The Official Nancy Drew Handbook: Skills, Tips, and Life Lessons from Everyone's Favorite Girl Detective

by Penny Warner

Nancy Drew turned 76 last year, but you wouldn't know it to look at Perfectly coiffed, with Titian hair to die for, an ever-adoring fianc , and the best sidekicks a girl could want, our intrepid heroine is still finding clues, escaping from villains, solving mysteries, and saving the day all without mussing those gorgeous tresses. And now, so can The Official Nancy Drew Handbook will teach you how to live the Nancy life, with tips on fashion and beauty, romance, relationships, survival, sleuthing, and success. Soon you too will be tapping out Morse code with your high heels, using beauty aids to outsmart evildoers, and packing your pocketbook for every emergency. Girl Detectives need look no further to learn the life lessons of a super sleuth!

Genres: Mystery, Nonfiction, Classics, Middle Grade

176 pages, Hardcover

Published October 25, 2007

About the author

Penny Warner is an award-winning author of over sixty books, including DEAD BODY LANGUAGE mystery series (Macavity winner), HOW TO HOST A KILLER PARTY series, and the upcoming Food Festival series. Her middle-grade mystery, THE CODE BUSTERS CLUB, won the Agatha Award for Best Children's Mystery.

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently acquired this little gem from a dear friend who knew of my not so secret wish that I were Nancy Drew, girl detective! No, really. What's not to love about The Nancy? Seriously? Basically this chick has complete carte blanche to ride around in her little blue roadster and snoop and pry into other peoples' business in order to satisfy her own unhealthy type A, obsessive/compulsive, neurosis; all while basically undertaking in vigilantte type activities that would get most people (who do not possess Nancy's natural charm and knack for getting what she wants when she wants it)thrown into jail. Not to mention Nancy has a complete dolt of a boyfriend - Ned Nickerson, boy next door extraordinaire, who not only lets her wear the pants, he basically lets her wear HIS pants...but only after he launders and irons a perfect front crease for her, first.

Truly, Nancy is an inspiration.

But seriously...there were some good tips in this book, and here are some of my favorites:

1.) You can always gauge the quality of a man by the shoes he wears. More often than not, if he wears sensible lace up oxfords, he's the sort you'd want to marry and be the father of like a dozen of your children. (fyi: Ned Nickerson wears lace up oxfords)

2.) Wear high heels daily because you never know when you will be tied up and gagged and may have to tap out SOS in morse code with your feet.

3.)Learn morse code. (See above)

4.) Pack a purse for all contingencies! Standard items include: bail money, red lipstick (to perk up your lips when trying to flirt your way into getting what you want OR to stimulate dry blood in case the flirting doesn't work and you need to feign injury instead), a large magnifying glass for sleuthing, an all purpose hankerchief with your intials embroidered in it, and glue (in case you break your heel while tapping out morse code, of course - see above)

[Lilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who doesn't need to learn how to tap an SOS message with her high heels?!

[Katherine · Rating 1 out of 5]

How to even rate a book that is so antiquated in its portrayal of men and women? I get that it’s supposed to be humorous but it reads like satire... telling readers to show more skin to get your date to like you? Making comments about losing excess weight? Isn’t the target audience like, 12? Yikes. I’d love for Teen Vogue to come out with a new edition and giveNancy Drew the handbook she deserves!

[Hannah Degn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so fun and honestly completely hilarious! Still deciding if the tips are worthwhile but the life lessons kept me entertained reminiscing on my childhood filled with Nancy Drew mysteries as I set out to find my own Ned Nickerson.

[Katie R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little cheesy, but that's the point. The tips were silly, but some held some merit. I was irked every time she said poisonous and meant venomous; though.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ended up liking this and actually learned some tips (even though majority of it felt very sarcastic but I quickly saw that was the author's point the entire time lol)

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gem for the Nancy drew fan or collector, The Official Nancy Drew Handbook guides the reader on how to navigate various situations and circumstances from Nancy’s point of view. We cover everything our heroine deals with in her daily life, from relationship & social skills, fashion & etiquette tips, physical health & fitness, and—naturally—how to escape from perilous situations.

While much of this book is meant to be humorously tongue-in-cheek (PLEASE don’t make a fake ID or try to get a credit card using an alias), it does offer some good life advice that readers should consider taking to heart. I can’t vouch for whether Nancy’s tips on avoiding alligator attacks or escaping locked trunks are sound, but let’s hope we never have to find out...

[J.M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tried to read this but couldn't really get into it. I might have found it humorous when I was younger and closer to the Nancy Drew stories I loved growing up, but I haven't read any in years.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many useful tips (How to train a carrier pigeon, how to avoid an alligator attack, etc.).