Reviews

The Secret of the Mansion by Julie Campbell

bethreadsandnaps's review against another edition

3.0

I read this with my daughter. It didn't seem as good as I remembered; however, my daughter wants to read the next one in the series.

daisymama's review against another edition

5.0

I LOVED this series when I was a kid. I searched far and wide to collect all 39 titles... I remember noticing the change in authors, and I was more than a little disappointed when I learned that the author whose writing I had enjoyed would not be the one I would be reading for the remaining 30 books, and I was downright disgruntled when I found out that the "new author" was not one person named Kathryn Kenny, but a whole variety of writers. I still read and enjoyed them all, but preferred the style and variety in Julie Campbell's first nine books. I haven't read them again as an adult, but am considering it.

I read this first book several times, and even read it aloud to my brother because I thought it was such a good story and might help him get more "into" books. Much to my dismay, he did not become a Trixie Belden fan :)

readerturnedwriter's review against another edition

5.0

2022 review: I read this aloud with my seven and five year old girls and they loved it! The cliff hangers at the chapter breaks had them begging me to keep reading. I had so much fun sharing this with them and we're now reading the second together!

Original review: I loved this series growing up and the reread was just as great! I love the country feel to it, I love the characters and the friendships they have, I love the emphasis on loving families, and I love the mystery and suspense!

lynn_k's review against another edition

2.0

Boring. Trixie spends more time riding horses and feeding chickens than solving the mystery.

lorimichele's review against another edition

5.0

I read these books when I was in fourth grade and was pleasantly surprised to rediscover them! They are every bit as enjoyable as they were back then.

jolovestoread's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

Very much the first, establishing book in the series. However I wouldn't be surprised if adults reading it today decided not to continue. If you finished the book, you would have read a taste of Julie Campbell's real talent in the action at the end, but it takes a while to surface. There are lots of other minor action scenes littered throughout the book, but they don't really appear to tie together. Some are to establish/develop character traits and some do link to the plot, although that isn't revealed for a while after the action has occurred. I'm going to continue with the series because I hope it'll now focus more on the mysteries. 

martaprestes's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious relaxing fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

elvisneedsboats's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

lynn_reads's review against another edition

5.0

Ahhh... childhood! I loved these books when I was a kid, and after re-reading this one, it's not hard to see why. Mystery, suspense, friendship, and the possibility of romance... what more's needed??

markmeavery's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0