"Mandie and the Secret Tunnel" by Lois Gladys Leppard

About this book:

  “Mandie Shaw, almost a teenager, is certain God no longer loves her as she watches her father being lowered into his grave. Mandie's move into a neighbor family's home, when her mother remarries, does not soften her grief. Her only comfort is the promise from her father's faithful Cherokee friend, Uncle Ned, to watch out for her and be a friend. Will Mandie be able to escape her new and nearly intolerable home situation? Will she find her long-lost family? Will the mysterious key unlock the door to the secret tunnel and her own family's history?”


Series: Book #1 in “Mandie” series. (To read the reviews of the other books in this series, click the number to be taken to that review: #1! #2! #3! #4! #5! #6! #7! #8! #9! #10! #11! #12! #13! #14! #15! #16! #17! #18! #19! #20! #21! #22! #23! #24! #25! #26! #27! #28! #29! #30! #31! #32! #33! #34! #35! #36! #37! #38! #39! and #40!) {There also is the “Young Mandie Mystery” series, (Book #1 review Here and Book #2 review Here!) but they do not connect together well.}

Spiritual Content- Psalm 23:1 at the beginning & quoted later; Talks about God; ‘H’s are capital when referring to God; Prayers; Mentions of Scriptures; Mandie doesn’t think God loves her because He took her father; a preacher talks about hell at a funeral; Uncle Ned referrers to Heaven as the “happy hunting ground”.

*Note: Mentions of ghosts

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘dad-blast it’, a ‘dad-gum’, a form of ‘shut up’, a ‘stupid’; Etta Shaw slaps Mandie (no details); Mandie would get switched at the Brysons (no details).

Sexual Content- Noticing a beautiful girl; Joe is sweet on Mandie & says he’ll take care of her when they’re older (and later asks her to be his wife); Mandie kisses Joe on the cheek & he blushes; Joe kisses Mandie on the cheek; Liza says that Joe will try to “put some sugar on them lips if he catches you by yourself.”, then says the Joe would like to be her boyfriend; Mandie & Joe hold hands; Irene hangs out with a boy; John kisses Elizabeth (no details);

-Amanda “Mandie” Shaw, age 12
                                             P.O.V. of Mandie

                                         Set in 1900
                              144 pages (also available in a collection with four other Mandie books.)

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Pre Teens-

(and a half)

New Teens-

Early High School Teens-

Older High School Teens-

My personal Rating-

Oh, goodness! The Mandie series was one of my favorites when I was Mandie’s age! The little bit of romance between Mandie & Joe is so sweet but some parents might not want their younger daughters reading it.

*See my thought on this series versus the younger series, Here!

See y’all on Monday with a new review!

*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.