Mandie

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The Mandie series of books are a popular series by Lois Gladys Leppard, intended for children ages 8-12 years old. More than 7 million copies have been printed of the Mandie series. There are forty books in the main series along with several special books. The story takes place around the year 1900, when Mandie is 12 years old. In every book she finds a mystery to solve along with her good friends Joe Woodard and Celia Hamilton.

Contents

[edit] Background

Mandie's full name is Amanda Elizabeth Shaw. She was born on June 6th 1888 and grew up in a log cabin in Swain County, North Carolina, with her beloved father James "Jim" Alexander Shaw, her stepmother Etta, and her stepsister Irene. Amanda knew nothing about her family background until her father, Jim died. Mandie was soon sent away to another family to take care of their son. Then her father's old Cherokee friend Ned Sweetwater (referred to as Uncle Ned) came to take her away from her overbearing stepmother and the family who treated her cruelly. Mandie, Uncle Ned, and several Cherokee warriors escorted Mandie to the home of her rich uncle John Shaw, who Mandie had never heard about before.

Mandie is soon reunited with her birth mother, Elizabeth in Macon County, North Carolina in a town called Franklin, and learns the truth about her history. Mandie's paternal grandmother was Cherokee. Mandie meets many new friends among the Cherokee people. On one occasion she finds a cave with gold that belonged to a Cherokee warrior, Tsali. In 1901, Mandie goes to a girl's boarding school in Asheville. The school is strict, but Mandie doesn't care about bending the rules when there is a mystery to solve!

In College Years, Mandie and her friends attend college in Charleston, South Carolina.

[edit] Themes

The Mandie books are Christian in theme. Mandie prays when troubled, and attempts to demonstrate Christian virtues of tolerance and compassion. Mandie is proud to be part Cherokee and she has a diverse group of friends, including a mentally retarded girl. However, some critics have complained that the Cherokee characters in the Mandie books are depicted in a stereotypical manner; for instance, Uncle Ned's English is poor and his speech is filled with terms like "happy hunting grounds", "squaw", and "papoose". Blacks are also portrayed stereotypically, as well as unrealistically, as seen in Mandie's close friendships with the servants which goes uncensored by her family.

[edit] Author

Main article: Lois Gladys Leppard

Author Lois Gladys Leppard was a Federal Civil Service employee in various countries around the world. She now makes her home in South Carolina. Stories of her own mother's childhood are the basis for many of the incidents incorporated in this series.

[edit] Titles

  1. Mandie and the Secret Tunnel (1983)
  2. Mandie and the Cherokee Legend
  3. Mandie and the Ghost Bandits
  4. Mandie and the Forbidden Attic
  5. Mandie and the Trunk's Secret
  6. Mandie and the Medicine Man
  7. Mandie and the Charleston Phantom
  8. Mandie and the Abandoned Mine
  9. Mandie and the Hidden Treasure
  10. Mandie and the Mysterious Bells
  11. Mandie and the Holiday Surprise
  12. Mandie and the Washington Nightmare
  13. Mandie and the Midnight Journey
  14. Mandie and the Shipboard Mystery
  15. Mandie and the Foreign Spies
  16. Mandie and the Silent Catacombs
  17. Mandie and the Singing Chalet
  18. Mandie and the Jumping Juniper
  19. Mandie and the Mysterious Fisherman
  20. Mandie and the Windmill's Message
  21. Mandie and the Fiery Rescue
  22. Mandie and the Angel's Secret
  23. Mandie and the Dangerous Impostors
  24. Mandie and the Invisible Troublemaker
  25. Mandie and the Her Missing Kin
  26. Mandie and the Schoolhouse's Secret
  27. Mandie and the Courtroom Battle
  28. Mandie and the Jonathan's Predicament
  29. Mandie and the Unwanted Gift
  30. Mandie and the Long Goodbye
  31. Mandie and the Buried Stranger
  32. Mandie and the Seaside Rendezvous
  33. Mandie and the Dark Alley
  34. Mandie and the Tornado
  35. Mandie and the Quilt Mystery
  36. Mandie and the New York Secret
  37. Mandie and the Night Thief
  38. Mandie and the Hidden Past
  39. Mandie and the Missing Schoolmarm
  40. Mandie and the Graduation Mystery

[edit] Other Titles

The Young Mandie series:

  1. Who's Mandie (1999)
  2. The New Girl
  3. The Mystery at Miss Abigail's
  4. Merry Christmas From Mandie
  5. The Talking Snowman
  6. The Secret in the Woods
  7. The Missing Book
  8. The Haunted Shop
  9. Merry Christmas Mandie

Special Mandie books:

  • Mandie and Mollie & The Angel's Visit (2002)
  • Mandie's Cookbook
  • Mandie and Joe's Christmas Surprise
  • Mandie Datebook
  • Mandie Diary

Mandie's College Years: After the Mandie series, we follow 16-year-old Mandie and Celia to college at Charleston Ladies' College in the book New Horizons, taken place in 1904. These books are for older children, or young adult literature.

  • New Horizons (2006)

[edit] Characters:

  • Amanda Elizabeth Shaw: Referred to as Mandie by her peers, Amanda enjoys solving mysteries, no matter how mysterious or dangerous the situation may be. She has long blond hair, and is said to be quite short by her lifetime friend Joe, though that simply may be just his opinion, for he shoots up quite a bit throughout the series. Mandie is a Christian, who stands up for her beliefs and values. She is quite emotional and gets frustrated when she can't solve a mystery. Mandie longs to grow up throughout the series. Sometimes, Mandie tells others that she will not get married, as she will be too busy when she grows older, and she doesn't want to become trapped at home. This assumption clearly irritates Joe, as he obviously likes Mandie, and reminds her every now and then he plans on marrying her. At times, Mandie seems interested in boys, but tends to avoid the topic, even with her best friend Celia Hamilton. Mandie owns a cat named Snowball, who she is quite fond of, but who tends to run away at times. Mandie doesn't give in easily, and sometimes wants to do the jobs that a boy would do, like learning how to use a gun.
  • Joseph Woodard: Known as Joe by almost everyone, he is Mandie's lifetime friend. He has brown hair and brown eyes and long legs according to Mandie. He intends on marrying her when he gets her father's property back from her stepmother Etta. He also helps Mandie on solving mysteries, but says that she does most of the work.
  • Faith Winters: Faith Only apperers in The Young Mandie books. She has long brown hair and lives with her grandmother. Her parents died in a fire.
  • Celia Hamilton: Mandies best friend throughout the Mandie series. She has red hair and green eyes. She goes to the same school as Mandie and help her solve mysteries.
  • Snowball: Mandie's cat. He is white and follows Mandie everywhere, although she is advised not to take him around all the time.
  • Dimar and Sallie: Mandie's Indian friends. Sallie is Uncle Ned's granddaughter.
  • Etta and Irene: Etta and Irene are Mandie's stepmother and stepsister.
  • Elizabeth Shaw: Mandie's biolodgical mother. She is over-protective of Mandie because she doesn't want to lose her again.
  • John Shaw: Jim's brother and Mandie's uncle and stepfather. He married Elizabeth after Jim died.
  • Uncle Ned: Jim Shaws Indian friend. He promised to keep Mandie safe and helps get her out of trouble.
  • Windy: Mandie's first Yellow cat.

[edit] External links