The Hidden Staircase

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. ( )

For a book called The Hidden Staircase i really expected to see more of the staircase. ( )

Reading Level: 3rd-6th grades
Awards: N.A.

A slightly creepy but thrilling mystery in which Nancy's firm grip on reality prevents a family of women from being gaslighted by a predatory man trying to buy up old manors. This is one of the few stories in which Nancy is not kidnapped or tied up, by the way. It's an interesting digression from the usual formula. ( )

The Hidden Staircase is the 2nd book in the Nancy Drew series. First published in 1930, the book still remains in print today, although edited and updated from the original just a bit. I am revisiting a lot of favorite children's books at the moment, because a summer cold is totally kicking my butt. I found several Nancy Drew audio books on my library's digital site.....perfect! The audio versions are about 3 hours long on average. Perfect listening time for someone who is stuck indoors coughing and feeling pretty miserable.

I worried that I might find these childhood favorites dated or juvenile, but I'm actually quite entertained! The audiobook I listened to (Penguin Random House) was narrated by Laura Linney. She does a great job reading! She reads the story at a nice pace and has a pleasant, easily understandable voice. The production quality is top notch....at suspenseful moments there are cheesy music stabs and sound effects. It was a fun listening experience!

In this second book, Nancy is investigating two mysteries.....ghostly activities at a local mansion and threats made to her father, Carson Drew. It develops into quite the interesting mystery!

The mysteries in the Nancy Drew series are not all that complex and the plot gets cheesy at times....but the stories are targeted at children and the first few books were written almost 90 years ago. They had a bit of an edit in the 1960s to remove some outdated stereotypes and to add in more action, but other than that the character and her adventures are as originally written. There is a reason these stories are classics. There might be some cheesy moments, but Nancy solves some interesting cases. She is intelligent, self-reliant and interesting as a main character. The books are a bit more outdated now than they were when I read them as a child, but the stories are still interesting and enjoyable. I can see the books being fun supplemental reading in a classroom or homeschool setting. There could be some fun writing prompts for students such as how could Nancy be aided in her sleuthing if she had access to modern technology (cell phone, computer for research, etc), what are some things Nancy does/says that are outdated and what would she say and do if she was a teen today?

The books are totally appropriate for middle grade students. There are some mild threats of violence and suspenseful moments, but nothing is ever graphic, gory or scary.

Moving on to the next book! Totally enjoying re-reading these classic favorites! ( )