Mandie and the Mysterious Fisherman

Mandie #19

by Lois Gladys Leppard

Traveling through Europe in the summer of 1901, Mandie and her group arrive in Antwerp, Belgium, where they plan to visit art museums as well as do sightseeing around the beautiful city. Mrs. Taft has made it clear that there are to be no more adventures like, Mandie, Celia and Jonathan have gotten involved with in France, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany.

But what are Mandie and her friends to do when adventure discovers them? Who would believe that a seemingly abandoned fishing boat has strange sounds coming from inside? Until they find out more, should they tell Mrs. Taft?

And what is the link between the boat and the suspicious man they think has stolen the priceless painting from the art museum?

Who is the bearded giant?

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Christian, Fiction, Christian Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade

172 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 1992

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

[Lindsey (Books for Christian Girls) · Rating 3 out of 5]

About this book:

“Traveling through Europe in the summer of 1901, Mandie and her group arrive in Antwerp, Belgium, where they plan to visit art museums as well as do sightseeing around the beautiful city. Mrs. Taft has made it clear that there are to be no more adventures like, Mandie, Celia and Jonathan have gotten involved with in France, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany.
But what are Mandie and her friends to do when adventure discovers them? Who would believe that a seemingly abandoned fishing boat has strange sounds coming from inside? Until they find out more, should they tell Mrs. Taft?
And what is the link between the boat and the suspicious man they think has stolen the priceless painting from the art museum? Who is the bearded giant?”


Series: Book #19 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!) {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- Luke 6:37 at the beginning; Prayers & Thanking God; A Scripture is quoted & prayed; Talks about God & forgiving (which Mandie has a hard time doing); ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Mentions of God; A few mentions of a minister; A couple mentions of prayers; A mention of Uncle Ned referring to Heaven as the “happy hunting ground”;
*Note: A mention of a superstition.


Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dumb’, a ‘stupid’ and two ‘shuck’s; Mandie & her grandmother have an argument, which causes Mandie to be very angry at her; A bit of eye rolling; Mentions of thieves, jail & a stolen painting; A few mentions of a wife, baby & kitten that drowned (no details); A couple mentions of murder; A couple mentions of jealousy.


Sexual Content- N/A

-Amanda “Mandie” Shaw, age 13
P.O.V. of Mandie
Set in 1901
172 pages (also available in a collection with four other Mandie books.)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Pre Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
New Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
Early High School Teens- Three Stars (and a half)
Older High School Teens- Three Stars
My personal Rating- Three Stars
A good lesson on forgiveness in this Mandie book! Not my personal favorite, but still a classic one in this classic series.


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.

[Elise · Rating 4 out of 5]

With every Mandie book I read, I just love how many times Mandie and her friends recite Bible verses and how when they do wrong, they pray for forgiveness. This book was no different, and I liked the plot. It was very interesting.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Mandie and the Mysterious Fisherman
Author: Lois Gladys Leppard
Series: Mandie, 19
Format: ebook, bind-up
Length: N/A
Rating: 3 stars

Synopsis: Traveling through Europe in the summer of 1901, Mandie and her group arrive in Antwerp, Belgium, where they plan to visit art museums as well as do sightseeing around the beautiful city. Mrs. Taft has made it clear that there are to be no more adventures like, Mandie, Celia and Jonathan have gotten involved with in France, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany.
But what are Mandie and her friends to do when adventure discovers them? Who would believe that a seemingly abandoned fishing boat has strange sounds coming from inside? Until they find out more, should they tell Mrs. Taft?
And what is the link between the boat and the suspicious man they think has stolen the priceless painting from the art museum?
Who is the bearded giant?

Favourite character: Jonathan
Least favourite character: Mandie

Mini-review: What to say about this book. Basically there's no mystery, really only in the kids imaginations. The only real mystery is that the Strange Woman shows up and at this point she's really starting to annoy me, mainly because I haven't finish the Europe trip arc and so I have no idea who or what she is.

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
Alex - Ciaran Hinds
Minister - Burn Gorman

[wanderer · Rating 3 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 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.

[Kelsey Grissom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I *loved* this series as a child, so I was excited to re-read one of the books. Wow. Not a lot to love here anymore! Mandie, who I once thought was so cool, is pushy and disrespectful and duplicitous. The theology is terrible, the plot does not make sense, the writing is tedious, and there are so many racial stereotypes 😬 I don’t feel compelled to re-read any more of this series. I’m glad childhood Me enjoyed them, at least.

[Meadow Frisbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

When an abandoned boat holds a grieving fisherman, and a priceless painting is stolen. Mandie is sure there is a conection between the two.

[Kara Kuehl · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5/5 stars
The story-line itself was alright but there were a few things I disliked:
1. Encourages leaving without permission - multiple times Mandie and her friends leave the hotel and explore the unknown city alone without adult supervision or permission at all. They are all alone in a foreign country.
2. Snowball escapes probably in every chapter (sometimes multiple times per chapter) and after a while it gets repetitive and boring.
3. Mandie is nosy and asks very personal questions to complete strangers then gets offended when they get angry at her.
I just don't feel like these are good qualities to teach our young readers.
On the bright side, I love the Scripture recitation and the prayer.

[Audrey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mandie and the Mysterious Fisherman takes Mandie and her friends to Belgium, where they discover an old boat and a grief-stricken man hiding a painful past. Their curiosity soon pulls them into a hunt for a thief smuggling valuable paintings. A gentle mix of mystery, travel, and faith makes this another charming Mandie adventure.

[Telisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many times Mandi's curiosity isn't a bad thing, however, there are times I think they just want her to run amok and mess with peoples lives. I love Uncle Ned - Papoose must not bother man. Grief is real.
More people need an Uncle Ned to tell them the truth.

[Superreader200 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great Mandie book! 5 stars!

[Naomi Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was another great book in the series. I got the first book a while ago, and immediately fell in love with the series. It is a awesome series of books, and I can't wait to read the rest.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mandie was so irritating in this one.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to want to emulate mandie. I wonder if I ever did

[Savannah Haschak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the plot of this book and how the story ended. It was so well written and the ending was great!

[Child_of_Aslan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read. I'd forgotten why I enjoyed going through the Mandie books so much. She can be very naughty, but the storyline keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Partridge Public]

Leppard, Lois G. PB

[Cws]

JMAR5-Lep

[Kari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun European adventure