Tuesday, March 3, 2015

The Mystery Off Glen Road



I decided to read this as part of my retro re-reading project. I read these as a kid after reading all (or most) of the Hardy Boys books, and was looking for something else. I remember enjoying them a lot, so thought it would be nice to go back and see how they hold up. It's fall, close to Thanksgiving time, and the Bob- Whites of the Glen are finishing up their clubhouse. They have been working on it, putting on a new roof and other repairs as well- so when a storm blows through the area, they are worried. With trees going down and high winds, they are nervous that something might go wrong. And unfortunately, something does.

They wake up in the morning to find the clubhouse demolished by an evergreen that went down. Determined to fix it, they don't have any money for supplies. Brian does, although it's money he was going to use to buy an old car. He bravely designates the money for the group, and Trix comes up with an idea to get the clubhouse repaired and get his car. Trix  decides that she and Honey can work as gamekeepers on Honey's dad's game preserve- turns out the current gamekeeper has just quit. Trix and Honey go to work patrolling the area. They quickly suspect a poacher is on the prowl, when they see a strange man they don't know and later find a deer carcass. Trix, determined to prove herself as a gamekeeper, doesn't tell the boys (or any adult) about her suspicions, and when Trix and Honey discover a cabin in the woods, have they found their poacher?

I have not read these in many a year, so I remembered only bits. I had vague memories of the group being tight, so I was surprised how much flack Trix got at times- but it's all good fun (for the most part). Mart, her know-it-all brother irritated me a bit. The group is a fun part of these stories, they all work together and have good, old fashioned value. The pace here is a bit slow, compared to the Hardy Boy books I've been reading, but this is more realistic, and there is more characterization here .   I remember as a kid being drawn to the whole clubhouse thing, and it was fun to revisit these earlier times. A nice read. 

5 comments:

  1. I think I came around in between the popularity for this series. I remember my daughter loving it but I don't remember ever seeing these books when I was a kid. It does sound fun and I love the sound of the clubhouse. I'll have to look for this as well! Between the Hardy Boys and this I need to set aside a few weeks for vintage-ish children's books!

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  2. I read Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys, but not sure if I read any Trixie Belden.

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  3. When I re-read these, I also was surprised by how much "ribbing" Trixie got. We definitely see things differently with adult eyes.

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  4. I don't think I've ever actually read this series, but I would probably like to try. :)

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  5. I know I read this book (and all the others) multiple times as a kid but I found I didn't remember much about it much at all. I was surprised at how much flack Trixie got too. It made the relationship between her and her brothers very realistic, I thought.

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