Bob Whites of the Glen - Recently Updated Pages

About the Authors

TrixieChixie — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:23:08 CDT

The Trixie Belden series was written by Julie Campbell and Kathryn Kenny. To learn more about them, select a sub-section from the left. But have you ever wondered why Julie Campbell quit Trixie Belden after just six books? Well this might answer your question.....

(Please note that this information was found on The Trixie Belden Series website.)

The Trixie Belden series was first published from 1948 to 1986 by the Western Publishing Company under the Whitman and Golden divisions. The series was out of print from 1986 until 2003, which is when Random House began reprinting the early volumes in the series.

The Trixie Belden series was created by Julie Campbell Tatham. Tatham was born June 1, 1908, in Long Island, New York, and died in Alexandria, Virginia, on July 7, 1999. During the 1940s, the Tathams moved to a country place they named Wolf Hollow, located in the Hudson River Valley in Westchester County. Trixie's home, Crabapple Farm, is modeled after Wolf Hollow. During the late 1940s, Tatham took on a job handling unsolicited manuscripts for a friend who ran an artists' agency. This job soon resulted in Tatham running her own literary agency. This sequence of events led her to attend a meeting at the Western Publishing Company. In the meeting, the company discussed how to compete with the popular comic book market and suggested that the agents encourage writers to create fast-moving stories which could be published inexpensively by Whitman. After the meeting, Tatham sent a plot outline for the first Ginny Gordan mystery to Whitman. As a result, Tatham was contracted to write the Ginny Gordan and the Trixie Belden series, and two of her writers were hired to write two boys' series for Whitman. After writing the first six Trixie Belden books, Tatham wanted to quit, but Whitman wanted to continue the series. Whitman claimed to own the rights to the books, to which Tatham agreed but stated that she created and owned the rights to the characters in the series. Finally, Whitman agreed to publish six more Trixie Belden books for a flat fee, and later, Whitman gave Tatham a contract for the royalties. The series continued under the house name of Kathryn Kenny.

There were 39 Trixie Belden novels released between 1948 and 1986.

Click on any of the titles to take you to a page about each book. There is factual information including a cast of characters and each has a list of Points of Interest that I found amusing or unusual when I re-read them.

You can click on the covers to find out more about each edition and you can click on the title of the book to purchase the latest edition as they become available from Random House. To purchase older editions, visit the Trixie-Belden.com shop.

The Trixie Belden Series

1. The Secret of the Mansion

2. The Red Trailer Mystery

3. The Gatehouse Mystery

4. The Mysterious Visitor

5. The Mystery Off Glen Road

6. The Mystery in Arizona

7. The Mysterious Code

8. The Black Jacket Mystery

9. The Happy Valley Mystery

10. The Marshland Mystery

11. The Mystery at Bob-White Cave

12. The Mystery of the Blinking Eye

13. The Mystery on Cobbett's Island

14. The Mystery of the Emeralds

15. The Mystery on the Mississippi

16. The Mystery of the Missing Heiress

17. The Mystery of the Uninvited Guest

18. The Mystery of the Phantom Grasshopper

19. The Mystery of the Unseen Treasure

20. The Mystery Off Old Telegraph Road

21. The Mystery of the Castaway Children

22. The Mystery at Mead's Mountain

23. The Mystery of the Queen's Necklace

24. The Mystery at Saratoga

25. The Sasquatch Mystery

26. The Mystery of the Headless Horseman

27. The Mystery of the Ghostly Galleon

28. The Hudson River Mystery

29. The Mystery of the Velvet Gown

30. The Mystery of the Midnight Marauder

31. The Mystery at Maypenny's

32. The Mystery of the Whispering Witch

33. The Mystery of the Vanishing Victim

34. The Mystery of the Missing Millionaire

35. The Mystery of the Memorial Day Fire

36. The Mystery of the Antique Doll

37. The Pet Show Mystery

38. The Indian Burial Ground Mystery

39. The Mystery of the Galloping Ghost

Also published:

Trixie Belden Mystery Quiz Book 1

Trixie Belden Mystery Quiz Book 2

Trixie Belden Mystery Quiz Mini-book Here's Trixie Belden: 4 Cut-out Dolls (1956)

Trixie Belden and Friends Paper Dolls (1958)

Trixie Belden Paper Doll (1979)

Trixie Belden with Honey Wheeler Paper Dolls (1981)

Trixie Belden Box Sets

Trixie Belden Fan Club Newsletters

Trixie Belden Merchandise

Editions

TrixieChixie — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:20:54 CDT

Editions There have been eight different editions of Trixie Belden published in the United States between 1948 and 2003. The pages describe each edition and feature covers and information on all the books published in that edition. You can click on the title of each book to take you to the information page about that particular title. See below for various foreign titles. Dust Jackets Cello Cameo Deluxe Uglies Oval paperbacks Square paperbacks Random House British German Dutch Norwegian Spanish Swedish Portuguese Catalan

Trixie Belden vs. Nancy Drew

TrixieChixie — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:19:07 CDT

Nancy Versus Trixie Trixie Belden is the antithesis of Nancy Drew, and in fact, Julie Tatham confessed to not liking the character of Nancy Drew. While Nancy Drew lives in a perfect world with plenty of money and frequently uses her father's name to get herself out of trouble, Trixie Belden lives in a world where she must do housework and other odd jobs to earn much-needed money and must rely only upon herself to get herself out of trouble. Trixie Belden also must face teasing from her brothers, who are often very obnoxious and think they know better than she does. Sometimes Trixie's brothers do know better than she does. Trixie even has trouble with math and must be tutored by her brothers during a vacation trip. Conversely, Nancy Drew never seems to have trouble with anything, and except in the earliest Nancy Drew books and in some of the more recent titles, Nancy Drew never makes mistakes.

Trixie and Nancy are two completely opposite characters, so it is not surprising that many people like Trixie better than Nancy and vice versa. The Trixie fans feel that Nancy is too perfect, while the Nancy fans prefer the exalted status of Nancy Drew. I am obviously a fan of Trixie Belden.
I loved reading Trixie Belden because Trixie's realness goes beyond that of any other series character. All of the Bob-Whites' recreational activities were the type of fun activities that any family from the 50's would do. I could easily relate to Trixie's life on a farm since I live in an area that's very "country-ish." Trixie is much more easy to relate to, but who do you like better?

Bob Whites of the Glen

TrixieChixie — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:06:46 CDT

Welcome to Bob Whites of the Glen!

I'm the BWG's president, TrixieChixie. On my site you can take Trixie Belden quizzes, view character profiles, write your own fan-fiction, and much more!

The Premise Trixie Belden is 13 years old in the earliest books of the series and later has her 14th birthday. Trixie's age remains 14 for the remainder of the series. The first Trixie Belden books take place in real time, with the seasons changing naturally from summer to fall, winter, spring, and summer again. Trixie, her brothers Brian and Mart, her best friend Honey, Honey's adopted brother Jim, and friends Diana Lynch and Dan Mangan all attend school in Sleepyside-on-the-Hudson in the state of New York. The characters form a close-knit group and are truly the best of friends. They are all members of a club called the Bob-Whites of the Glen, and their motto is to help others whenever they can. Trixie manages to find mystery wherever she goes, and so the Bob-Whites find themselves devoting much of their time to helping Trixie solve mysteries or helping her out of various scrapes which come as a result of her overenthusiastic investigations.
BWG News

This site was created August 3rd, 2010
Current amount of members: 3
I am editing and adding new pages everyday
The Create A Story page needs new writers to contribute
Not a member? Join now and invite all your friends!

Create a Story

TrixieChixie — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:04:25 CDT

On this page you read the last paragraph that was written (nothing more!) and add on from there. The stories will get a bit goofy, but that's what makes it fun! :D Listed below, write your name in the color you're going to be using. This way we can know who wrote what.

name	color
TrixieChixie	purple :)

The Stolen Necklace

Trixie Belden vigorously pulled a brush through her sandy curls. Her mother told her she had to look extra presentable tonight, because they had a very special guest. Mrs. Belden also left out the little detail of who the special guest was. The mystery was killing Trixie, even though it was insignificant to some, it mattered to her. You see, Trixie was born to be a detective. She saw little clues and details that escaped the normal eye, and usually ended up solving mysteries for the police. All this at the age of fourteen! She and her best friend, Honey Wheeler, planned to open their own detective agency one day.
When Trixie first met Honey, the new neighbor seemed frail and shy. But Trixie's hearty lifestyle rubbed off on Honey, and now they were the best of friends. A pound on the door woke Trixie from her reverie.
"Trixie! Hurry up! Mum said they're going to be here in five minutes!" Mart yelled. He was eleven months older than Trixie, and people often mistook them for twins. They both had their mother's fair complexion and snapping blue eyes. Both their heads were topped in a curly mass of sandy blonde hair. Well, Mart's would be curly, if he hadn't wear it in a goofy looking crew cut. Another difference was that Mart was several inches taller, and did much better in school. He was constantly using big words to bug Trixie.
But despite all their bickering, they were always there for each other. Trixie reflected on those thoughts as she slipped into a floral daydress. She loathed wearing anything but dungarees, but Mrs. Belden insisted she look nice for their "special guest." Trixie heard the door open and close downstairs, and a flurry of greetings. She knew the guest was here. (somebody else can write from here)

TrixieChixie's Stories

TrixieChixie — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:04:04 CDT

Hey, TrixieChixie here! These are some of my stories and poems. Just click on the title to read it. I hope you enjoy! :)

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Our Own Legacy
by TrixieChixie
Stop. Think for a minute of your childhood. What if everything you had confidence in, was suddenly a lie? Well, welcome to my world...
Lizzie Reynolds looked at herself in the mirror. She smiled, only half of her face cooperating, the other half in a permanent grimace. Her parents told her she was born with bell's palsy. But when she tells her mother of a disturbing dream, her mom reveals to Lizzie that she was adopted.
Now Lizzie must learn to face her insecurities as she boards a cruise ship called The Legacy to embrace an incredible opportunity. On this very cruise works Jason Kassari, the boy who found Lizzie unconscious in a warehouse and brought her to the Reynolds, where she was adopted. Jason and Lizzie unravel her mysterious past as they fight off blood-thirsty Egyptians and travel across the world.

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Mystical Secrets
by TrixieChixie
What comes to mind when I say "mermaid"? Did you just envision a beautiful girl with a shiny tail? Well think again...
Ruby Davidson is sixteen. Just sixteen. She's your average California girl, for the most part. On her sixteenth birthday, she does the unthinkable--she swims in the ocean. Her mother had disappeared in the sea several years ago, so Ruby's father forbade her to swim in the vast waters. But Ruby doesn't listen.
The waters seem calm at first, but then she discovers something that startles her. A forgotten myth comes back to life with a vengeance as Ruby uncovers her very own mystical secrets....

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God's Grace
This poem was a Bible assignment for school. Just click on the title to view it.

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These stories are viewable on my other website, Bubbles Are Cool, and on inkpop. If you liked my writing, I have several other poems and stories on the inkpop site. Just type in my username (ShekinahGlory) to view, rate, and comment on them. :D

Trixie Belden Fan-fiction

TrixieChixie — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:03:34 CDT

Love Trixie Belden and the Bob Whites of the Glen? Create your own version of the beloved series. Make up your own Trixie mystery, modern Trixie, or anything you want! To write your own fan-fiction, add a new page under 'Trixie Belden Fan-fiction' to the left.

Stories

TrixieChixie — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:03:11 CDT

Welcome to the Stories page! Here you can Create your very own story, or write some Trixie Belden fan fiction! Select a sub-section from the left for more options.

Interview with Julie Campbell

TrixieChixie — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:01:39 CDT

Interview with Julie Campbell Tatham
By Ernie Kelly

Julie Campbell Tatham is a major writer in the juvenile series field. She created the Ginny Gordon series and the Trixie Belden series, the latter being one of the longest running series of all time. She also wrote many books in the Cherry Ames and Vicki Barr series. She was interviewed in at her home in Alexandria, Virginia where she is currently working on a reprinting of "To Nick From Jan", one of her most popular non-series juvenile books, and marketing her latest book, "The Old Testament Made Easy."

EK: How did you get into writing series books?

JT: I had my own small literary agency in New York City at that time (1947) but I was still freelancing on the side, writing mainly articles and short stories for national magazines. I had always wanted to write a series of kids' mysteries because I had adored them while growing up. I practically existed on "The Bobbsey Twins", "The Cornerhouse Girls" and "The Little Colonel" series books. I think I owe my success in this field to the fact that I never really outgrew them so I'm never guilty of the sin of "writing down" to my readers.

EK: When did you write your first series books?

JT: It happened like this. The Junior Achievement project was just starting and using this idea of kids going into business as a springboard in a mystery, I had worked up an outline and some sample chapters for a book to be entitled "The Swap Shop Mystery" with Ginny Gordon as the heroine. Then all of a sudden, Whitman Publishing Co. called all the agents in New York to a conference saying "We need some fast-moving, well-written juvenile mystery and adventure books which we can produce and mass market at a price kids can pay themselves." Well I went to the conference as an agent, but later I thought about it and sent them the Ginny Gordon material, which eventually became "The Disappearing Candlesticks." They called me right back and said, "This is absolutely terrific. You do the two girls series and get two of your men writers to do the boys series." That second girls series turned out to be Trixie Belden.**

EK: Then what happened?

JT: The boys series didn't last very long and after the fifth book they dropped Ginny in order to concentrate on Trixie. Ginny was, I think, a little sophisticated for the time. There was just a hint that Ginny and John might fall in love—a very underplayed sense of romance. I frankly thought our readers wanted that kind of thing but Whitman felt that Trixie was the better of the two and there's no doubt that she is a very lovable heroine with whom almost any girl can identify. My fans always wrote me that when Trixie grew up she would marry Jim and Honey would marry Brian. So even if you don't include it, the kids read romance into the books.

EK: But you have a good feeling about Whitman and what their motives were...

JT: I have the greatest respect for Whitman. They're wonderful people to work with and they had the intelligence to realize that if series books were written by good writers they could contribute a lot toward teaching the kids to read. And I don't mean learning to read. I mean loving to read.

EK: Were you trying to do something different from the books in the Stratemeyer Syndicate series?

JT: I wanted Trixie to be different from Nancy Drew. I thought Nancy Drew books were poorly written and totally implausible. The first rule should be that the kids get themselves into the scrapes and get themselves out without the assistance of adults. It's not a good book if you change that concept. They have to be well plotted and well written. I felt very strongly that they should be plausible—things that could happen to any kid at any time.

EK: How were you compensated for your work?

JT: Whitman saw these series as a test so they didn't want to go into a contract with royalties. They paid me for one book at a time. I thought that was all right.

EK: But you stopped writing the Trixies after 6 books...

JT: The time came when I wanted to give them up and when I informed the editors they blew a gasket. "How can you stop?" they demanded. I had been writing six books a year for a long time and I felt it was time to stop and do something else.

EK: So they decided to carry on the series without you?

JT: Yes, but I said to them "You cannot continue the series unless you give me royalties." They said, "Oh no, we own these books outright." I said : "Yes, you do, but you do not own the characters. I own those characters." They said: "We can't do that. We'll have to stop Trixie." I said: "Ok." You see, I didn't want to set a precedent which would hurt other authors. Well, we went back and forth. They offered me flat sums. Finally, I said: "Ok, you can publish six more for a flat fee."

EK: So even though you didn't write any more Trixies, you still got paid?

JT: Once they had done that I knew if we ever went before a judge he would say "Well, why did you pay her if you don't think she owns anything?" I had them there. And then they had a dozen books out —a much bigger investment— so I had them there, too. Finally one day they came in and gave me a contract.

EK: Did you ever meet or know the other authors who carried on after you with Trixie.

JT: No.

EK: So how did you get called to write in the Vicki Barr and Cherry Ames series?

JT: My agent knew Helen Wells and found out she had decided to quit writing Cherry and Vicki in order to go into radio and television. She just left them high and dry right in the middle of "Cruise Nurse". You know how it was—they had the title and jacket all lined up. They had those books sold before we even wrote them! You just met the deadlines. So, anyway, my agent called G&D and told them, "I've got just the gal for you. She's a very good writer and a very fast writer. She can ghost those books for you right away." So Hu Jergens (editor at G&D) called me up and said: "Can you write Cherry Ames-Cruise Nurse in three weeks?" So I did it. I sent him a plot and then I wrote it. He was absolutely overwhelmed. I had his letter around for years. It started out, Dear Julie: My hat's off to you...

EK: So you wrote "Magnolia Manor" too? Both of those are credited to Helen Wells...

JT: Oh yes. They were already sold as written by Helen Wells.

EK: Did you like those two series?

JT: Oh yes. They were darling. Vicki Barr and Cherry Ames were career women. That was a very new idea then.

EK: You changed Cherry Ames and Vicki Barr around by giving them lots of boyfriends...

JT: My philosophy is to play the field. I couldn't tolerate this going steady stuff. My heroines were plenty attractive. They had lots of beaux.

EK: But after a few years Helen Wells came back, first to Vicki Barr and then to Cherry Ames...

JT: I gave them back to Helen. I think she realized she'd let a goldmine get out of her hands. I gave back the Vicki Barrs before the Cherry Ames. I really liked Vicki Barr. It isn't that I didn't, but something had to give and I liked that one less, I guess. But Hu never forgave that. He was furious that I stopped. Then I gave up Cherry Ames. You can't keep writing them forever and ever and do other things in your life. So I really had to stop. Helen Wells got \5% of the royalties on the books I had written because, again, she created the characters.

EK: But overall, I take it you had a good experience with the editors at Grossett and Dunlap...

JT: They were wonderful people to work with. That editor, Hu Jergens. He was marvelous. He taught me everything. That man’s sense of plotting was incredible. And Anne Hagan. She was a stickler for absolute correct copy editing. She taught me how to copy edit. Oh, she was marvelous. I am so grateful I had those two.

EK: Did you know Helen Wells?

JT: Yes, we were very good friends. She was a very nice person.

EK: Let’s talk a little about how you write.

JT: I plan a lot of my work ahead. I plan the plots very carefully and then I divide the book into three sections and then divide the sections into chapters and do summaries for each one. I always write my last chapters first and my first chapters last because you have to rewrite the first one a thousand times to get it right. The last chapter is vital. If there are any loose ends you better take care of them before you write the rest of the book.

EK: It sounds like you went about this very carefully...

JT: You know, you have to do this because if you don't and you make a mistake, the kids will notice and they'll let you know about it. There was one attractive character in the early Cherry Ames books- "Alexis", I think his name was-that I wanted to bring back. Hu said: "Ok, let’s find out where we left him off." Well, it was assumed he had died but it was never stated exactly. Anyway, I brought him back and boom-I get 40,000 letters from kids saying he was dead! Adults don't care but kids do. If the sun rises in a certain window, it cannot set in that window too. Kids notice things like that.

EK: Were your characters taken from real life?

JT: Yes. I'd think of someone who had a special type of disposition and meld him or her together with maybe two or three other people and there emerges a character who is new. The character takes over and becomes a living human being. Somehow they exist. Trixie Belden's kid brother, Bobby, was a combination of my kid brother and my younger son.

EK: Characterization is important for you, isn't it?

JT: Oh yes. I can talk about my characters without any sense of pride or egotism because to me they are real people. They get involved in a plot I devise and they make it come to life. If you don't feel that way then they are just stick figures.

EK: How about the locations? Were they real?

JT: Yes. We lived in a farmhouse in the Hudson River Valley, just like Trixie. Our home was on Glen Road and there was an old mansion there.

EK: How did you get ideas for your books?

JT: I used to spend a lot of time reading newspapers and magazines and I'd clip out little tidbits that might lead to plot ideas. Eventually I had enormous files with clippings that had the germ of a plot in them. In any story I would have a main plot and some subplots. When you're doing as many books as I was, you needed a good file of plots and subplots. In The Gatehouse Mystery, for instances, Bobby is in a trash heap and he falls down and cuts his knee on a sharp stone. Suddenly they think it might be a diamond so they go back and investigate and it leads to the mystery. Well, I got that idea from a newspaper clipping about a child who had really fallen and discovered a whole bag of jewelry.

EK: Did you experience any peer pressure or criticism for working on juvenile series books?

JT: I had friends who tried to discourage me from writing them. "Potboilers" they called them—written just to make a little money on the side. But I didn't agree with them. I put my heart and soul into those books. I didn't write any less better than I did with other books. I knew those books were going to sell for a long time and nothing was going to stop them. When I was writing those books, I made sure there was nothing dated in them and that's why they're as popular today as they were thirty years ago.

EK: How did you perceive series books were regarded in society at large?

JT: In the beginning people were apt to make fun of them. But gradually they became properly appreciated. Now when I go to schools to give talks on "How to Become a Successful Writer", the Trixie Belden books are everywhere.

EK: Do you have any family?

JT: Yes, two sons and eight grandchildren.

EK: Any final thoughts?

JT: Would you like another one of these delicious cookies?

EK: Well, ok.

**Note--The two boys series referred to by Mrs. Tatham were The Walton Boys by Hal Burton and Tom Stetson by John Henry Cutler, each of which contains three volumes published between 1948 and 1952.

Kathryn Kenny

TrixieChixie — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 10:56:14 CDT

Kathryn Kenny The Kathryn Kenny pseudonym was born in 1961, three years after Campbell wrote her last book of the Trixie Belden series. Did it take Western Publishing several years to find a suitable author? The answer is unknown and the identity of the authors of the 33 Kathryn Kenny books are not known for sure but there is some information about the ghost writers.

Nicolete Meredith Stack Stack is thought to be the first author to tackle the Trixie Belden series, although there is much debate about which books were actually written by her. She was born in Des Moines, Iowa in 1896 but lived in Webster Groves in St. Louis, Missouri for most of her adult life. Stack wrote other children's books under her own name and various pen names, including the Robin Kane series by Eileen Hill for Whitman between 1966 and 1971. Stack is said to have written five books in the Trixie Belden series between 1961 and 1971, but Who's Who in the Midwest claims that she wrote eight titles between 1961 and 1966. There were eight Trixie Belden titles published between 1961 and 1966, but it is doubtful that she wrote them all. James Keeline in his article, Trixie Belden "Schoolgirl Shamus", believes that books 7, 9 and 16 can be attributed to Stack but there are others that may have been written by her.

Virginia McDonnell Virginia Bleecher McDonnell was born in 1917 and was a registered nurse who trained at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York. McDonnell wrote the Nurses Three series from 1963 to 1965 using the pen name Jean Kirby, and the Kim Aldrich series as Jinny McDonnell, both for Whitman. She is also wrote volume six of The Waltons. McDonnell and her husband were avid skiiers and many of her books featured details of nursing or skiing. It seems likely that she wrote three Trixie Belden books, The Mystery of Cobbett's Island (1964), The Mystery of the Emeralds (1965) and The Mystery of Mead's Mountain (1978). Skiing is mentioned early in The Mystery of Cobbett's Island, although this is not the theme of the book. McDonnell also wrote another book called Country Agent that has a number of similarities with The Mystery at Happy Valley, although her book was published in 1968. Read a review of this book, and see what you think. There is little biographical information available on McDonnell, but the three books attributed to her are three of the most widely loved books in the Trixie Belden series.

Gladys Baker Bond Gladys Baker Bond was born in Berryville, Arkansas on the 7th of May, 1912. On September 2, 1934, she married Floyd James Bond and had one son, Nicholas Peter. Bond's childhood years were spent in the Ozarks of Arkansas. She lived in Idaho and Washington all her adult life and was an officer of the Idaho Writers League between 1952-54. Bond's books for children cover a wide range of subjects and are often autobiographical. Mrs. Bond wrote under the pseudonymns, Jo Mendel (The Tucker series) and Holly Beth Walker (the Meg series), as well as her own name. She also wrote volume five of The Waltons. She is credited with writing The Mystery of the Uninvited Guest (1977), The Mystery of the Castaway Children (1978), and The Sasquatch Mystery (1979). However, with her childhood spent in the Ozarks, she could be the author of The Mystery at Bob-White Cave (1963).

Carl Henry Rathjen Rathjen was born on the 28th of August 1909 in Jersey City, New Jersey and died in 1984. His ambition was to become a mechanical engineer, but when things didn't go to plan, he tried his hand at writing. Rathjen wrote volumes two to four of The Waltons in the mid seventies before writing The Mystery of the Unseen Treasure in 1977. His wife also claimed that he wrote The Mystery of the Vanishing Victim (1980) but Keeline suggested that Laura French was the true author of this book. However, French's website states the titles she wrote and this is not one of them. Therefore, it seems safe to say that Rathjen did write volume 33 of the Trixie Belden series. Rathjen also wrote under the pseudonym of Charlotte Russell and was also known to have lived in Idaho, the setting of one Trixie Belden mystery.

Owenita Harrah Sanderlin Owenita Harrah Sanderlin was born on the 2nd of June 1916 in Los Angeles and lived most of her life in El Cajon, California. Sanderlin and her children had a keen interest in tennis and she has written several tennis novels for children. Sanderlin is accredited with writing The Mystery of the Queen's Necklace (1979) which is set in England. It is not known if she wrote any other volumes, although it is debated that she may have written the preceding book, The Mystery at Mead's Mountain. However, it seems more likely that this was written by McDonnell, given her background.

Laura French Laura French was born in 1949 and grew up in Minnesota. She worked as an editor for Western Publishing and claims credit for compiling the "Trixie Lore" material that was used to guide ghost writers during the seventies and eighties. French began writing Trixie Belden books after she left Western Publishing to work as a freelance writer. Her credentials are a BA, MA, MARS, Ph. D and she has a website that features some of her essays, Words into Action. The autobiographical information on her web site states that she wrote volumes 20, 24, 34, 35, 37 and 39. French would have to be one of the most prolific of the Trixie Belden ghost writers and may have edited some of the earlier titles.

Joan Chase Bowden Joan Chase Bowden was born on the 1st of May 1925 in London and came to the US in 1960. Strangely enough, she shares the same birthday as Trixie. Bowden is a prolific children's book writer and has written over 60 books for children, some of which have won notable awards. Bowden is credited with having written The Mystery of the Headless Horseman (1979), The Mystery of the Ghostly Galleon (1979), The Mystery of the Midnight Marauder (1980) and The Mystery of the Whispering Witch (1980). There is a strong supernatural theme within her books in this series. She also wrote a manuscript for what was intended to be #41 in the series, The Mystery of the Flying Mermaid. Bowden now works as an instructor for the Children's Literature Institute and is contactable via email, although don't expect a personal reply. It appears she has a standard reply to letters concerning Trixie Belden.

Kathleen Krull Kathleen Krull was born on the 29th of July 1952 in Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and grew up in Wilmette, Illinois. She began working in children's publishing as soon as she completed college and worked for four companies as a children's book editor over eleven years. Krull was an editor at Western Publishing from 1974 to 1980. Her autobiographical notes states "I wrote mysteries in the Trixie Belden series". Did she write more than the one book, The Hudson River Mystery (1979) credited to her, or is she referring to the extensive editorial work she did on the books during her stint at Western Publishing? The Hudson River Mystery contains a reference to herself. Pat Bunker's partner, Lawrence Krull was killed in a boating accident and his wife was Kathleen Krull. However, in the book, Bunker reveals that Kathleen had died last year. Krull was going to write volume 40 of the Trixie Belden series, set in San Diego, when the series was discontinued in 1986. The story was intended to be very Californian with surfing, sailing and a huge sand castle. An earthquake destroys the sandcastle and the Bob-Whites find drugs hidden in the rubble and Trixie hunts for the villains. Krull still lives in San Diego and is a well-known children's author with her own web site.

Sources: Trixie Belden "Schoolgirl Shamus" by James D. and Kimberlee Keeline And other sources as quoted found through Internet research.

Trixie Videos

TrixieChixie — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 10:41:16 CDT

Here are some fan-made Trixie Belden videos. Enjoy! :)

Julie Campbell

TrixieChixie — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 10:15:21 CDT

Julie Campbell

Julie Campbell was born on the 1st of June 1908 in Flushing, New York and shares the same birthday as her character, Mart Belden. As the daughter of an Army Officer, she travelled widely during her childhood and, at the age of eight, won her first short story contest while living in Hawaii.

Campbell married Charles Tatham Jr. on the 30th March 1933 and they worked together on many magazine stories and articles. Campbell lived in a remodelled farmhouse in the Hudson River Valley with her husband and two sons when she began writing the Trixie Belden series.

She had her own literary agency in the 1940s when Western Publishing invited literary agents to find authors who could produce mystery and adventure books that would be marketed to children at an affordable price. Campbell proposed four series, two that would be written by herself and the others by two of her authors Hal Burton and John Henry Cutler.

Both series were published under her maiden name, Julie Campbell. The Ginny Gordon series consisted of five books published between 1948 and 1956, while her contribution to the Trixie Belden series consisted of six books between 1948 and 1958. At the same time, Campbell stepped in to take over the Cherry Ames and Vicki Barr series and wrote twelve books in total for these series over the same time period. It is believed that Campbell wrote Cherry Ames, Cruise Nurse in three weeks during the same period she was also writing the first Trixie Belden and Ginny Gordon books.

Campbell wrote the series under her married name of Julie Tatham. There are several similarities to the Trixie Belden series. Cherry Ames: Dude Ranch Nurse is set in Tucson, Arizona which is the setting of Campbell's last Trixie Belden Mystery. The last Cherry Ames book Campbell wrote in 1955, Cherry Ames: Country Doctor's Nurse, is set in Sleepyside-on-the-Hudson, the setting of the Trixie Belden mysteries. So is a wonderful book called To Nick from Jan, which has many similarities to Trixie Belden except the main character is almost 17 year's old.

She is also credited for writing "Rin Tin Tin's Rinty" for Whitman in 1954, but in an article I've read Campbell denies having written that book and wonders why Whitman credited her with the title.

The Trixie Belden series was set in "Sleepyside" but was based on the town Campbell was living in at the time in the Hudson River Valley near Ossining. Her home, "Wolf Hollow", was the model for Crabapple Farm and Campbell actually lived on Glendale Road.

After completing Trixie Belden and the Mystery in Arizona, Campbell decided to stop. Her experience as a literary agent assisted her in negotiating a royalty on the next six books of the series as she owned the characters, but it meant her giving up the originator rights to this series. Western Publishing decided to continue the books under the pseudonym, Kathryn Kenny.

Campbell also relinquished the Cherry Ames and Vicki Barr series when Helen Wells decided to return to writing them. The Ginny Gordon series was not continued.

There is evidence that Campbell sought a writing position with the Stratemeyer Syndicate in 1957. Timothy P. O'Herin spent an afternoon going through the Stratemeyer archives and found correspondence between Campbell and Harriet Adams, the daughter of Edward Stratemeyer.

"The letters occurred around 1957 and they consisted of Ms. Tatham seeking a writing position with the syndicate. Mrs. Adams responded with glowing praise for her work, but questioning whether Julie would want to relocate for the job. Julie indicated she would be willing to commute. There were only afew letters in this brief correspondence, and best ofmy knowledge no position was ever open to her at the syndicate. It was a brief correspondence and I suspect Harriet had no position to offer and was only being cordial in replying to her." - O'Herin, 1999.

The correspondence occurred at the same time Campbell decided to stop writing for the various series she was involved in with Whitman. Perhaps Campbell was disgruntled with Western Publishing or saw more opportunity for success at Stratemeyer, but this is not clear.

Campbell is said to have written another book under the pseudonym of Jay Morris. She was living in an apartment building called Hunting Towers in Alexandria, Virginia until her death as a widow on the 7th of July, 1999 at the age of 91. Campbell was interviewed by the Washington City Paper, pushing her grocery cart down the street, early in the year of her death, about the building of new bridge that would mean the demolition of her apartment building. Even at 91 she was still spirited and determined, just like Trixie.

Click here to view a full list of books written by Julie Campbell Tatham.

Sources:

Trixie Belden "Schoolgirl Shamus" by James D. and Kimberlee Keeline

Trixie Belden and the Secret of the Mansion, 1959 dust jacket.

And other sources as quoted found through Internet research.

Favorite Websites

TrixieChixie — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:43:26 CDT

These are just some of my favorite websites. If you have a favorite website, feel free to add it to this list.

My very own website, Bubbles Are Cool ("Where Randomness Abounds..." Explore everything from hot new topics, celebrity gossip, popular books, movies, TV, and so much more!)

My best friend's website, Warriors---Destiny Of The Clans (The site that is everything Warriors! It's a role playing site, where you can join a cat clan!)

Her other website, CatlynnKatie'sLibrary (Full of stories, popular books, interesting news, and much more!)

Official Trixie Belden Fan Club (View fan-fiction, take quizzes, meet other Trix-oids, and have fun!)

Facebook (Join the community and make new friends!)

The writing website where my stories are, Inkpop (Love to read or write? This is the site for you! To view my stories, just type in "ShekinahGlory")

Trixie-Belden facts (Learn fun little tidbits from the beloved series)

Quizzes

TrixieChixie — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:21:55 CDT

I'm currently working on creating some Trixie Belden quizzes for this site. But for now, enjoy these popular Trixie Belden quizzes. Just click the link and test your knowledge! :)

The Red Trailer Mystery Quiz

The Schoolgirl Shamus

All the Trixie Belden books

Diana Lynch

Trixie Belden Crooks and Villains

Trixie Belden and the Sasquatch Mystery

Trixie Belden and the Secret of the Mansion

The Gatehouse Mystery

Trixie Belden and the Bob Whites of the Glen

Trixie Belden Characters

TrixieChixie — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:02:37 CDT

The Bob-Whites of the Glen is a group of teenagers willing and wanting to help their community through charities and events. This group was originally started by Honey Wheeler and Trixie Belden, who allowed Trixie's two brothers, Mart and Brian, to join, and Honey's new adopted brother, Jim. Later in the series, Trixie and Honey's shy friend Diana Lynch joins the club. In book #8, Dan Mangan, a transfer from New York City, who lives with Honey's gamekeeper, wishes to help by joining the BWG's as well. Together, these eager teens help local shelters and create programs to start fundraisers to help their community of Sleepyside on the Hudson. But sometimes they get off track on their events, because Trixie always sticks her nose into unsolved mysteries, and drags her sometimes unwilling friends into her situations. Below are profiles of the members. I will also include the honorary members of the club (they're only members when they're around, but since they live far away, they usually aren't involved) who are the Belden's cousins: Hallie, Cap, and Knut Belden.

Trixie Belden
(Hayley Mills)
age 14
Trixie is smart, saucy, and quick witted. While she doesn't do well in schoolwork, she is always a step ahead of the police in solving mysteries. She is the middle child, and is usually busy fundraising with her friends, solving mysteries, or taking care of her little brother. She has a sturdy frame, with short, sandy curls, sandy freckles, and snapping blue eyes. She has a quick temper, but has a big heart. (Her full name is Beatrix, which she detests)

Honey Wheeler
(Alyson Stoner)
age 14
Honey started off as a shy, poor little rich girl before she moved next to Trixie. The two girls instantly became best friends, and solved their first mystery together. Honey always wanted a big brother, and got her wish granted when her family adopted Jim. She is slender, and very pretty with honey colored hair, hence the nickname Honey. (Her full name is Madeline Wheeler.) She is very friendly and has conquered all her fears thanks to Trixie's carefree, hearty living.

Jim Frayne
(Daryl Sabara)
age 16
Jim is an independent farm boy. He ran away from his cruel stepfather when his mother died. He was discovered by Trixie and Honey in his deceased uncle's home. (book #1 The Secret of the Mansion) and befriended the two girls. Jim was the third member to join the Bob Whites of the Glen and was adopted by the Wheelers soon after. He inherited half a million dollars after his great uncle James Winthrop Frayne died, and has no relatives, but many loving friends. Jim's fiery temper is easily set off, and soon cooled down. He aspires to open up a camp for underprivileged boys with his inheritance. Jim has fiery red hair, millions of freckles, and is quite tall.

Brian Belden
(Tony Dow)
age 17
Brian, the oldest of the Bob Whites, does very well in school, and plans on becoming a doctor. Taking after his father, Brian is tall, tan, with black wavy hair. He is the oldest child in the Belden family, and is a strong leader. He drives a junky "jalopy" and is a reliable backbone for the club. He is slow to anger, and is usually a peace maker if things get tense between siblings.

*he's the one on the right*
Mart Belden
(Dobie Gillis)
age 14
~yes, i know that he looks older than everyone, just pretend he's younger~
Just eleven months older than Trixie, Mart could be her taller twin. He constantly bugs her with big words from his voluminous vocabulary, and hates it when she calls him her "almost twin". Mart is always goofing off, and gets in many catfights with Trixie, but is there for her when it counts. He would have sandy curls like Trixie, if he didn't cut it in a crew cut style. He has some tan freckles, and has blue eyes, and is several inches taller than his sister. Mart's knowledge of EVERYTHING comes in handy frequently for aiding his sister in solving mysteries.

Diana Lynch
(Elizabeth Taylor)
age 14
Diana is a shy, poor little rich girl. She and Trixie used to be friends before her Dad became rich overnight, and Trixie felt like an alien walking into her house. Diana, or Di, has two younger twin brothers, Terry and Jerry. She never babysits them, because her family has a nanny. She is quiet, and sweet. Her thick black hair frames her pretty face and violet eyes. She always wants to help others, and never uses her riches as an advantage.

Dan Mangan
(Garret Hedlund)
age 16
Dan started off as a trouble-maker transfer from New York City. He was forced to live with his uncle, Mr. Maypenny-who was also the Wheeler's gamekeeper. The Bob Whites don't like him at first, thinking him a brooding ruffian, but learn that he was just running away from his past. They learn to trust him when Dan helps Trixie save her little brother's life. He deemed worthy enough to join the BWG's, and although he isn't as much involved-due to working for his uncle-Dan is a good addition to the club.

Hallie Belden
(Nicole Anderson)
age 15
Hallie, Trixie's cousin, is-according to Trixie-too perfect. Whenever Hallie visits the Beldens, she gets all the attention. Even Jim was overly polite to her. All the boys swoon over her, yet she's not a girly-girl. She is an outdoorsy kind of girl, who always wears her thick brown hair in two braids, and is almost always in worn out overalls. Her skin is tanned from picking berries in the sun, and-even though Trixie doesn't think so-Hallie doesn't want all the attention, but just wants Trixie's friendship. Hallie, along with her two brothers, are crowned honorary members. (They're only members when they visit, and since they live a few hours away, they're not involved too much.)

Cap Belden
(Max Thieriot)
age 16
Cap, Hallie's older brother, is a calm, easy going kind of guy. It's obvious he and Brian are cousins. Even though Cap is the second oldest, he is the most peaceful, responsible, and mature of Hallie's brothers. Cap is not joking, he cares about how people feel, and is very intelligent in mechanics. He, too, is an honorary member of the BWG's.

Knut Belden
(James Maslow)
age 17
Knut, the oldest of Hallie's brothers, is a joker. He's always making fun, and throwing Trixie into the lake. He has good intentions, but sometimes can get annoying. Knut could easily stay alive in the woods with nothing on hand for weeks. He is very nature-y, and often plans camping trips with his family up in the Ozarks. Knut is tall, and has a brown mop of hair. He is also an honorary member of the Bob Whites.

Helen Belden
(Nicole Kidman)
age: 38
Helen Belden is just about the perfect mother. She's kind and understanding, has control over her children, gardens, and cooks like a chef! Although she may appears to be gentle and petite, Helen is a hard worker. She tends to her garden, does farm work, and constantly seems to be taking over Trixie's chores for her.

Peter Belden
(Robert Reed)
age: 39
Peter Belden is the father of the four Belden children. His wife is Helen. He seems to have the perfect family. He works as a banker in the Sleepyside Bank. He's a hard worker and a responsible father-figure.

Bobby Belden
(Kevin Corcoran)
age: 6
Bobby Belden is a little troublemaker, much like his big sister Trixie was. He always wants to "holp" her solve a mystery, and is dying to get in on any "seecrud." He's a pudgy boy with blonde curls and a freckly face. Many of his days are spent "splorin" with Reddy, or playing with the wheeler's groom, Regan.