Bitsy & the Mystery at Amelia Island (Bitsy Burroughs Mysteries)

By Vonda Skinner Skelton

Book Overview

Twelve-year-old Bitsy Burroughs has vowed to cause no more calamities, but when a bully pushes her too far Bitsy's promise of peace comes to an end. With a deflated ego, the courageous heroine must... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1570723079
• ISBN13: 9781570723070
• Release Date: July 2005
• Publisher: Overmountain Press
• Length: 183 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.5" x 5.5"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Delightful story for pre-teens

Author Vonda Skinner Skelton doesn't just know how to relate to kids-she remembers what it's like to be one! Bitsy & the Mystery at Amelia Island is a delightful story for pre-teens that will carry them through from start to finish, while subtly instilling the positive message that life is about more than money or looks. As Bitsy visits her friends on Amelia Island, she learns about looking beneath a person's gruff exterior and finding a wounded heart longing for companionship. Even as the entrepreneurial twelve-year-old tomboy fails in a business venture and comes out on the losing end of a fist fight with the town bully, Bitsy's adventures lead to an entirely new understanding of what it means to "enjoy being a girl." Despite talking birds, retired police dogs, and goose-bump raising tales of ghosts and witches, Bitsy, with the help of her friends, manages to unravel a mystery and, in the process, discovers some life-changing secrets about herself.

BITSY -- The Next Generation Boxcar Child

Gertrude Warner's "Boxcar Children" series set a standard for children's literature -- virtuous, hard-working poor kids who triumphed over adversity through courage and hard work. The "Bitsy" mystery series is a worhty successor to "The Boxcar Children". In this one, Bitsy is vacationing with a friend at Amelia Island, and she's up to her neck in grief. She has to survive a small business disaster, bust a ghost, catch a thief, unhaunt a house AND raise money to turn it into a community center, save her friend from the neighborhood bully (AND match him punch for punch AND reform him), escape from a witch, raise enough money to go to camp, win the talent show -- with a few more adventures along the way. Librarians need to mark down Vonda Skelton as a "Must Have"; parents and grandparents can confidently make her the Christmas book selection to the young mystery lovers in their lives (boy and girl -- Bitsy is tough!).

Bitsy Rocks!

Bitsy and the Mystery at Amelia Island is a delightful book, with a compelling plot and well-drawn characters. I enjoyed reading it as much as my two daughters did. We love Bitsy, as she's the perfect mix of imperfection, gutsiness, and goodness. Something about her just makes you root for her--every misguided step of the way. Very enjoyable. Highly recommended.

Even Better Than The First

Kudos to Vonda Skelton. Her second book in the Bitsy series is even better than the first! Young readers will clamor to get their hands on a copy and won't be able to put it down as they join Bitsy on a wonderful adventure. An enjoyable series for young readers.

If You Enjoy Ramona Quimby and Nancy Drew, You'll Like Bitsy

Bitsy Burroughs needs money. Her struggling parents are unable to come up with the hundred dollars required for her camp fees, so the spunky twelve-year-old enters herself in a talent contest and, as a backup plan, starts her own business. (Bitsy's Bangles are monogram necklaces with a "double-your-money-back" guarantee.) Finances are never secure in Bitsy's world, but she's optimistic as she takes a week to visit her friends Garrett and Ellie on Amelia Island, Florida. The song Bitsy has chosen to perform in the talent show, "I Enjoy Being A Girl," couldn't be further from her own personality, but she's determined to mold her image to fit, making an effort to change her hair color and even consider the possibility of (shudder) actually wearing makeup! The feisty Bitsy has recently resolved to "live in peace with everyone" until she encounters Ernie, the neighborhood bully. For Bitsy, being a "sissy" is never an option, and she's prepared to back that up with her fists. Unfortunately for her new "girly-girl" image, Ernie is more than a match for her, and she emerges from the fight a bloody, black-eyed mess. To further complicate the situation, rumors of ghosts are thwarting the adults' efforts to establish a resource center for handicapped youngsters next door, and of course Bitsy and her friends feel they must help investigate. Author Skelton never condescends to her young audience. She especially shines in the action and crisis scenes, where it's touch and go for Bitsy or her friends. (Watch for an early nail-biter that involves being buried in the sand.) In this second Bitsy mystery, Vonda Skelton has again given young readers a thoroughly three-dimensional character to cheer for--and occasionally laugh at--in a warm family atmosphere. As young womanhood looms on the horizon, Bitsy is making an effort to control her hair trigger temper, but she's not going to give up being a tomboy without a fight!