Do You like book The Mystery Of The Emeralds (2006)?
One of my favorite Trixie volumes. Trixie and her mother are cleaning out the attic of their very old New York state farmhouse. Trixie finds a hidden room and discovers her house was once part of the underground railroad. She finds a letter mentioning some lost emeralds. Unfortunately, the emerald appear to be lost in Virginia, and she is in New York. The end. Ha! No, not really. Fabulously wealthy friend Diana Lynch cons her parents into taking Trixie and her siblings and friends with them on a trip to Washington DC and the surrounding area. Then there are hidden passages! Clues hidden in family masoleums! Evil horse farmers! And a cake made in the shape of a giant hat covered in flowers! (No, really. The cake was one of my favorite parts of the book. I love frosting flowers.)
—Kelly
This is one of my favorites in the series ... partly because I love old houses, partly because I have a soft spot for elderly people AND disabled people, partly because I am intrigued by secret passages in old houses ... and perhaps just because this one has the most sensible activites for teen-agers. Although it's quite "coincidental" that Di's parents just happen to be going where the mystery leads, AND are willing to take them all ... still, they don't get into any real serious trouble with hardened criminals, etc. so it's very believable. And all the nice people they meet and are willing to help .. it's just a real feel good story.Sept 2013 ... again one of my favorites. I think another reason I like it because Trixie really uses her brain to figure things out ... and thus discovers ... well, spoiler there.
—Joy Gerbode
These four books in a row in the series (12, 13, 14, 15) and the perfect summer travelogue. This book takes the Bob-Whites (minus Dan...of course) to Virginia, with a stop in Washington D.C. along the way, for a decades old mystery discovered in the Belden's Sleepyside attic. Loved the connection to the Underground Railroad that sparked the mystery. Loved the old house with its secret tunnel.2012 Review:Like Cobbett's Island before it, The Mystery of the Emeralds is a treasure hunt mystery, easily my favorite kind of mystery. The Bob-Whites (sans Dan, sigh...the author didn't even bother to come up with any excuses, they just never bothered to try to include him or explain why he couldn't come...nice) go to Virginia, spending a day in Washington D.C. and some time in Williamsburg, before heading to a tiny town called Cliveden to try and solve a 100-year old mystery. I like that the story starts so firmly in Sleepyside and that Crabapple Farm appears to have been a stop on the Underground Railroad. I love the atmosphere of the old southern homes, Rosewood Hall and Green Trees. I love the treasure hunt and especially the underground tunnel! What I don't like? Well, I've never been a big Jim fan, plus I've always felt Jim liked Trixie more than Trixie liked Jim, but as with Cobbett's Island, his constant praise and sucking up to Trixie in this one is really obnoxious. I thought I disliked overprotective, scolding, pompous Jim but kiss-ass Jim is far worse.
—Bonnie