In the spirit of female empowerment circa 1930s Nancy solves the mystery of a haunted house, nabs a swindler, and rescues her dad. And makes sandwiches. All without getting her skirts dirty! Yes these books are quaint anachronisms but there's something about their innocence and sheer naiveté which makes them fun to read all these years later. ( )

Nancy Drew has to find the mysterious ghost that seems to be haunting Twin Elms, and make sure no more prized possessions disappear under her nose.

So I discovered the original Nancy Drew. I now understand the hype.

1930 Version: 4 stars.
Nancy's got a real dry wit. It's hilarious. And she's brave in the face of danger - she stays calm and composed and uses her brains to figure out a way out of the situation. She acts more like a kid at times and it makes her more relatable. Like when she asks her father if she can stay at the Turnbull sisters for the week and he says yes, she dances around saying Goody, Goody. Plus she's more practical - her father gives her his revolver to take - none of this taking danger on but thinking the best of people or whatever nonsense is in the later ones. Plus there's actual danger. Carson Drew is kidnapped and held hostage. Gombet threatens to dope Nancy up in order to abduct her. You never really get a sense of that in the later books, it all seems to wholesome to be real. This mystery is much more exciting. I like the relationship between Nancy and Carson - they really respect each other and it's nice to see in fiction. I will say I am a little concerned about how the law works - when the guilty parties are captured - they're just thrown straight in prison? Uh, shouldn't there be a trial or something?

1959 Version: 2 stars.
Well this was better than the first one but she's just so bloody wholesome. And every criminal just pours out their soul to her. What criminal is likely to confess when there's no evidence they're even guilty? And no one but Nancy can solve the crime. Absurd. On the other hand, Barbie is the same - but I grew up reading Barbie - so I remember her fondly whereas this just annoys me. Still it was an alright read and I'm sure younger kids would enjoy. The mystery itself had a lot of moving parts and while not overly complicated was enough to keep me interested. 2.5 stars. ( )

student WORK ( )

Nancy Drew's friend, Helen, has asked her to help solve the mystery of the ghost in her great-grandmother's house. On top of this Nancy receives word that her father may be in danger if a property sale goes through without a bigger profit going to the sellers. Nancy travels with her friend to determine where the "ghost" is coming from and how they are getting in and out of the house.

Nancy experiences phantom noises and must go searching through the house to figure out how items are being moved, food is taken out of the kitchen and furniture moved. She also has to help Helen's family avoid a scrupulous man who wants to buy their home, Twin Manor, out from under them. Oddly enough, the same man who wants to buy Twin Manor is the same man who warned her to stay close to her father.

While Nancy is away with her friend, she receives word that her father is missing. She knows that he has been abducted and must help figure out who has him. Little does Nancy know that if she solves one mystery she may be able to solve the other. ( )