Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

Mandie #15

Mandie and the Foreign Spies

Rate this book
Mandie, Celia, Mrs. Taft and Senator Morton arrive safely in London and take Jonathan, the young stowaway from Mandie and the Shipboard Mystery, along with them.

A telegram from an unknown source is waiting for Mandie and an unexplained message has been left at their hotel. Who is so interested in what Mandie is doing? And why don't they sign their names? Is this a new adventure-or danger?

When they decide to deliver Jonathan to his aunt in Paris, adventure begins. But what at first seemed like a simple mystery turns into a dangerous trap and an encounter with the disappearing stranger.

Mandie's in Paris and so are the spies!

159 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 1, 1990

6 people are currently reading
329 people want to read

About the author

Lois Gladys Leppard

119 books287 followers
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".

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
397 (35%)
4 stars
359 (32%)
3 stars
283 (25%)
2 stars
57 (5%)
1 star
7 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
Profile Image for Danielle.
283 reviews4 followers
October 5, 2019
Title: Mandie and the Foreign Spies
Author: Lois Gladys Leppard
Series: Mandie, 15
Format: ebook, bind-up
Length: N/A
Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis: Mandie, Celia, Mrs. Taft and Senator Morton arrive safely in London and take Jonathan, the young stowaway from Mandie and the Shipboard Mystery, along with them.
A telegram from an unknown source is waiting for Mandie and an unexplained message has been left at their hotel. Who is so interested in what Mandie is doing? And why don't they sign their names? Is this a new adventure-or danger?
When they decide to deliver Jonathan to his aunt in Paris, adventure begins. But what at first seemed like a simple mystery turns into a dangerous trap and an encounter with the disappearing stranger.
Mandie's in Paris and so are the spies!

Favourite character: Jonathan
Least favourite character: Mandie

Mini-review: I did not like this. It almost felt like the author didn't write it. There were mistakes and borderline racist stereotypes (Mandie can track because of her Cherokee blood, when in reality it's a taught skill not a natural born gift). Jonathan, who can speak French and went to boarding school in England, can't tell if three girls are English speakers or French speakers based on their accents. Also it's very unrealistic that two thirteen year old girls would foil the plot of spies. Also Uncle Ned shows up in France.

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
Strange Woman - Linda Hunt
Mary Covington - Mimi Keene
Maude Covington - Esme Creed-Miles
Martha Covington - Pixie Davies
Profile Image for Lynn.
933 reviews
May 27, 2022
I'm rating up a star in remembrance of the audience this book and this series was intended for. I would have eaten it up as a kid, but as an adult it made me laugh because some of these things would just never happen. But it was 1901, so who knows. ;)
Profile Image for Telisha.
408 reviews1 follower
May 31, 2018
Mandi and Celia see Jonathan kidnapped and race to find him. In the end they save him and the three sisters.
Profile Image for Olivia.
23 reviews
Read
January 1, 2021
Great mystery series for the mystery reader!
Profile Image for Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls).
2,158 reviews5,100 followers
July 29, 2016
About this book:

“Mandie, Celia, Mrs. Taft and Senator Morton arrive safely in London and take Jonathan, the young stowaway from Mandie and the Shipboard Mystery, along with them.
A telegram from an unknown source is waiting for Mandie and an unexplained message has been left at their hotel. Who is so interested in what Mandie is doing? And why don't they sign their names? Is this a new adventure-or danger?
When they decide to deliver Jonathan to his aunt in Paris, adventure begins. But what at first seemed like a simple mystery turns into a dangerous trap and an encounter with the disappearing stranger.
Mandie's in Paris and so are the spies!”



Series: Book #15 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!) {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- Isaiah 58:9 at the beginning; Prayers; A couple Scriptures are prayed; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Uncle Ned referrers to Heaven as the “happy hunting ground”.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a form of ‘sissy’, and three ‘shucks’; A bit of sarcasm.


Sexual Content- A bit of jealousy; Mentions of crushes; Mentions of Joe & Mandie marrying when they’re older.

-Amanda “Mandie” Shaw, age 13
P.O.V. of Mandie
Set in 1901
159 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)
Another good Mandie mystery! These Europe ones are some of my favorites. :)


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.
Profile Image for wanderer.
463 reviews45 followers
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 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.
Profile Image for Audrey.
1,767 reviews81 followers
May 1, 2024
Mandie seems to be always getting into trouble or else trouble finds her. Now she is in Paris with her friends and doesn't know the language. They get tangled with a group of spies and kidnappers. How are they going to get out of this mess?
11 reviews1 follower
October 8, 2015
The book I most recently finished is called Mandie and the Foreign Spies, by Lois Gladys Leppard. This book is historical fiction. It takes place in London, England. The main characters are Mandie, Celia, Jonathan, "Grandmother" Taft and senator Morton. In this book Johnathan is kidnapped and Mandie and Celia, against Mrs.Taft's wishes, go to find him. I rated this book 5 stars because it is an action-packed book with mystery and suspense.
Profile Image for Rachel.
3,963 reviews62 followers
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.
Profile Image for Amanda.
906 reviews11 followers
April 13, 2015
I was ten or eleven, also named Amanda, and going through my "mystery phase" of Nancy Drew and (probably inappropriately) Agatha Christie, so of COURSE I had to read all of these! Simplistic and formulaic, but oh so much fun!
Profile Image for Desiree.
67 reviews1 follower
June 8, 2015
what a book! I never knew what I was missing till I read the Mandie books!! There were a few moments when I thought I would jump out of my skin from the suspense building!
Profile Image for Eliza Noel.
Author 2 books99 followers
September 18, 2015
Ugh! I really wish I had started out reading these in order :)
Profile Image for Caitlin.
180 reviews
Read
September 16, 2017
While on a trip to France with her grandmother, Mandie notices some strange things are happening.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.