentions of the Catacombs and the history of them being ancient cemeteries of Christians; Mentions of God; Mentions of Bibles & those in the Bible; Mentions of chapels; Mentions of monks; A few mentions of praying.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’ and two ‘shucks’; A bit of eye rolling; Mentions of the dead & caskets (not-detailed); Mentions of the Roman Colosseum & the fighting that happen there; Mentions of lying.
Sexual Content- A couple mentions that Joe expects Mandie to marry him when they’re older.
-Amanda “Mandie” Shaw, age 13
P.O.V. of Mandie
Set in 1901
140 pages (also available in a collection with four other Mandie books.)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
New Teens- Four Stars
Early High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars (and a half)
What a fun Mandie mystery! The mentions of the different Biblical time-periods were another neat historical aspect of this book! And just who is the strange woman from the ship? ;)
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.
October 6, 2019
Title: Mandie and the Silent Catacombs
Author: Lois Gladys Leppard
Series: Mandie, 16
Format: ebook, bind-up
Length: N/A
Rating: 3 stars
Synopsis: Mandie, Celia, Mrs. Taft, Senator Morton and Jonathan leave the problems of Paris behind them as they board an express train whose destination is Rome, Italy. Mandie and Celia are excited about seeing the Colosseum, the Sistine Chapel, the Forum, the Pantheon, and the hundreds of fountains in Italy. They've nearly forgotten the vanishing woman who has followed them wherever they've gone. Without warning she reappears!
Mandie determines she'll find out who the woman is of it's the last thing she does in Europe. But the fact remains that the woman may be dangerous. And when their sightseeing time in the Catacombs turns into a near nightmare with an accompanying burglary, their time in Rome promises more surprises than even Mandie can handle!
The Catacombs are no place for Mandie and her friends on their own!
Favourite character: Jonathan
Least favourite character: Mandie & Celia
Mini-review: It's a rare (really rare) that Celia falls under the least favourite category, but this time around she really got on my nerves, with her Mandie hero-worship. Honestly, she's starting to remind me of Enid from Sweet Valley High.
The plot was okay, but there weren't enough language barriers to make it believable, seeing as they were always able to get their point across.
Fan Cast:
Amanda "Mandie" Shaw - Emma Rayne Lyle
Celia Hamilton - Sadie Sink
Jonathan Lindall Guyer III - Louis Hynes
Grandmother Taft - Meryl Streep
Senator Morton - Donald Sutherland
Uncle Ned Sweetwater - Zahn McClarnon
George Rushton - William Moseley
John Swagglehorn - Martin Clunes
Strange Woman - Linda Hunt
Rupert Geissler - Kodi Smith-McPhee
Author: Lois Gladys Leppard
Series: Mandie, 16
Format: ebook, bind-up
Length: N/A
Rating: 3 stars
Synopsis: Mandie, Celia, Mrs. Taft, Senator Morton and Jonathan leave the problems of Paris behind them as they board an express train whose destination is Rome, Italy. Mandie and Celia are excited about seeing the Colosseum, the Sistine Chapel, the Forum, the Pantheon, and the hundreds of fountains in Italy. They've nearly forgotten the vanishing woman who has followed them wherever they've gone. Without warning she reappears!
Mandie determines she'll find out who the woman is of it's the last thing she does in Europe. But the fact remains that the woman may be dangerous. And when their sightseeing time in the Catacombs turns into a near nightmare with an accompanying burglary, their time in Rome promises more surprises than even Mandie can handle!
The Catacombs are no place for Mandie and her friends on their own!
Favourite character: Jonathan
Least favourite character: Mandie & Celia
Mini-review: It's a rare (really rare) that Celia falls under the least favourite category, but this time around she really got on my nerves, with her Mandie hero-worship. Honestly, she's starting to remind me of Enid from Sweet Valley High.
The plot was okay, but there weren't enough language barriers to make it believable, seeing as they were always able to get their point across.
Fan Cast:
Amanda "Mandie" Shaw - Emma Rayne Lyle
Celia Hamilton - Sadie Sink
Jonathan Lindall Guyer III - Louis Hynes
Grandmother Taft - Meryl Streep
Senator Morton - Donald Sutherland
Uncle Ned Sweetwater - Zahn McClarnon
George Rushton - William Moseley
John Swagglehorn - Martin Clunes
Strange Woman - Linda Hunt
Rupert Geissler - Kodi Smith-McPhee
August 21, 2024
Mandie and her travel companions are now in Rome. They get lost in the catacombs and somehow get tangled up with a couple of jewelry thieves. Even though Mandie and her friends try to stay safe, adventure seems to follow them wherever they go.
June 11, 2020
I enjoyed this addition to the Mandie series. Mandie and her squad are now leaving Paris and moving onto Rome. As a American living in a foreign country, it’s hard not to laugh at how afraid Mandie and Celia are of “foreign” things such as a train, catacombs, etc. I believe this book is sort of titled wrong, as the Catacombs are only in the story for 3 chapters. The mystery itself is quiet complex, centering around the creepy stalker woman, break-ins in Mandie and Celia’s room, and a jewel theft. This book is really packed with action, and I really liked it.
It also has some frustrating moments. At the end, I found myself so frustrated at Mandie’s complete lies and disregard to all the advice she is given. I also really wish Uncle Ned didn’t show up- don’t get me wrong, I love his character, but I was seriously hoping to see Mandie get out of her own problems while she is in Europe.
“Mandie and the Silent Catacombs” also had some hilarious laugh-out-loud moments. In particular, the night break in scene. I found it so comical just how chill Mandie was that a dark figure had literally broke into their room in the middle of the night and was rummaging around. Then Celia (who seems to be the only intelligent one around at times) does what any sane minded person would do- scream like there was a murder. I guess just the personality differences between Mandie and Celia is what got me laughing. My love for Celia is growing.
Overall, I really loved this book. The mystery was suspenseful, and the characters are well thought out. The biblical lessons included are absolutely amazing! Also, the author does an incredible job at describing the historical sights as if you were actually there yourself. 5/5 stars!
It also has some frustrating moments. At the end, I found myself so frustrated at Mandie’s complete lies and disregard to all the advice she is given. I also really wish Uncle Ned didn’t show up- don’t get me wrong, I love his character, but I was seriously hoping to see Mandie get out of her own problems while she is in Europe.
“Mandie and the Silent Catacombs” also had some hilarious laugh-out-loud moments. In particular, the night break in scene. I found it so comical just how chill Mandie was that a dark figure had literally broke into their room in the middle of the night and was rummaging around. Then Celia (who seems to be the only intelligent one around at times) does what any sane minded person would do- scream like there was a murder. I guess just the personality differences between Mandie and Celia is what got me laughing. My love for Celia is growing.
Overall, I really loved this book. The mystery was suspenseful, and the characters are well thought out. The biblical lessons included are absolutely amazing! Also, the author does an incredible job at describing the historical sights as if you were actually there yourself. 5/5 stars!
May 31, 2018
Now its 3 troublemakers running around Europe. Jonathan, Mandi & Celia. Of course, they get lost in the catacombs in Italy.
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.
January 25, 2019
This is a great book. I like the mystery aspect to it. It has a good plot set up and it has a good ending. I like how the magician ends up being the real thief.
January 19, 2020
Rereading these for nostalgia, but even though the mysteries can be quite complicated at times, the books themselves are formulaic and repetitive.
July 7, 2020
Loved this series as a child!
June 7, 2025
I am so glad I picked up this series again
January 23, 2026
I really enjoyed the plot of this book and how the story ended. It was so well written and the ending was great!
August 3, 2021
I’m pretty sure this book began my fear of dark, enclosed spaces and the catacombs. Mandie and her friends get lost when someone blows out the lights so they… walk around aimlessly trying to find their way out? Note to self: if you’re lost in a cavern sit your ass down and wait for someone to return.
There’s also some drama around stolen gems and for some reason when Mandie wakes up to an intruder in her room at night, the adults decide not to notify the hotel.
So maybe crimes were not solved way back then because people were idiots.
There’s also some drama around stolen gems and for some reason when Mandie wakes up to an intruder in her room at night, the adults decide not to notify the hotel.
So maybe crimes were not solved way back then because people were idiots.
September 19, 2012
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 preferred 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.
Snowball always ran away, Mandie always got in trouble, Uncle Ned always rescued her, and Joe and Tommy bristled at each other. I myself preferred 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.
March 10, 2008
Cute. All the Mandie books are just cute and suitable for little girls who like old-fashioned adventure.
Read
January 22, 2009JMAR5-Lep
January 9, 2011
It was interesting, but not her best.
Bailey
Bailey
February 26, 2011
Exciting!
August 28, 2012
I think this one is my favorite. . .
March 14, 2014
I was great especially since Lois Gladys Leppard added a new character, Jonathon.
January 12, 2024
Can’t go wrong with her European adventures
January 11, 2022
What character was the best? mandie
What surprised me? that the magician was bad
would i change the ending? no. that is where the mystery is solved
What surprised me? that the magician was bad
would i change the ending? no. that is where the mystery is solved
Read
September 20, 2007Leppard, Lois G.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews