Customer Reviews

The Marshland Mystery (Trixie Belden #10)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A child violin protegy comes to Sleepyside with her mean old aunt to perform as a guest artist with the symphony. (She's so spoiled, Bobby could take Brat Lessons from her.) Meanwhile, the Bob-Whites are putting together a collection of herbs and flowers from nearby Martin's Marsh, where pirate treasure is rumored to be hidden. A mysterious recluse lives at the edge of the marsh, and paths converge, as they are wont to do, the famous child violinist dogging Trixie and Honey's steps with a persistence that reminds one of the Schoolgirl Shamus herself.

The author was clearly tiring by the end of the story, and what could have been a dramatic rescue is told almost in summary. But there is mystery and history to be discovered in this book, and its fast pace makes up for this undeveloped scene. It does make the reader aware of how pleasant normal life can be compared with the burdens of fame, especially for child performers.

I read all the Trixie books as a kid and now my sister's young girls are reading Trixie. I was delighted to see it in print again for future generations. These are wonderful stories to grow up with.
I still have all my collection!
Highly recommend this whole series for young readers.

When Miss Bennett's herb collection accidentally gets destroyed in class on a Friday, Trixie decides to head to the nearby marsh to start a new one for her. So early Saturday morning, she and Honey set out. On the way, they find the old ruins of the Martin mansion and have a run-in with Miss Rachel, the only Martin left. But when they return, they find out that the young violin prodigy staying with them is missing. Where can she be? Throw in a biased newspaper reporter who takes a dislike to the Bob-Whites, and you've got plenty of trouble.

What you don't have is a good mystery. Calling this the Marshland Adventure might be much more accurate. The first time I read it, I kept waiting for the mystery to start, and was rather disappointed. I still haven't quite gotten over that, even though I can now appreciate the good character interaction and great setting. And there is quite a warning in this book about the dangers of journalistic power that will make anyone as mad as it does Trixie.

Obviously, this isn't a favorite in the series and isn't a good introduction to these wonderful characters. I'm sure if it weren't for the case of false advertising, I wouldn't have been quite as disappointed with it as I was all those years ago.