As soon as my girls saw the advertisement for the  Mandie and the Secret Tunnel DVD, it went on both of their Christmas lists! They loved the Mandy books by Lois Gladys Leppard and couldn’t wait to see them on screen.

To make things even sweeter – it was also directed by Joy Chapman and Owen Smith -the same people who directed the Sugar Creek Gang movies (another family favorite!) AND it starred Lexi Johnson who played Circus in the Sugar Creek Gang and my girls loved her!

Needless to say, they were very excited to find it wrapped up under the Christmas tree!

We watched it as a family Christmas night and I’m glad to say that it lived up to their expectations.

The movie stayed close to the original story line with enough mystery and adventure to keep us all guessing.

The movie begins with the death of Mandie’s dad. Mandie (played by Lexi Johnson) runs away from her home and her very unloving mother. With the help of her Cherokee Indian friends, she is able to find the mansion of her rich Uncle John, only to discover that his ship had been lost at sea.

The caretaker of the estate, Jason Bond, played by the legendary Dean Jones, allows her to stay on and enlists her help to find her uncle’s hidden will.

Things get complicated when strangers start arriving claiming to be the rightful heirs. Mandie and her new friend Polly are in a race against time and through hidden passages to locate the missing will and discover the mystery of her heritage.

This is a great family night movie! It’s wholesome but full of fun and adventure.

This one gets the Country Gal Seal of Approval!