Mr7 is reading Trixie Belden books because I bought them for him. I was obsessed with Trixie. She was so cool. Always described as 'sturdy' with freckles and sandy curls. She hated sewing and all the other girl stuff that 'Moms' wanted her to do. She wasn't scared of anything. Her best friend Honey Wheeler was tall, slim and really good at all that stuff. My friend S and I used to pretend to be Trixie and Honey. Swapping roles, depending on the day. Trixie followed on from our Famous Five obsession. I think S's mum was glad when we grew out of the Famous Five, because we'd dug a sizeable hole in her backyard in our attempt to create an underground clubhouse.
I wasn't entirely sure that Mr7 would take to Trixie, her being a girl and using such phrases as 'gleeps!' and 'gadzooks'. But I think he responds to exactly the same things I did.. She's a resourceful girl our Trixie. Smart, persistent, charming. She also has a loyal group of friends, willing to follow her to the ends of the earth and always on hand to pull her out of scrapes. And, of course, key for any Sherlock Holmes fan, there's a good mystery at the heart of every book.
I was never really a Nancy Drew girl. But I did read about 37 Trixie Belden books. I wonder if Mr7 will stay the distance.
Were you a Trixie Belden fan?
I was a Trixie fan. I read all the Nancy Drew books but I owned the entire Trixie Belden series (and still do even though I am now 38!).
ReplyDeleteMum used to buy me one book from the series each week when she did the weekly grocery shop (they sold the books in Woolworths back then).
ReplyDeleteOMG! TRIXIE!! I used to love Trixie Belden. I had the whole collection - bought second hand at the church fete one year. I read a book a night until I had them all finished, and then I read them all again. Loved them!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I forgot about Trixie - I must hunt these down for my gal, she'll love her. I was also a Nancy Drew fan {in fact she may well have ignited by redhead passion...}
ReplyDeleteThanks for the reminder x
Huge Trixie fan here. Just huge. She had an almost twin brother called Mart and had a crush on red-headed adopted Jim.
ReplyDeleteI think I have my books stashed away somewhere.
Farmboy is currently obsessed with Harry Potter.... I am trying to keep him on the first couple of books as they get a bit scary after that. We are reading them together and I am trying to stall the pace a little!
I borrowed all the Trixie Belden books from my best friend - like Barbies, they were not bought for me by my politically correct mum. Oh and my best friend had a library borrowing card system!
ReplyDeleteI was a huge fan!
ReplyDeleteOMG I used to love Trixie! Can't wait until my girl is old enough to read the classics :)
ReplyDeleteI was a huge Trixie fan too. I have almost the full set stashed somewhere in our old garage ...unless the mice got them first.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding me.
I was obsessed with Trixie when I was in Fifth Grade. I have a collection of vinatge Trixie paperbacks from the 1960's. I think she was a wonderful role model for girls. Can't wait till my chicas are old enough to read the books. Was mad for Nancy Drew and the Famous Five too. There was another series of books published around the same time centred around a young boy detective but I've forgotten his name now. Nevermind. Might be time to dust off the old paperbacks and take a trip down memory lane x
ReplyDeleteI was a major Trixie lover and I'm so glad to hear that I don't necessarily need to rule her out for the small boy when he's older. Yay!
ReplyDeleteI loved them! Read them all...
ReplyDeleteOf course you know my answer to the question.
ReplyDeleteYou forgot to mention the special outfits we wore for our digging and picnics. Trixie was a 'real girl'. Not cutesy and happy to get dirty and whatever else.
You bought the first one and i had to buy no. 14 first for some reason. That has stayed with me forever. Gleeps.
@Jess - Encyclopaedia Brown? I bought a whole set for Mr7 last year and he LOVED them.
ReplyDeleteOH my gosh I was the BIGGEST Trixie fan ever! I have all the books :) She was my hero and I wanted to be just like her!
ReplyDeleteI preferred Nancy Drew over Trixie Belden but still enjoyed reading the books. I can remember being given a couple of books as prizes from Sunday School which were along the lines of Trixie & Nancy ... mysteries to solve with a bit of Jesus thrown in. The series was called "Jill Robinson" which was quite hilarious to me as a kid because that's me.
ReplyDeleteI still have some Trixie copies stashed too! Didn't even think of introducing them to Mr 8 till now. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYES! I loved Trixie Belden, the Famous Five and the Bobbsey Twins, and the Meg Duncan books by Holly Beth Walker.
ReplyDeleteI also had some books about a young cowboy called Pocomoto.
I still have all my Famous Fives, but I gave the Trixie books to my eldest daughter and they were recently destroyed in a house fire :(
I was googly eyed for mysteries as a child, I can't believe I never heard of Trixie!! I read all the nancy drews, encyclopedia borwns, boxcar children etc...
ReplyDeleteMy twins just turned 7 and I am really enjoying that we can do chapter books together. We are mad for audio books over at our house so in the evenings and in the car we've been listening to a lot of classics. hope I can find these ones to add to our collection.
I have never heard of Trixie before. I was never into Nancy Drew either, but I did like the Hardy Boys.
ReplyDeleteOh I was! I'd forgotten about her! I don't think I have thought about her since I was 10! Loved Nancy Drew too and the Hardy Boys. A-M xx
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of Trixie but my SIL raves about her, and there is currently an old set doing the rounds between my neice and Olivia...
ReplyDeleteI must have a read of a chapter or two, see what the BWG is all about!
Trixie was the first chapter book I ever read, when I was six. My mum gave it to me and I asked which "story" I should read first, being used to Enid Blyton books of short stories. Mum explained that it was a book you were supposed to read from start to finish, and I was hooked! Absolutely loved Trixie and her tales, but secretly wanted to be like Honey, who was always pretty and never sweated. I read a lot of Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys, Famous Five and Secret Seven. I still have a ton of these in my bookshelf, ready to be shared with my little girl. Oh, and I read Sherlock Holmes like a rabid fan. I still do - I was reading it to Veggie Baby in utero! Can't wait to introduce her to the world of books that has been so important and influential to me my whole life :)
ReplyDeleteI was more into Nance, but your library of Trixies was always appreciated. A bit like Secret Seven (me, unfortunately) vs Famous Five (you). Enc Brown was my drug of choice, as you well know. x
ReplyDeleteI learned that Apple seeds are poisonous from Trixie Belden! Remember her brother had some girlfriend make him salads with Apple seeds and Trixie was all "Why are you trying to kill my brother?!!" Loved those books!
ReplyDeleteHuge Trixie Belden fan! Pre-Belden reads were The Bobbsey Twins. I also loved Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys were faves too!! Boxcar children were fun mysteries as a child too! Ah, books, there is nothing better for a kid's imagination!!
ReplyDeleteYES YES YES I loved Trixie. She was so cool. I wasn't a Nancy Drew fan, she was just a little bit to goody two shoes for my liking. I borrowed them all off my best friend and devoured them. They remind me of reading Dolly Magazine so I'm thinking I read them at the same time I started reading Dolly around 12 yo.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge Trixie fan as well. I actually have a giant cardboard box in my back room of all my books. I considered selling them on ebay one day (some of the copies go for a small fortune) but thought it might be nice to pass them on one day, like you have with yours.
ReplyDeleteOoh! Ooh! Pick me! I LOVED Trixie Belden (I had a crush on Jim). I wasn't a Nancy Drew fan either.
ReplyDeleteMmm...I wonder if I could get Alexander to read them. I'd be buying them for him..honest! ;-)
YES! Oh, how I loved Trixie Belden when I was a kid. Then, as a teenager I thought I'd outgrown them and got rid of all my books. I want them back now :(
ReplyDeleteOh wow...thank you so much for the reminder. I just LOVED Trixie, and now I must get some of these for my 8 year old daughter!
ReplyDeleteI read your post and was like YES! And then popped over to comment to find a list of favourite reads in the comments. I had the whole Trixie collection, still do somewhere, hopefully they are still OK!
ReplyDeleteI loved Trixie, and going to throw another one into the mix: The Three Investigators from Hitchcock. Wonderful mystery reads for boys.
Love Trixie Belden,Nancy Drew,The Hardy Boys,The Three Investigators, Encyclopedia Brown Boy Detective, The Boxcar Children Mysteries just to name some.
ReplyDeleteI still get all of the above out from time to time from local library & ready them especially The Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys books as they are still been written for an up to date child(ren).
I also play Nancy Drew Computer games with my husband that we get from the library we have played all 23 mysteries so far just waiting for Australia to get number 24 to play
(((( Hugs )))) XXXX Kisses XXXX
Nope, but I lived at the library waiting to check out and read EVERY SINGLE Nancy Drew...can't seem to get my two girls involved in them though. Bummer. Heck - maybe I'll read them all again!
ReplyDeleteI was only talking to a parent at school pick up today that today I had made a tree in our garden the tree from Enid Blyton's The Faraway Tree. This lead us to talking about our favourite books as kids and we decided that most kids today wouldn't like Trixie Beldon or the Famous Five. Not enough technology, just pure honest fun with some crime solving along the way.
ReplyDeleteNever read one but you make me think that was a mistake. Perhaps I will plonk a few on the shelves at home and see if any of the kids bite.
ReplyDeleteErm - Trixie Belden, Famous Five, Secret Seven, Hardy Boys and yes, every single Nancy Drew - even the more 'risque' ones from when they are all at college!!
ReplyDeleteI love that your boy is reading Trixie Belden - I think I only parted with mine about 2 years ago!! Now I wish I didn't!
Loved and read all of the Trixie Belden books and Nancy Drew too. Bought some secondhand ones for my own daughter but she just never got into them. :( I still buy Enid Blyton books when I see them in ops shops etc today even though my kids are grown.
ReplyDeleteI just got goosebumps from all the Trixie Beldon book readers here!
ReplyDeleteI LOVED Trixie. I was never a Nancy Drew girl, Trixie all the way. I remember my bookcase being chock-full of Trixie books.
I'm afraid I've never heard of Trixie! But I couldn't get enough of Nancy Drew :)
ReplyDeleteI loved Trixie Belden. Remember when perms were cool? Or maybe not cool, but people n the 80s got them all.the.time? Well, my mom thught I'd be cute with a perm. I wasn't. So we cut it short--bam pow--I looked exactly like the girl on the cover of my books. Mom still calls me Trix.
ReplyDeleteAnd I haven't forgiven her for the perm. (Just kidding. Forgiven, but not forgotten.)
You inspired me! Here's my blog post about children's books I still enjoy.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.likestowrite.com/2011/08/once-upon-a-time.html
Thanks for linking up to "Critiques for Kids" @ houseofprowse.
ReplyDeleteTrixie's adventures and strong traits are definitely something to celebrate.
Thanks for reminding us.
(Good odds on the champagne still!)
Definitely and have most of the books. Now my children read them (and I re read them:) )
ReplyDeleteNot only did I read them I loved every word. I was never a huge Nancy Drew fan but, I loved Trixie and Honey. I still own the entire set and it rests on the bookshelf in my daughter's room. I never was able to spark an interest in The Trixie Belden books in any of my kids, sadly. Kudos to you, it's fun to meet another fan at last!
ReplyDeleteI have all 42- although the last few were written by someone else and not the same at all. My 18 year old daughter recently took them out of her bookshelf to make room for Uni stuff- boo hoo. Youngest daughter never took to them sadly, but eldest and I will take a Trixie roadtrip of the US one day! Keep the youngsters reading them, and re-read as an adult for some parenting tips too.
ReplyDelete