Book 1 ( )

1930 Version: Rating - 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.
Update: Okay although I was aware the books were rewritten later on I had not realised exactly how much they cut out. I read the original The Secret of the Old Clock and was pleasantly surprised. Nancy was spunky. The basics of the plot are very similar but the original is more fleshed out. And Nancy is more likable because she's not as irritatingly wholesome.

In this one when she finds the stolen clock she steals it back and she doesn't confess to the police officer with the idea that she'll "take the consequences". Plus she calls it how she sees it - she reads Jeff Tucker the riot act when she finds he's been drinking on the job and betrayed the Topman's trust. Of course this differs to the later version in that it actually is his fault. But she also only pursues the mystery to begin with because she doesn't like the Topmans. She calls them snobbish and goes out of her way to knock them off their high horse. Later she does meet the Horner's and the other relatives and wants to help them but it's not her sole motivation for investigating. And there's a shoot out! Overall it was very enjoyable. And I liked this Nancy Drew.

So now I have to read the 1930 versions of the other ones I've read so far. Because the later ones are too watered down to enjoy.

1959 Version: Rating - 2 stars
Can't say I really got the hype. It was a pretty simple mystery, with fairly bland characters. It likely didn't help that I didn't really like Nancy as a character. Her constant narration irritated me. And she is so wholesome and completely naive for an eighteen year old. I can forgive it in middle grade fiction because I expect it but I thought this was young adult so it's rubbed me the wrong way. I don't know, just didn't grab me. But I didn't read them as a kid so I also don't have nostalgia that would carry me through - like I do with Babysitter's Club, Animal Ark and Barbie. ( )

Never wrote a review for Nancy Drew, but after reading more Hardy Boys I think I should write something.

I like the Hardy Boys better, but to be fair, Nancy Drew's mysteries are kind of the same thing only with a girl as the main character.

I always found the history of these books interesting. Carolyn Keene is not a real person. It's a pen named used for several ghost writes both male and female. For a book that was made like this, it obviously became iconic. I'd argue Nancy Drew is more well read than the Hardy Boys.

I also laugh every time I hear my grandma's stories with these books. She use to buy them at the pharmacy or wherever they sold them, but she only bought one book at a time returning the other. Not sure why she didn't read them at the library? Maybe they didn't have them there back then or the store was closer. I still think it funny and clearly Nancy Drew had an effect on my grandma.

Like the Hardy Boys, I still would like to read all these books, but I rather not buy 100 books. Maybe if they made big omnibus editions or I'm at a library. ( )

Really enjoyed the book. Very exciting. ( )

Nancy Drew is the girl detective of Riverside. When she almost hits a young girl, she meets the family members of Josiah Crowley, a wealthy older man who has recently passed away. She learns that he had promised multiple friends and family that he would leave them money in his will but instead it is discovered that he has left all of his money to the Tophams - a community family who looks down on other members of society. There are rumors that Josiah wrote a new will that excludes the Tophams and takes care of those he promised care to. Nancy takes on the mystery of finding the new will and helping her new friends.

I read these Nancy Drew novels when I was younger and they helped develop my love of reading. The narrator does a wonderful job of bringing Nancy's adventures to life. Another big plus was the great mysterious cheesy music that plays at the height of mystery and danger. All in all, I loved going back and re-reading these mysteries and the sense of nostalgia was perfect. ( )