Mandie

The Mandie books are a children's historical mystery series written by Lois Gladys Leppard, intended for children aged 8 to 12. Since the publication of the first book in 1983, more than seven million copies have been printed of the Mandie series. There are forty novels in the main series and eight in the junior series, along with several special books. The setting of the series is mostly in North Carolina in the early 20th century, although Mandie and her friends travel to Charleston, Washington D.C., Europe and New York City throughout the series to solve mysteries. The story starts around the year 1900, when Mandie is 11 years old. In every book she finds a mystery to solve with her good friends Joe Woodard and Celia Hamilton.

The main character's full name is Amanda Elizabeth Shaw. Her birth date is given as June 6, 1888. She grew up in a log cabin in Swain County, North Carolina, with her beloved father Jim Shaw, her stepmother Etta, and her stepsister Irene. Mandie knew nothing about her family background until her father died. Mandie was soon sent away to live with the Brysons to take care of their baby son. Then her father's old friend, Ned Sweetwater, a Cherokee, came to take her away from the family who treated her cruelly. Mandie, Uncle Ned, and several Cherokee warriors escorted Mandie to the home of her uncle, John Shaw, who Mandie had never seen.

In Mandie and the Secret Tunnel, Mandie is reunited with her birth mother, Elizabeth, in a town called Franklin, North Carolina, and learns the truth about her history. Mandie's paternal grandmother was Cherokee. Mandie is proud of her Cherokee heritage, and Mandie soon meets many new friends among the Cherokee people. However several times throughout the series she meets people who tease Mandie because she is part Indian. Many of the books in the series are spent in Cherokee, North Carolina, where she stays with her Uncle and his family. While she is in Cherokee Mandie always manages to find a mystery to solve. In the second book, Mandie and the Cherokee Treasure, she finds a cave with gold that belonged to a Cherokee warrior. She gives the gold to the Cherokees to help them build a new hospital.

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