Ugh. Not even for nostalgia sake could I like this. The only thing that I enjoyed was Miss Trask getting to the bottom of Diana's angst over being a poor little rich girl, even if it made no sense. Trixie's brother Mart is at his supercilious best here, and unfortunately shows Trixie up as having no sense at all. Most people in this story have no sense at all: Di's 'uncle' should have been too suspicious for words from the get-go, even in the 1950s. Admittedly, you can see that the author carefully worked out the plot, but the stitches show too blatantly. ( )

Trixie Belden and her best friend, Honey Wheeler, notice that a friend from school seems quite unhappy. Di Lynch's family recently came into money and they now own a large home and have a new, luxurious life. So what does Di have to be sad and depressed about? To cheer her up, they invite her to spend the night at the Wheeler's estate. Di tells them that she is unhappy with some of the changes in her family's life (like servants controlling when she can see her little sisters and brothers). And she also explains that suddenly her mother's long lost brother Monty has appeared. Di doesn't like him and says she doubts he is really her uncle. The girls are on a mission to help Di cheer up so they get together and plan a Halloween party. At the last minute, Uncle Monty swoops in and takes over everything, to the chagrin of the girls. Trixie starts to think that maybe Uncle Monty really is an imposter. But, the man is such an impressive emcee at the party that Trixie can't get Honey, Di or any of their friends to listen to her suspicions. She needs to find evidence that proves Uncle Monty is a fake. Can she sneak around and find proof without getting caught, or hurt?

Trixie Belden & The Mysterious Visitor is the 4th book in the series and was first published in 1954. There are 39 books in all. This was my favorite book series in middle school. I had the entire set! I remember this book was one of my favorites. The storyline has great suspense -- Trixie really does get herself into some major hot water with all her sleuthing and sneaking about this time! I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading this book!

Set in the 1950s the series is a bit dated, but still one of my favorites. With the help of OpenLibrary, I'm reading my way back through the series. So enjoyable to re-visit my old friends from Sleepyside, NY! I always liked Trixie better than Nancy Drew! I happily babysat my spoiled nephew back in the day to earn the money I needed to buy new paperbacks in this series. Nice memories! ( )

School is back in session, and if you think that will slow Trixie down at all, you're wrong :) Honey mentions that one of their classmates, pretty Di Lynch (she's always "pretty Di". Never forget that she's the prettiest) seems awfully sad and suggests they invite her over and make her a Bob-White. Seems a bit sudden to me, since they barely know the girl, but all right. Di is miserable with her parents' new wealth and her mom's long lost brother, Uncle Monty, is being a real pain. She wants to throw a fun, simple Halloween party but Monty gets involved and turns it into a big catered affair with a band and everything. Thanks to the rest of the Bob-Whites, the party isn't a complete catastrophe, but Trixie is convinced Uncle Monty is an impostor. Turns out she was right, and gets her and Mart nearly kidnapped for their troubles. All's well that ends well, and as a reward Mr. Lynch gives them the red trailer from book 2, the Robin. The Bob-Whites give it to Tom, the Wheeler's chauffeur, and Celia, the Wheeler's maid, who are getting married and wanted the gatehouse. Now that Tom and Celia have the trailer, the Bob-Whites can keep their clubhouse. At least until the next big windstorm :) ( )

Is the long lost Uncle who he says he is or is Trixie right, he is a fraud.
A nice story. Trixie comes across as kind of pushy. ( )

A childhood favorite re-visited.

Is the story as good as I remember? – Yes

What ages would I recommend it too? – Ten and up.

Length? – Most of a day’s read.

Characters? – Memorable, several characters.

Setting? – Real world - pre internet, computers, air conditioning, and cell phones.

Written approximately? – 1948.

Does the story leave questions in the readers mind? – Ready to read more.

Any issues the author (or a more recent publisher) should cover? Yes. A slight mention of the time frame of the story - as the teens are given far more freedom to come and go as they please than would be safe today. Also, the absence of computers, cell phones, and air conditioning, particularly in homes such as the mansion.

Short storyline: Trixie Belden and Honey solve the mystery of who the false Uncle Monty of friend Diana is.

Notes for the reader: A great mystery! No violence (only referred to from the past), no murder. This one is a bit heavier as it involves more action, a gun, and a kidnapping. ( )