The kids' school is vandalized by someone styling themselves as the Midnight Marauder (side note: I learned so many new words from reading these books, I used to write down the ones I didn't know and look them up in the dictionary. Thanks, Mart!). The police suspect Mart, since he's been seen at school after hours and has been acting awfully suspicious lately. Turns out Mart has a lot on his mind: he's the school paper's new star columnist, Miss Lonelyheart! Mart's been getting dozens of letters from kids begging for advice, and he's in over his head. He's sure one of his letter writers is the Midnight Marauder, they just don't know which one. ( )

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 - computer, pre - air conditioning, pre - cell phone.

Written approximately? – 1980.

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 and cell phones.

Short storyline: Trixie Belden, Honey, Jim, Brian, Mart, and Diana try to solve who the Midnight Marauder is. This novel is oddly out of character, as Sergeant Molinson suspects Mart of the crimes without a second thought.


Notes for the reader: A great mystery! Several characters are out of character in this novel. Trixie doesn't act like she normally would, and the clues are missing that help the reader solve the mystery. In fact, the reader doesn't. In the end, like in Sherlock Holmes, the person is caught, and even thought the characters know who it is, the readers have no idea, or how Trixie determined it. Also, Mart is way out of character here. At least Trixie recognizes he is out of character. Sergeant Molinson also acts of character. This isn't the same sergeant who has caught the end of Trixie's 29 other cases. I don't like giving three's on book reviews. However, I think this one deserves it. ( )