The Brownie Scouts at Windmill Farm - Book Six of the Brownie Scout Books

At last we reach this sixth and final volume of The Brownie Scouts series written by Mildred A. Wirt (Benson), published in 1953.  This same year, Wirt had published the first book in her Girl Scouts series (which only lasted three books, published in '53, '55, and '57).  Since the Brownie Scounts graduated into the Girl Scouts, one would have thought Wirt would use the same characters; but, alas, the girls in the Girls Scouts series are not related in any way to the girls in The Brownie Scouts books.  Thus, we this book, we see the last of Connie Williams, Vevi McGuire (whose name remains "Vevi" now instead of "Veve" as it was spelled in the first four books!), Jane Tuttle, Sunny Davidson, and Rosemary Fritche, as well as their troop leader, Miss Jean Gordon.  At least their final adventure is a fun one!

 

The Brownie Scouts at Windmill Farm introduces a girl who is to become the newest member of the Rosedale Brownie Scouts - Hanny Van Der Lann. Hanny lives on a farm in Rosedale with her uncle, Peter Van Der Lann, her parents having died.  She and her uncle are both from Holland, so the Brownies (along with the reader) learn a number of things about Holland and tulips, as well as windmills.  It's interesting that Wirt should author a mystery involving the Dutch, as she previously wrote a book some 15 years prior to this one, The Wooden Shoe Mystery, which also featured a Dutch family.  The story opens with the girls learning about Holland at the Rosedale library and finding themselves with an opportunity to assist in the upcoming annual Rosedale tulip show.  These two things lead the girls to visiting "Windmill Farm," where Peter Van Der Lann has fields of the most beautiful tulips the girls have ever seen!  Hanny informs the girls that her uncle has a very special prized tulip that he will be entering into the contest at the tulip show, and she hopes that winning the first place award will help her uncle keep his farm (as he is heavily in debt).  One can easily see where the story is going to go from here...

 

A show promoter by the name of Mr. Piff is adamant about making the small town tulip show into a huge sensation, and pushes hard for the businesses of the community to sponsor his big plans - and he gets miffed when Mr. Van Der Lann refuses to donate money.  The neighbors who own the property adjacent to Windmill Farm - Mr. and Mrs. Mattox - are bitter people who have a competing farm of tulips that don't do nearly as well as Mr. Van Der Lann's, and they are determined to discover the prize tulip he intends to enter into the flower show so that they can make sure to have one better!  There's also the very enigmatic Mrs. Gabriel, the woman that Mr. Van Der Lann refuses to do business with but will not say why; the same woman that the Mattoxes are only too happy to do business with - and the same woman who ultimately searches for Vevi in order to get back a bag of bulbs she claims Vevi stole from her!  Thus, there is plenty of mystery - will Mr. Van Der Lann win first prize with his secret tulip?  Why is Mr. Piff so determined to get money from everyone in Rosedale for his idea of a super-show? And who is the mysterious Mrs. Gabriel that no one in town seems to know, yet who is making her presence known to everyone?  Plus, there's that stranger who questions Vevi about Mrs. Gabriel and is also found outside the locked shack on Windmill Farm, where Mr. Van Der Lann keeps his prized tulip bulbs - who is he, and what does he want?

 

This is a fun story that once again focuses on Vevi and Connie, with more attention on Vevi than Connie.  Sunny, Jane, and Rosemary are again relegated to simple supporting roles, playing very little part in the story.  Wirt provides plenty of educational information about Holland, tulips, and planting flowers, integrating it flawlessly into the story itself.  Wirt also manages to remind readers about the various aspects of the Brownie Scouts organization - its purpose, its history, and its meaning to the members.  This has been a rather enjoyable series to read, even though it is aimed at young readers (the same age as The Bobbsey Twins series).  It's rather a shame the series did not have the opportunity to continue beyond these six books.

 

The cover and interior art are once again provided by Marguerite Gayer.  While the cover art does not necessarily depict the most exciting scene (simply the girls admiring the Van Der Lanns' tulip garden), the interior frontis piece actually presents a rather important scene from the story - Mrs. Gabriel digging in the Scouts' recently planted garden outside of the Rosedale Library (from page 178)!  This is probably one of the best interior illustrations from the series, in my opinion. 

 

I did catch one error within the story.  When Vevi is caught in a sudden storm with Hanny on the farm, Hanny rushes out to cover one of the tulips, which Vevi guesses to be the "prize" tulip her uncle intends to enter into the contest.  Vevi says to Hanny, "It was the Golden Beauty that you covered ... I am sure of it, Vevi.  But I will never tell" (pp. 95-96).  Vevi was the one talking, and it is clear she was meaning to say "I am sure of it, Hanny," but instead, Wirt incorrectly inserts Vevi's own name into the dialogue.  It is surprising neither the author nor any editor at the publisher caught this glaring error.  It just goes to show that even the most careful of editing does not necessarily catch everything!

 

While not a masterpiece series by any means, the Brownie Scouts is a fine example of Mildred Wirt's ability to craft a perfectly-paced, fun mystery/adventure story that is an enjoyable read.

 

RATING:  8  uncut commercial diamonds out of 10 for sending off the Brownie Scouts with a fun-filled adventure of mystery, smuggling, and prize tulips!