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Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew #36
The Secret of the Scarecrow
Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew are off on a spooky adventure when their prizewinning scarecrow goes missing.
Nancy, Bess and George are thrilled when their class is asked to design a scarecrow for the town’s biggest department store’s window. And it gets even better when their design wins! But when the scarecrow is stolen from Bess’s porch, it’s up to the Clue Crew to save the day.
The case is tough, especially with a shadowy figure running around town, a list of suspects that keeps growing, and Deirdre Shannon trying to get Bess in trouble. Can the girls find the scarecrow in time? Or will the store’s fall window be ruined?
Nancy, Bess and George are thrilled when their class is asked to design a scarecrow for the town’s biggest department store’s window. And it gets even better when their design wins! But when the scarecrow is stolen from Bess’s porch, it’s up to the Clue Crew to save the day.
The case is tough, especially with a shadowy figure running around town, a list of suspects that keeps growing, and Deirdre Shannon trying to get Bess in trouble. Can the girls find the scarecrow in time? Or will the store’s fall window be ruined?
96 pages, Paperback
First published November 12, 2013
About the author
Carolyn Keene
1,093 books3,971 followersCarolyn Keene is a writer pen name that was used by many different people- both men and women- over the years. The company that was the creator of the Nancy Drew series, the Stratemeyer Syndicate, hired a variety of writers. For Nancy Drew, the writers used the pseudonym Carolyn Keene to assure anonymity of the creator.
Edna and Harriet Stratemeyer inherited the company from their father Edward Stratemeyer. Edna contributed 10 plot outlines before passing the reins to her sister Harriet. It was Mildred Benson (aka: Mildred A. Wirt), who breathed such a feisty spirit into Nancy's character. Mildred wrote 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories®, including the first three. It was her characterization that helped make Nancy an instant hit. The Stratemeyer Syndicate's devotion to the series over the years under the reins of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams helped to keep the series alive and on store shelves for each succeeding generation of girls and boys. In 1959, Harriet, along with several writers, began a 25-year project to revise the earlier Carolyn Keene novels. The Nancy Drew books were condensed, racial stereotypes were removed, and the language was updated. In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.
Other writers of Nancy Drew volumes include Harriet herself, she wrote most of the series after Mildred quit writing for the Syndicate and in 1959 began a revision of the first 34 texts. The role of the writer of "Carolyn Keene" passed temporarily to Walter Karig who wrote three novels during the Great Depression. Also contributing to Nancy Drew's prolific existence were Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Nancy Axelrod, Priscilla Doll, Charles Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., and Margaret Scherf.
Edna and Harriet Stratemeyer inherited the company from their father Edward Stratemeyer. Edna contributed 10 plot outlines before passing the reins to her sister Harriet. It was Mildred Benson (aka: Mildred A. Wirt), who breathed such a feisty spirit into Nancy's character. Mildred wrote 23 of the original 30 Nancy Drew Mystery Stories®, including the first three. It was her characterization that helped make Nancy an instant hit. The Stratemeyer Syndicate's devotion to the series over the years under the reins of Harriet Stratemeyer Adams helped to keep the series alive and on store shelves for each succeeding generation of girls and boys. In 1959, Harriet, along with several writers, began a 25-year project to revise the earlier Carolyn Keene novels. The Nancy Drew books were condensed, racial stereotypes were removed, and the language was updated. In a few cases, outdated plots were completely rewritten.
Other writers of Nancy Drew volumes include Harriet herself, she wrote most of the series after Mildred quit writing for the Syndicate and in 1959 began a revision of the first 34 texts. The role of the writer of "Carolyn Keene" passed temporarily to Walter Karig who wrote three novels during the Great Depression. Also contributing to Nancy Drew's prolific existence were Leslie McFarlane, James Duncan Lawrence, Nancy Axelrod, Priscilla Doll, Charles Strong, Alma Sasse, Wilhelmina Rankin, George Waller Jr., and Margaret Scherf.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
September 26, 2021
This is such a cute Nancy Drew book. I loved the chapter titles, so adorable!
Bess, George, and Nancy were kind to one another, no mean girl stuff. And, the mystery
was fun with an enjoyable ending that included helping one another, nice message.
Bess, George, and Nancy were kind to one another, no mean girl stuff. And, the mystery
was fun with an enjoyable ending that included helping one another, nice message.
October 11, 2023
Really cute book.
June 13, 2016
While I was looking for new Nancy Drew to read, I first discovered the series: Nancy Drew Clue Book. I read the first book and fell in love, and then when checking the page I also found this series. A series with 40 (!!) books so far.
I was a bit hesitant, like with the Clue Book series (which I read a bit earlier) I was worried that this incarnation might turn out to be horrible. Yes, I am a bit wary of new incarnations of Nancy Drew. I have read a few of them (for instance one with real supernatural stuff, one with college Nancy but written in MG style), but in general they just mess up the character, or the writing isn't that good. Or they totally tilt around the world of Nancy Drew. But thankfully, this one, just like The Clue Book series, keep the characters intact. The writing is great, and it doesn't feel weird that Nancy Drew and her friends are now children. Instead it felt perfectly normal. Yeah, for another glimpse in the life of a little Nancy Drew (since the Clue Book series also show us Nancy from that perspective).
The mysteries are close to home, in this one for instance our group has made a scarecrow and things happen to it, but there is also a strange thing happening in town (a scarecrow, or something that looks like it, is on the loose). It is all close to home, the mysteries are quite easy (at least for the reader). Nothing big like the first Nancy Drew did (though she also had some smaller mysteries), and it was fun to see the girls as children as that really did change the playing field. Unlike older Nancy from the first series, this Nancy can't just go everywhere, nor can her friends. There are several other limitations and I have to say that it really makes things more interesting. You just can't wait to see how Nancy (and of course George and Bess) will solve this mystery. Will they be able to solve it in time?
The characters are just perfect in this one. Everyone is as one would expect.
I do would love to know who wrote this one as I love the style and I wonder if this writer has written other books.
All in all, I am glad that I found not just one new Nancy Drew incarnation series, but two series that I can fully enjoy now. This one will take a whole lot longer to collect, but I do hope to buy 2 or 3 books each month of this series.
I would recommend this book.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I was a bit hesitant, like with the Clue Book series (which I read a bit earlier) I was worried that this incarnation might turn out to be horrible. Yes, I am a bit wary of new incarnations of Nancy Drew. I have read a few of them (for instance one with real supernatural stuff, one with college Nancy but written in MG style), but in general they just mess up the character, or the writing isn't that good. Or they totally tilt around the world of Nancy Drew. But thankfully, this one, just like The Clue Book series, keep the characters intact. The writing is great, and it doesn't feel weird that Nancy Drew and her friends are now children. Instead it felt perfectly normal. Yeah, for another glimpse in the life of a little Nancy Drew (since the Clue Book series also show us Nancy from that perspective).
The mysteries are close to home, in this one for instance our group has made a scarecrow and things happen to it, but there is also a strange thing happening in town (a scarecrow, or something that looks like it, is on the loose). It is all close to home, the mysteries are quite easy (at least for the reader). Nothing big like the first Nancy Drew did (though she also had some smaller mysteries), and it was fun to see the girls as children as that really did change the playing field. Unlike older Nancy from the first series, this Nancy can't just go everywhere, nor can her friends. There are several other limitations and I have to say that it really makes things more interesting. You just can't wait to see how Nancy (and of course George and Bess) will solve this mystery. Will they be able to solve it in time?
The characters are just perfect in this one. Everyone is as one would expect.
I do would love to know who wrote this one as I love the style and I wonder if this writer has written other books.
All in all, I am glad that I found not just one new Nancy Drew incarnation series, but two series that I can fully enjoy now. This one will take a whole lot longer to collect, but I do hope to buy 2 or 3 books each month of this series.
I would recommend this book.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
October 22, 2014
Nancy's class is designing a scarecrow for a department store window, but the scarecrow is stolen right off of Bess's porch! Can the Clue crew find it before it's too late?
April 25, 2025
2.5 stars. I did not like this one. The premise is that the kids make a scarecrow in school and then Bess takes it home to keep it safe over the weekend? Its not a pet, friends. Anywho, it gets stolen and the girls figure out whodunnit. It was dumb and they used OMG multiple times and it just felt dumb and full of eye rolls, even for a middle grader.
March 4, 2018
fun book to read easy to follow.
May 27, 2018
The thief was too predictable.
March 11, 2019
Throughout the book, I started to think that it was Leanne who stole the scarecrow and I was right! After the Clue Crew gathered some clues, I realized that it was her.
July 4, 2019
Cute and I like that it’s unexpected to me who the suspect is even after all these years
February 12, 2021
Easy to read book. There's illustration on book, kid would love this book
March 17, 2021
Yet another cute one, and now I'm almost done with the entire series!
January 16, 2022
Culprit was pretty obvious :/
October 23, 2024
The Clue Crew is always kind, even to the kids who screw up. I like that.
February 16, 2026
This was an ok book kinda boring and it was all very fake.
Read
July 2, 2014This is awful. Back to Ramona Quimby. Thank God for Ramona Quimby.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews