Trixie Belden #11 Mystery at Bob-White Cave and #12 Mystery of the Blinking Eye

In Trixie Belden #11, The Mystery at Bob-White Cave, the Bob-Whites stay in the Ozarks with the Beldens' Uncle Andrew.  Trixie sees an article that advertises a $500 reward for the first person who can provide specimens of ghost fish in each of three different stages of evolution.  Trixie is obsessed, so Uncle Andrew purchases the necessary equipment, and the Bob-Whites begin exploring the nearby caves.

Both Di and Dan are absent from this book.  Dan has been missing since his introduction in #8.

On page 103, Mrs. Moore accidentally reveals the plans for a surprise party.  Once the Bob-Whites know about the party, they help prepare for it.  All of the furniture is moved, and a tremendous amount of food is cooked.  I am a bit puzzled how the Moores thought that they could have kept the party a secret, with all of the preparation that was required.

This book has some tedious details that were uninteresting to me, including comparing Missouri and New York.  Nevertheless, this is still an overall very good book.

In Trixie Belden #12, The Mystery of the Blinking Eye, the Bob-Whites vacation in New York City with their friends from Iowa.  Trixie helps a woman at the airport, and the woman writes a strange verse in Spanish.  Miss Trask translates the verse, which strangely rhymes in English.  Trixie is soon convinced that the verse predicts the future, and all of the Bob-Whites' New York adventures follow the verse as strange men follow them around and try to steal Trixie's purse.

All of the Bob-Whites, including Di and Dan, are present in this story.

On page 47 Trixie calls home, and rather conveniently, Mrs. Wheeler and Mrs. Lynch are out in the garden with her.  All three girls are able to talk to their mothers.  This is strange.  Since when do Mrs. Wheeler and Mrs. Lynch hang out in the Beldens' garden?

This story is a travelogue, but it strikes the perfect balance with the sightseeing.  It is done so well that the sightseeing is actually interesting, which is remarkable since I have a very low tolerance for that sort of thing.  The rhyming verse that predicts the entire story has much to do with it.  If you have never read this book and are curious, the rhyming verse is displayed on the left side of this page under the scans of the different editions.

This is an excellent story.