The Bobbsey Twins’ Mystery at Meadowbrook

The Bobbsey Twins Mystery at Meadowbrook was published in 1907 in some editions, sometimes also under the title The Bobbsey Twins at Meadowbrook, as part of the original early series. The family travels again to the country home of Uncle Daniel and Aunt Sarah at Meadow Brook Farm, where the twins have spent extended summers before. This is one of the books that establishes Meadow Brook as a recurring setting.

The mystery of the title is small-scale. A neighboring farm has been having repeated thefts of chickens and small items from the barn. Bert and his cousin Harry investigate with the kind of patient observation Nancy Drew would later perfect, and they eventually identify the culprit as a transient who has been sleeping in the woods between the two farms. The man turns out to be hungry rather than malicious and is helped by the Bobbsey adults rather than turned over to authorities. The handling of the situation is unusually gentle.